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Next Steps - roles and functions of Consortia

Whilst Consortia are often influenced by external drivers, and in particular in response to Working Together, their strength and credibility is often based on their ability to remain focused and be steered by the needs of VCOs.

> Advantages of Consortia - Internal drivers
> Advantages of Consortia – External drivers

Each consortium has developed quite independently of the others, whilst still learning from each other’s experiences and drawing from each other’s practice. They have each found solutions to the challenges they faced, some of the solutions as a response to the local policy and funding climate within which they operate. Despite this, commonalties emerge, especially in the way they approach their work, their “positioning” with links into the local VCS and the values which they adopt.

Page Map:

• Capacity building.

  • Raising awareness.

  • Supporting funding.

  • Workforce development.

    • Delivering learning and development opportunities to VCOs.

    • Promotion of the sector as an employer.

    • Supporting progression frameworks for career development.

    • Skills for Life.

    • Support VCOs as learning providers.

• Strategic.

  • Research and mapping.

  • Lobbying and Influencing Policy.

  • Formulate sector wide learning and development strategies.

Capacity building

Capacity building is an often-used phrase, used to describe the raising of either organisational or individual skills and knowledge. It can also refer to an increase in time or resources.

Consortia have a key role to play, as part of the VCS infrastructure, in capacity building organisations to make them more effective and efficient organisations. In doing so they can focus on increasing the skill levels of individuals within those organisations to engage with the Lifelong learning agenda.

> Case Study: Learning Curve Strategy
> Case Study: Devon Association of CVS Train the Trainers
> Case Study: HLC: Voluntary Sector Skills Brokerage

Raising awareness

Consortia can, with appropriate staff levels, develop an in-depth understanding of all aspects of the Lifelong learning agenda. They can support organisations by running training and development activities, which help organisations to become more aware of the strategic and policy agenda. Part of their role might be in attempting to “translate” government policy and strategy in terms of its impact on VCOs, identifying how VCOs can become involved in service delivery and what the benefits might be. In addition, Consortia might support VCOs in being able to respond to consultations on strategy and policy.

Awareness raising might also include generating a discussion on best practice and finding new and innovative ways to develop staff and volunteers within their organisations.

An increasingly key role for Consortia, is in their support of organisations in order to increase their understanding of what is. involved in becoming an LSC funded Learning provider.

> Case Study: Learning Curve Roles.
> Case Study: Humberside Learning Consortium Roles.
> Case Study: SVCSLC Function.
> Case Study: SVCSLC Operation.

Supporting funding

Intermediary body
Some VCOs, whilst having the ability to deliver learning opportunities, need support in receiving funding, and in particular managing the often complex mechanisms needed to be accountable for those funds. Many Consortia often already have established systems for monitoring and evaluation, and can offer that function on behalf of the VCO. This sometimes means they are the accountable body for funds, without actually being the deliverer of the provision.

> Case Study: Learning Curve Roles.
> Case Study: Humberside Learning Consortium Roles.

Conduit and channel for funds
The LSC, in some isolated cases, has indicated that the most efficient and effective way of distributing funding is to give a pot of money to a Consortium, and let them become fund managers on their behalf. This has advantages in that Consortia are positioned to have the expertise needed to make decisions on the likelihood of success of a particular project, as well as setting up a centralised system for reporting back on funding. It can also free up individual VCOs from what might have been burdensome bureaucracy, which may have dis-enabled their participation. This approach also has disadvantages. It can put Consortia in a position of making funding decisions about its members and users, and in some cases, could cause conflicts of interest.

> Case Study: Learning Curve Roles.
> Case Study: Humberside Learning Consortium Roles.
> Case Study: HLC Global Grants.

Workforce development

Delivering learning and development opportunities to VCOs
A primary focus for most Consortia is offering training or other learning opportunities to the VCS. Through research into existing provision and an analysis of skill gaps, Consortia are well positioned to run training, which helps to meet identified needs within the VCS. By bringing individual and organisational needs together, a wider programme of opportunities might be offered, across a breadth of topic areas. Training which might not be feasible because of low numbers in a geographical area could be more viable if that area was widened. Thus Consortia can open up choice and access to VCOs to learning opportunities.

