You are here: Home > Case Studies > Berkshire

Case Study - Berkshire Partnership

In Berkshire we have the Community Network Group, which is a consortium of all the CVS, Berkshire Community Foundation, WEA, and Berkshire Association of Young People. Given our unique structure of 6 unitary authorities we have 6 CVS who are at different stages in development. Nick Parish, who is the Industrial Chaplain for Bracknell Forest and also a member of the Berkshire Learning and Skills Council, chairs the consortium.

The group is currently discussing widening the membership to include Connexions, BME groups and Berkshire Disability Information Network (BDIN). The consortium was formed about 3 years ago as an innovative step by BLSC for the purpose of addressing the sector’s needs.

The group oversees all elements related to the voluntary and community sector (Strategic Area Review (StAR) Compact, Skills Strategy, Information Advice and Guidance (IAG), etc.) amongst which is the LID funded Brokerage Programme aimed at capacity building in the sector as a follow up to the Teecap Project which carried out training needs analysis for the sector in Slough and Windsor and Maidenhead.

The Brokerage Programme is a pan Berkshire project, which has enabled recruitment of a Training Co-ordinator for each of the CVS. Their role is to carry out local TNA and arrange training using LSC mainstream funded and specialist providers as appropriate, the main emphasis being on mainstream providers.

There exists a steering group for the Brokerage Programme, which meets on a quarterly basis. As part of the contract the CVS are required to be part of local authority Management Group (in some cases LSP or other Training Partnerships), which also include IAG, Learning Partnership representatives. The contract with the LSC requires all delivery plans, reports, etc. to be endorsed by the respective management group thus the link with the local authority.

There is also a Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities project going on in Berkshire, which has formed its own Partnership with representation from the six LEAs as primary members. The representatives on the NLC Partnership are also members of local Learning Partnerships who in turn sit on the above mentioned Management Groups, thus the link.

Thanks to Kalpana Majithia, Community Learning Development Executive, Berkshire LSC, for the following information: