Employer
Third Sector
The Third Sector
The LSC set out a strategy (the Working Together strategy) in 2004 that it intended to adopt with its partners in the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). The strategy had an implementation plan and explained in some detail the "ways of working" that the two bodies would adopt in order to achieve these shared aims.
If you require a copy of A Strategy for the Voluntary and Community Sector and the Learning and Skills Council: Working Together
Please contact our publications Help Desk: 0870 900 6800
Publication Reference: LSC/AA000/0922/04
The document looked at the VCS as an employer, provider and a source of expertise. Since the publication of this report, public policy has become focussed on the Third Sector, a term that includes the Third Sector but also embraces social enterprises and similar bodies. The LSC has therefore adopted this approach in its ongoing development of the Working Together strategy.
The strategy included a commitment to adopting better ways of communicating to ensure more Third Sector organisations know what is happening in the LSC. This web page is one such method of communication. Through this one page, you should find all of the related information that the LSC has about the Working Together strategy and the work that is being undertaken to deliver it.
News
Please find below a recent letter from our Chief Executive Mark Haysom announcing additional flexibilities within the Train to Gain offering.
Read the whole letter here
The LSC is delighted to publish the second phase report on the evaluation of the LSC’s engagement with the third sector. This report and its recommendations have been endorsed by our Management Group and will form the basis of an action plan which we will share with the third sector for comment, later in the year.
The report can be found here
Train to Gain
A number of LSC regions and local offices have been offering opportunities to the third sector to find out more about Train to Gain.
Meetings have been held, and in one or two regions, specific projects have been undertaken to get more information about to get them involved.
- In Bournemouth last week, 50 third sector organisations turned up to hear more about Train to Gain, and hear from the SW Regional Minister, Ben Bradshaw
- The LSC East of England have funded a series of events to raise awareness of Train to Gain within the third sector, and appointed some champions from within the third sector to act as sign posters and referrers to the brokerage service as well as the peer coaching service that the LSC runs for the sector.
- The LSC in the North East have undertaken a project to identify and use the sector as providers of Train to Gain, and since February 2008, 131 learners from 39 organisations have accessed qualifications through Train to Gain.
- West Midlands LSC contracted with 2 third sector organisations to bring leads to the brokerage service. During March 2008 they referred 52 employers to the service. In the current year we have agreed with the brokerage service that they will contract with organisations who have knowledge of the sector to undertake organisational needs analysis on behalf of the brokerage service.
- Yorkshire and the Humber are planning engagement events in 2008 to encourage VCS organisations to use Train to Gain and VCS providers to deliver Train to Gain with Sector-specific materials designed to answer common queries.
For more information on these activities, please contact the relevant LSC regional third sector lead. Details of who these are can be found at the bottom of this page under contacts.
The LSC has published a sector specific leaflet about Train to Gain, which you can download here:
Train to Gain and The Third Sector
Please let as many organisations know about this leaflet and if you have any queries about the leaflet or policy contained within it, please contact Cheryl Turner on 02476 823520. If you want more information about train to gain, please see the back page of the leaflet.
Compact Review
The Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) Third Sector Engagement Compact Review document has been published today (4 June 2008) and can be found here:
Compact Review Report
The Review document seeks to address key areas highlighted in the Third Sector Compact (www.thecompact.org.uk) for the LSC’s consideration. This first report looked specifically at the following Compact codes; of good practice funding and consultation and outlines strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement for the LSC.
The Review is part of our ongoing commitment to seek best practice and continually improve our reach to disadvantaged learners and to work with those organisations within the third sector that support this work and through clear delivery of the Compact principles.
For further information about this report, please contact Ann Gill/Natasha Groocock at the LSC Press Office on 02476 823640
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; Tel: 0116 204 4217
Train to Gain to include volunteers
The Train to Gain service includes both free skills brokerage and also employer focussed skills training, some of which is subsidised. Changes have been announced that will enable the skills brokerage and skills training to include volunteers where they are part of an organisation’ workforce.
The LSC is committed to ensuring that the workforce development of the Third Sector is considered alongside other employment sectors. The LSC is working with other partners to ensure that the Train to Gain service is as accessible to Third Sector organisations as it is to other sectors.
http://www.traintogain.gov.uk/
Qualified Teacher Learning & Skills (QTLS) Status – implicationsfor the Third Sector
The final report of the NIACE research can be found here
Since 2007, new regulations have been in place regarding qualification and CPD status for those teaching in FE colleges or on other LSC-funded provision.
LSC has commissioned NIACE to carry out research on the impact of these new requirements on Third Sector providers. This research will help inform the work of LSC and other stakeholders going forward in ensuring that teachers in the Third Sector are able to benefit from the new arrangements.
NIACE have published an information bulletin about the application of the regulations to the Third Sector which can be accessed here.
http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/
http://www.ifl.ac.uk/
Advisory Group
The Working Together Advisory Group
The Advisory Group was established in 2006 to support the LSC in implementing the Working Together Strategy. Minutes of the meetings can be found below.
The Advisory Group - Working Together met on 06 November 2007. These are the minutes of the meeting.
Working Together Advisory Group - meeting minutes 06 November 2007(158KB)
Older minutes can be found in the archive section.
Important documents to read
The LSC grant letter spells out the work expected of the LSC in the coming year, the Annual statement gives the priorities that the LSC intend to make and the progress report offers insight into the progress made by the LSC towards last years grant letter and statements.
Click here for links to each of these documents
Click here for links to the Commissioning Plans
Map of Third Sector Learning Consortia
You can download a map of Learning and Skills Third Sector consortia in England. This was prepared in 2006 with the backing of both LLSC offices and the Third Sector. The map was updated at the start of 2008 by NIACE. If you are a consortia who wishes to update their details please email ruth.powell@lsc.gov.uk
Map of Learning and Skills Third Sector Consortia (doc 73KB)
Archive News
You can read archived news articles here.
Third Sector Documents
Working together in practice: a toolkit to support Learning and Skills Council work with the voluntary and community sector - volume 1
Working together in practice: a toolkit to support Learning and Skills Council work with the voluntary and community sector - volume 2
Guidelines for LSC's working with the voluntary and community sector
Working Together – A Strategy for the Voluntary and Community Sector and the Learning and Skills Council
This is the strategy for Working with the Voluntary and Community Sector, as agreed in May 2004, and defines the relationship and strategy for working with the VCS, and now the Third Sector
Contacts
If you need further information, please contact Cheryl Turner, senior Policy manager with responsibility for third sector issues: email: cheryl.turner@lsc.gov.uk tel: 024 76 82 3520
Local LSC Third Sector Contacts
You will find lots of documents that might be useful if you go to the Reading Room and type in ‘third sector’ or ‘voluntary and community sector’. You will also find useful information on the NIACEwebsite
