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Learning and Skills Councils: Opportunities for the Voluntary Sector
TAD Centre, Ormesby Road, Middlesborough
Monday 14th February 2000
This page contains appendices FROM, and should be read in conjunction WITH the Regional Report
For the North East Region seminar
The planning and delivery of this event was undertaken on behalf of NIACE and the WEA by Cheryl Turner (Development Officer, NIACE) and Michael Freeston (Education Officer, WEA).
Particular acknowledgement needs to be given to the hard work of administrative staff of both organisations, especially Philippa Cattell, Averil Coutinho and Vera Tunçel, for ensuring the smooth running of the event.
65 participants registered to attend the event. Representatives of the Government Office Local Learning Partnerships, voluntary groups and 'umbrella' organisations attended. This spread of experience and knowledge ensured that participants’ contributions, both in the discussion groups and plenary sessions were lively and informative.
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At the North East Region seminar
| There is concern that the Voluntary Sector will still be 'squeezed out' of funding opportunities. |
| The opportunities provided by the 10-15% non-tariff funding is welcomed but this raises issues for Quality Assurance and bench-marking. |
| The opportunities presented by new structure look good but voluntary organisations' experiences of patchy engagement with the existing framework are a cause for concern. |
| There has been some positive engagement by voluntary organisations with earlier Government initiatives; e.g. Sure Start: but this is not always the case. (e.g. with SRB5) |
| There needs to be transparency in the process of appointing members to LSCs and the need for these members to bring broad perspectives to their work. |
| There should be a 'Community Chest' available to intermediary bodies to ease the flow of money to grass roots organisations. This should operate from a 'give money and stand back' approach and trust other bodies to monitor the effective use of the resources. |
| The LSC framework must allow for consideration of regional skills needs and base and permit cross boundary funding where necessary. |
| LSCs must avoid tokenism in their dealings with Voluntary and Community groups. There needs to be greater recognition and credit given to the role of Voluntary Sector in learning, even where this provision is 'owned' by other providers. |
| LSCs must ensure that their strategic thinking is informed by regional intelligence. This will require regional recording, sharing and dissemination of information. |
| Some organisations will need 'champions' to support their work. |
| There is a desire within the Voluntary and Community Sectors to build positive links with the new framework. How to create these is the challenge. |
| The LSC should provide funds to help raise the profile of the Voluntary Sector. |
| What will happen to the TEC reserves? |
| The sector welcomes the proposed access to LSC funds, which replaces the restrictive system whereby FEFC funds were often unavailable to the Sector. |
| The scope to match funds against ESF is welcome, although there is concern over the possibilities of 'races' for these funds with other providers. |
| There is concern about these funds being paid in arrears. |
| Partnership working must be based on equality and parity of esteem. Acknowledgement must be given to the valuable input of small organisations. |
| How will LSCs know about the contribution of smaller 'quieter' organisations? |
| There must be an effective two-way flow of information between small organisations and LSCs. |
| What standards apply to the 40% business representation on LSCs? |
| LSCs must recognise that a lot of good practice in partnership working exists, e.g. on Teeside. The proposed changes should work to support and improve these. |
| Levels of bureaucracy in the new framework must recognise capacity issues of small organisations. These organisations must be supported so they understand and can work within the new terms of reference. |
| Small organisations will need support to access the new funding sources. |
| The process for allocation of resources will need to be transparent. Voluntary Sector representation on these processes must be ensured and any criteria linked to LSC funding should recognise the capacity of small organisations to meet them. |
| The new structures do provide new opportunities for the Sector. It is hoped that this new framework will not be presided over by 'the same faces' and 'gatekeepers' as the current system. |
| The non-accredited opportunities are welcomed. |
| Could funding be 'ring-fenced' in any way for particular groups? |
| It is important to emphasise the needs of rural areas, especially in terms of isolation and limited access to services. |
| LSCs should ensure their members bring the required breadth of experiences, and do not just replicate the existing 'great and good'. |
| There have been good examples of TEC partnership-working in the North East. These should be continued although it is important to learn from mistakes made. |
| There is concern regarding missed opportunities to consult Voluntary Organisations simply because their contact details are not on existing mailing lists. |
| To what extent will it be possible to influence LSCs over their remit? |
| Who will bench-mark LSCs? |
| The new framework is a big opportunity and will require a change of culture on all sides. |
| There is a need to ensure appropriate flow of information and it cannot be assumed that this is always best done through web-sites and electronic communication. |
| There is concern over the balance of power with the commercial and local authority sectors. Voluntary Organisations will need to be supported if collaboration is to be effective. |
| How should the Sector 'market' itself? There is a sense that it currently feels undervalued and unrecognised. |
| Resources will be a key issue. Voluntary Organisations need to receive core funding. |
| There are practical issues of support for the Voluntary Sector which will enable them to be positively engaged with LSCs; e.g. funding to cover time lost etc. |
| Government definitions of Lifelong Learning should not be too demanding to put off potential participants. |
| The new formula funding is to welcomed. |
| The Voluntary Sector should be involved in the development of the new framework from the earliest stages. |
| Some organisations feel concerned/cynical about the proposals. There will need to be training and support to overcome this and build the skills and confidence of these groups. |
| Will there be the 'same pigs at the trough'? This links to the need for representation of voices from the Voluntary Sector to be heard in the new framework. |
| What will be the local authorities role in the future? Will they be provider as well as facilitator? |
| What is the relationship of LSC funding on access to other funds? (e.g. those received from other Government departments.). |
| It is important to stress that community-based learning includes valuing methods and processes of learning and not just outcomes. |
| What will be the status of training and qualifications offered within the Sector? Will hidden 'league tables' develop? |
| What is the Government's agenda for the Sector? Does this match the Sector's perception of its identity and purpose? |
| The Voluntary Sector may need to change its ways of 'being and doing'. |
| There is concern over the future of Local Authority funding in other areas, such as infrastructural support for community-based learning. |
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At the North East Region seminar
From the forms returned the ratings for this event were: 15 very good, 19 good and 3 satisfactory. Overall, the written comments were positive and spoke favourably about the clear structure of the programme and the balance between presentations, discussion and feedback, the informal, friendly atmosphere and free flow and open character of the comments, the documentation before and during the event, the fact that it was clearly for voluntary bodies and included a number of grass-roots organisations, and the richness of the plenary discussions due to the diverse experience and knowledge of the participants.
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