• 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

This paper was prepared by NAVCA Chief Executive Kevin Curley for NAVCA’s Cuts Seminar held on 25 August 2010 in Birmingham.

Public spending cuts and the voluntary and community sector (Word, 210 KB).

• 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.

NAVCA will be submitting responses to both consultations based on the views of our members - by the end of 14 October 2010.

We would urge members to submit their own responses as well as we know that quantity of responses matters to government.

We will also be working with the Third Sector National Learning Alliance in holiding consultation seminars in partnership with ACEVO to give TSNLA members a chance to talk to Skills Funding Agency and BIS officials.

20 August 2010

As a follow-up to the Empowering the Voluntary Sector project’s recent cuts briefing, this short paper aim to update on recent casework carried out by its advocacy and legal teams and to provide you with an action plan you can use when faced with cuts. To gain the most from this paper please read in conjunction with the Cuts Challenge newsletter published in July 2010. Managing the cuts, Aug 2010, Aug 2010 (pdf, 83KB) Cuts: to challenge or not to challenge, July 2010, July 2010 (pdf, 94KB)

Justin Davis Smith, Chief Executive of Volunteering England, sent us the following statement for NAVCA members.

Volunteering England is considering how it can best contribute to the design and delivery of the National Citizen Service scheme. Given the broad-based nature of the scheme, we are not intending to bid to deliver the pilots, though we are talking with possible lead delivery agencies about an appropriate role for Volunteering England and the Volunteer Centre network on the volunteering component.

The areas where we feel we can make the biggest contribution are advising on best practice in volunteer management and support and helping to source great quality volunteering opportunities. We also think Volunteering England and the Volunteer Centre network have a role to play in helping the young people who have been through the programme stay in touch with volunteering opportunities, through the setting up of some sort of alumni programme.

If you have further thoughts on how we might contribute please let me know.

More information can be found on the Volunteering England website.

As the coalition government begins the process of cutting public spending to reduce the deficit, our sector is facing difficult times. Every day we hear about deep cuts affecting NAVCA members and we are committed to helping as best we can.

In this vein, NAVCA are organising an event for its members to discuss the cuts and ways that we can collectively respond. In these difficult times, it is more important than ever that we work together to find the solutions.

The event has already been a tremendous hit, becoming oversubscribed within hours of being announced. With an apparent eagerness from our members to contribute to finding solutions, we will be looking at further ways to bring people together to help each other in the future.

The event is taking place in Birmingham on Wednesday 25 August 2010 and, should it prove successful, we will be organising a similar event elsewhere.

Legislation to make charities and other not for profits pay for a licence to play recorded music has been delayed.

On 22 July the Chief Executives of NAVCA, NCVO and Volunteering England wrote to Baroness Wilcox (Parliamentary Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills) about the Government’s decision to make charities and other not for profits pay for a licence when they play recorded music in their own premises. The Government’s own figures suggest that this would cost voluntary organisations and community groups up to £20m a year.

A spokesman for the Intellectual Property Office has told NCVO that the relevant legislation will now be delayed and will not be considered before the summer recess.

Letter to Baroness Wilcox (Word, 152 KB)

With stories of public sector cuts filling the headlines of national and local newspapers, NAVCA’s Local Commissioning and Procurement Unit (LCPU) are poised ready to help local voluntary or community organisations in preparing tenders.

The NAVCA Tender Support Project provides one-to-one support to help prepare organisations for contracting or producing high-quality tender submissions for delivering public services.

In response to the level of demand for our Tender Support services, the LCPU have enhanced the offering of the project. The three main changes are:

• Access to the Tender Support project is now available to any organisation in England, not just in the 10 areas that were previously identified.
• Pre-tender support is now offered as well as support at the time organisations are submitting bids.
• The subsidy for the support has been increased. Organisations can now receive up to £500 worth of high-quality expert help for just £50.

You can find out more information about the project on our Tender Support webpages.

Presentation by Bill Freeman (NAVCA’s Director of Consultancy Services) to the Advisers in FunderLand: Exploring the Changing World of Funding Advice event organised by Funding Information North East (FINE), 12 July 2010.

Rethinking infrastructure services and funding advice (pdf, 844 KB).

NAVCA and the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) are pleased to reaffirm plans to build closer links nationally and amongst members locally, specifically working together on two projects and on developing shared policy positions. This collaboration builds on NAVCA and WEA’s shared interests, values and policy views.

NAVCA members and the WEA have a proud record of working in the heart of local communities across the country. Much of that work helps to promote more sustainable, confident localities and to improve the quality of life for individuals and their communities. Our shared values mean that working together is a natural step and one we hope will increase the impact of our work.

