§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support the Government have committed to the Sector Skills Council for the logistics industry. [90321]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe Skills for Logistics Expression of Interest for a Sector Skills Council (SSC) was accepted, on 18 December 2002, by the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA). This will result in the SSDA committing development funding of up to £100,000 to help the sector prepare its bid for SSC status. If the resulting SSC bid is successful, Skills for Logistics will receive a full SSC licence and be eligible for up to £1 million a year from the SSDA to meet its core costs.
In addition to the financial support the SSDA has provided advisory support to the logistics sector in the form of a dedicated business consultant who has been giving support and guidance to the sector since December 2001. This support has included advice on preparing their expression of interest and will continue throughout the six month development stage.