Withers Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape, June 2023 Key recommendations made by Withers include: • the creation of a new single funding and delivery body, bringing together functions from Skills Development Scotland (SDS), the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and, possibly, the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) • giving the enterprise agencies a clear remit for supporting businesses, with workforce planning as an embedded and integrated part of business development and planning • ensuring there is a clear remit for the new qualifications body – the successor to the SQA - in overseeing development and accreditation of all publicly funded post-school qualifications • moving responsibility for national skills planning to the Scottish Government • reform of SDS to create a new body with a singular focus on careers advice and education ADES Comment ADES agrees that more coherence and stronger links between SDS and education at a strategic and operational level would enhance outcomes and life chances for our young people.