Voluntary Action Lewisham

• Skills for Sustainable Growth - This outlines the BIS vision for skills and seeks views on key areas of policy including adult and community learning (see pages 24 to 26) and also on how to measure success.
  
• A Simplified Further Education and Skills Funding System and Methodology - This consultation also seeks views on how to get more voluntary and community sector organisations involved in providing and advocating for learning.

The overall aim of the consultations is to ensure smarter investment in the development of a skilled workforce to promote economic growth. The content of the two consultation documents is of much relevance to the third sector, both as an education provider and as a growing workforce; short synopses of the consultations are below. ACEVO and the Third Sector National Learning Alliance are hosting two events to produce a joint response to these consultations - in London on the 14th September and in Sheffield on the 17th September, both from 2pm - 4:30pm. NAVCA is pleased to be hosting the Sheffield event and will also be submitting a response on behalf of members. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will be at both events.

Please email Nick Carey (nickc@acevo.org.uk) if you are interested in attending either of these events, stating the event you would like to attend.

Synopses of the consultations

In the policy consultation, the government is keen to ensure that there are incentives to prioritise support for disadvantaged learners. A simple training offer is to be created for the unemployed, bringing together the various training options currently available. Training providers are encouraged to make the most of alternative sources of funding, such as the European Social Fund, to supplement mainstream provision with additional training in “employability skills” such as self-management and team working. Greater freedom is also to be given to colleges and training organisations to help create a system which is more responsive to learner and employer demand. This will require a joint approach with employers, requiring strong leadership and co-operation. Key policy initiatives include a personalised system of learning accounts to help guide learners through further education; simplification of the skills system, with fewer national bodies; a reinvigoration of adult and community learning; and the replacement of specific targets with broader indicators.

In terms of funding, the government are keen to ensure greater flexibility in providers’ budgets and management structures. This will be produced via a greater focus on outcomes, such as delivering jobs for learners, and cost-effective systems with minimal government intervention. Greater financial simplification is to be achieved through a single route of obtaining public funding, with fewer bodies and processes involved. The consultation will explore how to significantly reduce the number of contracts which currently exist through the introduction of a system of minimum contract levels and an approved provider list. This will increase the scope for sub-contracting in order to retain smaller providers. The consultation also explores a number of ways to incentivise providers to support disadvantaged learners/underrepresented groups, such as a premium for learners in particular categories (e.g. benefit claimants); a premium for flexible provision targeted at the unemployed; an additional outcome payment for those supported into work; measurement of engagement with the disadvantaged included in assessments; and a greater reliance on each provider’s engagement with the community.

A new government skills strategy will be published following the findings of the Comprehensive Spending Review and the end of the consultation period on 14 October. It will be essential for the sector as a whole to feed into the strategy in order to ensure that high-quality training opportunities are available for the sector’s workforce and that public investment benefits disadvantaged learners.

1 September 2010

Third Sector magazine reports that implementation of part 3 of the Charities Act 2006, which would make the Charity Commission the lead regulator of public charitable collections in England and Wales, has been postponed indefinitely. Charities minister Nick Hurd has said it will not be discussed until next year.

Until part 3 is brought in local authorities have full licensing responsibility. See news item at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/1022208/.

(Part of a Big Society news round-up)

Umbrella body for the sector in England NCVO has created a web area 'The Big Society - the evidence base' to bring together key sources and materials, to inform the debate and thinking.

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(Part of a Big Society news round-up)

The first stage of the competitive commissioning process for the National Citizen Service pilots closed last week (25th August) when an expression of interest had to be submitted. The Office for Civil Society wants applicants to able to provide all parts of the volunteering programme, which is likely to mean charities forming consortia to qualify.

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