Adult Learning and the Third Sector
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Consortia Map 2008
NIACE was funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to update an earlier map of the geographical spread of sub-regional voluntary and community sector (VCS) learning and training consortia. The map also located each consortium within a typology of organisational development. Consortia were invited to self-assess their organisations against a set of broad criteria to decide whether they were 'well established', 'getting established' or 'in the early stages of development'. Please click on the link below for the revised version.
 | Download Consortia Map 2008 - [PDF file] |
Since its initial publication, the map has proved extremely helpful to several LSC/VCS initiatives. If you wish to amend any of the information, please email rachel.hughes@niace.org.uk
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Third Sector Peer Coaching for Learning and Skills
This is a new free programme running from March 2008 to March 2009 for Third Sector providers of learning and skills and Third Sector organisations about to become providers.
Is your organisation:
| planning to go through the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) Pre
Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) or Invitation to Tender (ITT)
processes; currently involved in these; |
| just got through the PQQ or succeeded in becoming an LSC-funded Third Sector provider for the first time; or |
| an existing Third Sector provider that would welcome support around quality issues and meeting LSC requirements? |
Would you like:
| short-term, tailored support and guidance from a peer coach who also works in the Third Sector and who has successfully managed the delivery of learning programmes for the LSC? |
Then this could be for you!
For more information about this LSC-funded support programme, and for an application form, contact: Rachel Hughes: rachel.hughes@niace.org.uk
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A NIACE Briefing Paper for Consortia+
Changes to the qualification, licensing and professional development requirements for adult education teachers
This publication:
| Reviews what the new regulations mean for the voluntary and community sector. |
| Explains the regulations and outlines the implications for voluntary and community sector providers. |
| Provides examples for providers. |
| Download:
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VCS Learning Links
VCS Learning Links is an online directory of voluntary and community sector (VCS) infrastructure organisations and networks that support learning and training.
VCS infrastructure organisations have a number of important roles:
| providing a voice for the sector; |
| supporting development, capacity building and practice; |
| offering advice; |
| bridging between the VCS and other bodies; |
| supporting networking; |
| and helping organisations to work together. |
These roles are increasingly important for VCS learning and training and are undertaken by both generic infrastructure organisations and a growing number of specialist bodies.
VCS Learning Links covers national, regional, sub-regional and some particularly significant local VCS infrastructure organisations across England. It tells you how to contact them, their aims, main areas of work around learning, key funding sources and relevant local contacts, details of specialist learning and skills posts, and information about useful resources.
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Archive: documents associated with the development and implementation of the Working Together strategy
Working Together Strategy
Working Together in Practice - Toolkit
The following documents were published by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and developed in partnership with NIACE. They are volumes 1 and 2 of Working Together in Practice: A Toolkit to support Learning and Skills Council work with the voluntary and community sector.
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New LSC Reports
The following documents are both published by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). They are: first, a summary report by the LSC on progress with implementing 'Working Together', their national strategy for work with the voluntary and community sector; and second, a report by ERS on their evaluation of the LSC's Voluntary and Community Sector Capacity-building Fund.
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Main messages from the consultation
This report summarises the responses received during consultation on ‘Working Together’, the LSC strategy for working with the voluntary and community sector (VCS). It does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the results; rather it seeks to highlight the main messages emerging from the consultation exercise and give a sense of respondents’ priorities. Though the key reason for its publication is transparency on the part of the LSC, it also provides some insights into perceptions about the current ‘state of play’ between the sector and the Council’s offices and staff, by way of context and baselines for implementation of the strategy.
LSC Publish the final strategy Document
The Learning and Skills Council have published the final version of "Working Together: A Strategy for the Voluntary and Community Sector and the Learning and Skills Council" .
This document sets out the strategy that the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) intends to adopt with its partners in the voluntary and community sector (VCS). It explains in detail the ‘ways of working’ that the two bodies will adopt in order to achieve their shared aims. The document looks at the VCS as a provider, employer and source of expertise. It also sets out recommended practices for the LSC National Office and local LSCs for working with members of the VCS. It ends with an implementation
schedule and a list of references and sources.This document is of interest to the full range of individuals and organisations that are interested in, or involved with, voluntary and community sector engagement with adult learning.
Taken from the Summary of Working Together
Click on the link below to download the full document.
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LSCs and the voluntary and community sector
Posted: 9 October 2002
This Report summarises the main issues and recommendations arising from a series of regional seminars for the voluntary and community sector on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). These were delivered by the NIACE and the WEA on behalf of the DfES.
The meetings took place between January and March 2002 and were intended to build upon consultation events held in each of the previous two years. Both earlier series were delivered prior to the LSC's formal emergence and played an important role in encouraging preparation within the sector, particularly in the areas of strategic planning and quality assurance. The summary reports were a means of informing the LSC, nationally and locally, about key issues for the sector and of making a number of recommendations for future action.
With the LSC now underway, this third series offered an opportunity to incorporate much stronger sub-regional and regional dimensions to reflect more local issues and practices, as well as an overview of major general developments. The latter included interim lessons from the Adult Learning Inspectorate's (ALI) adult and community learning pilot inspections and the developing agenda around learning for neighbourhood renewal.
The final report and recommendations can be downloaded by following the link below.
| Download:
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Voluntary and Community Sector contacts in local LSCs
Working Together: A strategy for the Voluntary and Community Sector and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) recommended that each local LSC identify a member of staff as contact point or first port of call for the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in the area. The list of contacts is now on the LSC website.
Click here to view the list of Local LSC contacts for the VCS.
Through these contacts the LSC hopes to enhance two-way communication between local offices and sector organisations (particularly any who may have felt out of the loop before), as well as coordinate local activity to implement the Strategy, within its own offices and beyond. Local LSC and VCS colleagues who helped to define the role of the local contacts felt it important, for arrangements to work effectively, to be equally clear about what is outside the local contacts’ remit: in particular they are not there to take sole responsibility for all relations between the LSC and the sector in their area, or to provide a guarantee of LSC funding or advice on alternative sources.
Many names on the list will already be familiar to VCS organisations, and all the contacts will be looking for opportunities in the next few months to explain and promote their role.
Local Voluntary Sector Learning Consortia - A NIACE Briefing Paper
This publication:
| Reviews the history and development of local voluntary sector learning consortia to date. |
| Describes the main roles and functions that consortia fulfil. |
| Raises issues to be considered in the future development of current and new consortia. |
| Considers how the needs of black and minority ethnic voluntary and community organisations can best be addressed by consortia. |
| Download:
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Moving on: the LSC and the voluntary and community sector
Posted: 19 June 2001
To build upon the success of the earlier consultation seminars held in 2000, a second round of seminars was held between November 2000 and February 2001. Once again, these were organised on behalf of the DfES by NIACE and the WEA.
As before, the main issues arising from this latest round of seminars have been published in a report. The report is entitled "Moving on: the Learning and Skills Council and the voluntary and community sector"
The report can be downloaded by following the link below.
| Download:
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Learning and Skills Councils:Opportunities for the Voluntary Sector
In February and March 2000, NIACE and the WEA held nine regional seminars on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment, for voluntary and community organisations with a contribution to make to adult learning. The aim of these seminars was to help develop effective links between the voluntary and community sectors and the emerging Local Learning and Skills Councils by exploring the opportunities and challenges offered by these new bodies.
To accompany these seminars, NIACE and the WEA have written a short leaflet explaining the structure of the new Learning and Skills Council and identifying some particular issues for the voluntary and community sector. Please circulate to voluntary and community organisations that may wish to know more about the new arrangements.'
Download:
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