NAVCA and the WEA are very pleased to be collaborating on:

• Take Part Regional Pathfinder Projects
• Take Part Training the Trainers

These projects which build on our shared interests, values and policy positions also draw support from the Government Department of Communities and Local Government.

NAVCA and the WEA are committed to build on that collaboration nationally and also to encourage the same at local level through increasing partnership and joint activity between NAVCA members and WEA regions and branches.

Following the general election and the formation of the new government NAVCA and the formation of the new government NAVCA and the WEA are renewing their commitment to work together on promoting the importance of informal adult learning to society and the key role of the voluntary and community sector in providing this to disadvantages individuals and communities.

We want to encourage WEA branches to consider ways in which they can link with NAVCA through its local member organisations, and for NAVCA members to consider how the WEA may be able to help their work by making contact with the appropriate WEA region to share priorities and approaches to particular, targeted work.

Richard Bolsin, Chief Executive WEA & Kevin Curley, Chief Executive NAVCA.

NAVCA/WEA Partnership Statement 2010

The aim of NAVCA’s SKiLD programme is to equip development workers with the skills and knowledge they need to give relevant and high quality support to local community groups and voluntary organisations. This is done through training courses, workshops, networks, online resources and other learning activities.

We are keen to make sure we continue to provide a relevant and accessible programme for development workers both now and in the future and would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete our survey.

If you have any questions about this survey or want more information, please contact Carolyn Ellis by telephone on 0114 289 3952 or by email at carolyn.ellis@navca.org.uk.

Closing date for completion of this survey is Friday 30 July 2010.

NAVCA’s SKiLD programme is funded by Capacitybuilders.

8 July 2010

Address to East Midlands Funding Advice Conference on 8 July 2010 by Kevin Curley, NAVCA’s Chief Executive.

Funding for the Local Voluntary and Community Sector: How do we respond to the cuts? (Word, 197 KB)

The Empowering the Voluntary Sector (EVS) project has produced a special edition of its newsletter to provide information about challenging cuts. The newsletter gives information about the processes and remedies that voluntary organisations and community groups can use when challenging cuts.

The EVS project combines the expertise of NAVCA, Compact Advocacy, based at NCVO, and the Public Law Project. This expertise makes this newsletter an invaluable guide on how the Compact, public law and equalities duties can be used when challenging cuts.

Terry Perkins, NAVCA’s Public Law training Officer, said “The Government has announced significant cuts to most departments’ budgets, and all local authorities are making cuts to public services and grant programmes. Already voluntary organisations around the country have been affected and there will inevitably be those whose entire funding is cut.

“This guide will help give those affected information about challenging those cuts.

“However, each situation is different and this should only be used as a general guide.”

Specific advice for individual cases should be sought from the EVS advice team.

Cuts: to challenge or not to challenge (pdf, 94KB)

Peter Holbrook, Chief Executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition, talks to Kevin Curley, NAVCA Chief Executive, on 7 July 2010 about social enterprises.

Nottingham CVS have published an eye catching report showing the contribution of the voluntary and community sector to Nottingham. The report is worth a look. It uses punchy headlines, imaginative graphics and is very easy to read.

Research commissioned by Nottingham CVS and carried out by Aspiren Ltd estimates the contribution of the third sector to Nottingham’s economy as £227m. That’s equivalent to the value of 19 Nottingham Forest football clubs!

The research also found that volunteers were working the equivalent of 649 full time jobs for Nottingham. If the city paid them a wage, it would cost £14m.

227 million reasons to celebrate the Third Sector in Nottingham

Address by John Harris, NAVCA’s Workforce and Skills Policy Development Manager at the RAISE event on 23 June 2010 in Guildford.

The emerging challenges and opportunities for the voluntary sector in this changed political landscape - is this “a serious crisis we shouldn’t let go to waste”? (Word, 126KB)

Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has outlined the Government’s vision for Criminal Justice Reform in a speech at Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.

He stresses that the voluntary and private sectors will be crucial to its success.

The Prison Reform Trust has published the July 2010 edition of the Bromley Briefing prison factfile, containing the latest facts, sentencing trends, statistics and information relating to the UK prison population.

Address by John Harris, NAVCA’s Workforce and Skills Policy Development Manager at the RAISE event on 23 June 2010 in Guildford.

The emerging challenges and opportunities for the voluntary sector in this changed political landscape - is this “a serious crisis we shouldn’t let go to waste”? (Word, 126KB)

The Ministry of Justice has announced proposals to modernise and improve the use of courts in England and Wales.

Consultations on local courts published