> Case Study: Learning Curve Roles.
> Case Study: Humberside Learning Consortium Roles.
> Case Study: SVCSLC Function.
> Case Study: SVCSLC Operation.
> Case Study: Devon Association of CVS Train the Trainers
> Case Study: HLC: Voluntary Sector Skills Brokerage

Promotion of the sector as an employer
Workforce development is not only about providing learning and development opportunities. Another important aspect of work for many Consortia is their promotion of the VCS as an employer, assisting with recruitment and retention of employees, and in the wider promotion of the VCS as a career.

Consortia activities vary, but sometimes include supporting VCOs in formulating learning and development plans, raising awareness around good employment practice and helping organisations to understand about how best to recruit appropriately skilled people into jobs. Assisting in advertising career opportunities could also be a potential Consortia role.

Supporting progression frameworks for career development
Like other sectors, the voluntary and community sector operates across a wide range of occupational areas. Some of these areas have well established career progression routes, for example carers have access to a range of qualifications. Some however do not. Consortia are often at the forefront of making sense of the accreditation and qualifications framework and assist organisations in understanding what progression might be available to their staff. Where those opportunities for progression are not in existence, Consortia have sometimes developed appropriate learning opportunities themselves, designing progression frameworks, and sometimes qualifications.

> Case Study: Devon Association of CVS Train the Trainers

Skills for Life
One of the Government's learning priorities is Skills for Life and it is acknowledged that the VCS has a crucial role to play in the LSC achieving its targets. The VCS has particular skills in working with groups of individuals who have been excluded from learning opportunities. Consortia can fulfil a number of roles to support the delivery of Embedded Basic SKills.

> Case Study: Embedding Basic Skills Awareness

Support VCOs as learning providers
Linked to the capacity building agenda, Consortia have the ability not only to deliver training and learning opportunities to VCOs, but support other organisations who would also like to provide opportunities. This might take the form of assisting the development of programmes, offering expertise around accreditation, or helping with the monitoring and evaluation requirements of funders.

> Case Study: Learning Curve Roles.
> Case Study: Humberside Learning Consortium Roles.
> Case Study: SVCSLC Function.
> Case Study: SVCSLC Operation.

Strategic

Research and mapping

Critical to the success of Consortia, is their ability to have an overview of the sector, what it does and its needs. Through research and mapping activities, Consortia can generate the data on what is being delivered within a geographical area, identify gaps in provision, and takes steps to bridge those gaps. This information can be applied in a variety of ways

> Case Study: Learning Curve Roles.
> Case Study: Learning Curve Strategy
> Case Study: Humberside Learning Consortium Roles.
> Case Study: SVCSLC Function.
> Case Study: SVCSLC Operation.
> Case Study: Devon Association of CVS - Research into the VC Sector

Lobbying and Influencing Policy

By working in collaborative way, Consortia can not only provide the data to inform planning processes, they can also analyse that information and take action where needs are identified. Their independence from any individual organisation is crucial. Consortia with appropriate mechanisms for accountability are positioned to influence and act not from the perspective of their individual organisational need, but from a consolidated VCS perspective.

The knowledge amassed by research and data collection also enables Consortia to input into the strategic planning process of for example, the LSCs Strategic Area Reviews (StARs), and ensure the VCS needs are reflected within planning processes, which in turn can inform how resources are allocated.

Formulate sector wide learning and development strategies

Having the benefit of an overview on the VCS, and an understanding of the learning and development within it, research activities might also be used to formulate future plans for developing VCS across all of the areas within which it operates.

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[Getting Started]
[Developing Consortia]
[Next Steps]
[Roles and functions]
[Continuing Steps]
[Continuous Steps]
[Helps and Hindances]