The Learning and Skills Development Agency agrees that national training organizations (NTOs) have a vital role to play in delivering the United Kingdom's skills agenda and that doing so will require strengthening their role. The agency particularly welcomes the fact that the NTO framework will do the following things: include clear statements of the core roles of NTOs; identify tools required to underpin the delivery of these roles; set out the need for strategic business proposals; and identify critical success factors and indicators demonstrating success. The agency believes that the following are among the challenges facing the NTO network: changes in the post-16 education and training arrangements; the need to work influentially with key bodies; the need to develop high-quality skills assessment; and the need to engage employers of all sizes in the sector. The agency supports the following core roles for NTOs: assessing and articulating current and future skill needs; leading action on sector skills development; and actively reviewing progress in meeting skills priorities. The agency considers that skills foresight, skills dialogues, and sector workforce plan the basis of a strategic process for sector skills planning and action, and believes that NTO groups could provide the basis for a restructured NTO network. (MN)