The move follows a bid from SPRITO, the former National Training Organisation (NTO) for sports, recreation and the allied occupations, including playwork, to become the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for active leisure and learning. A SPRITO spokesman said he anticipated that the result of the bid would be known in around three months time, following consultations with the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and partner organisations.
This is the organisation's second attempt to win SSC status, after making it to the shortlist of six 'trailblazer' SSCs but failing to win the bid in January 2002.
SPRITO put in the bid on 9 July, after winning a development contract six months ago from the Sector Skills Development Agency to put forward an expression of interest.
The SPRITO spokesman said a new organisation with its own board, known as Skillsactive, 'will take on the mantle of SPRITO' and its responsibilities for developing occupational standards. The playwork unit will transfer over to Skillsactive, along with sport and recreation, health and fitness, outdoor education and training, and the caravan industries. He added that Sprito would continue to exist as 'an educational charity to develop products and innovation for learning'.
The Department for Education and Skills, which published its White Paper on the skills strategy earlier this month, anticipates that around 25 SSCs will replace the 73 NTOs which it disbanded in March last year. The full network of SSCs - known as the Skills for Business Network - is expected to be running by next summer.
The Government has introduced SSCs, which are employer-led organisations, to give industry a voice in influencing training and skills to meet the current and future needs of the workforce, with the aim of increasing productivity. But the early years sector is still no closer to resolving the issue of which SSC will replace the Early Years NTO (EYNTO).
Richard Dorrance, chief executive of the Council for Awards in Childcare and Education (CACHE), said last week at the organisation's annual general meeting in London that CACHE would continue to provide the core functions of the former EYNTO until at least this December. It has run a scaled-back EYNTO since April 2002.
A consultation exercise with the early years sector led last year by the National Day Nurseries Association had found a strong consensus for establishing a children and young people's Sector Skills Council, including playwork, youth work and classroom assistants, as well as early years.
However, to date no formal proposals have been put forward.