Skills Third Sector | News

New support outline for third sector employers hiring apprentices

2012-02-09T09:29:23+00:00

Apprenticeships produce a highly skilled, motivated and productive workforce. With new Government support available to third sector employers – together with newly-funded new apprenticeships in campaigning, fundraising and volunteer management – they should actively consider celebrating Apprenticeships Week 2012 (6-10 February) by taking on an apprentice.

These were the key messages to employers from third sector organisations who gathered today (8 February) at a special event in central London to hear about the practicalities of how apprenticeships and funding can be accessed through the Youth Contract, the £1 billion Government initiative to provide at least 410,000 unemployed 18 to 24 year olds with work placements from April 2012. Opportunities available include employer incentives, wage subsidies which the Government announced yesterday are available now to smaller third sector employers who have not employed apprentices within the past three years, pre-apprenticeships pathways for young people not immediately ready to prove themselves to employers, and links to the Government’s Work Programme. (See “Notes to editors” for more details.)

Today’s event was jointly organised by Skills – Third Sector, the registered charity working to make it easier for charities and social enterprises to develop their workforce with the skills they need; Fair Train, the third sector’s Group Training Association which helps to fund, recruit and train apprentices, and London Learning Consortium.

Funding for training from the National Apprenticeship Service and Skills Funding Agency for the new apprenticeships – which have been specially developed by Skills – Third Sector in partnership with Fair Train to meet third sector organisations’ needs, will help to make charities and social enterprises more sustainable and improve their chances of developing sustainable income generation.

In his keynote address Simon Waugh, chief executive of the National Apprenticeship Service saw a need – in the current economic climate – not to look for more cuts, but ways of creating jobs and prosperity. He stressed the cross-party commitment within Government to apprenticeships as a long-term solution, and the real business benefits of taking on apprentices, with proven empirical evidence that doing so increases both productivity and staff retention. He said: “These are really tough times, but there is money available to you: we are here to help you skill and train your people to grow your organisations to make them fit for the future. Please get involved.”

It was also announced at today’s event that further help with apprenticeship wage costs is now available via a new Fair Train bursary fund, accessible when third sector organisations join Fair Train, and with monies allocated by an awards panel chaired by Sir Roy Gardner, chairman of Compass Group PLC.

For more information about Fair Train and bidding for this bursary, please contact Ellen Ryan of Fair Train on:

ellenryan@btconnect.com

Attendees at today’s event, held at the north London offices of the Directory of Social Change, heard first hand from third sector employers who have successfully run apprenticeship schemes, and from a young apprentice working in the sector. (Please see “Notes to editors” for more information.) They took part in workshops looking at best practice in properly supporting apprentices to reach their potential, the practicalities of taking on an apprentice fundraiser or volunteer coordinator and how employers could share the costs of employing apprentices.

“There are now some real opportunities for employers in the sector to not only recruit an apprentice but to recruit them on a framework designed specifically to meet the needs of the sector. I urge employers, even in these difficult times, to give real consideration to the chance to benefit their organisation and give an individual an opportunity to build a career,” says Keith Mogford, chief executive of Skills – Third Sector. Further support for skills development by third sector employers is due from Skills – Third Sector later this year, when they plan to launch the new LINKS online, interactive tool. This will enable them to share knowledge, skills and support; search for and access better quality, more relevant and best value learning opportunities and encourage open, transparent competition between providers. (Please see “Notes to editors”.)

“With grant funding becoming less available many organisations are looking to reduce costs, take on more volunteers and improve their capacity to fundraise from other sources. All charities need to look closely at the benefits offered by apprenticeships and indeed the whole Youth Contract,” says Stephen Gardner, chief executive of Fair Train.

Stephen Jeffrey, chief executive of London Learning Consortium (LLC), says: “LLC is pleased to see the UK government invest in our employer community and young people. We look forward to supporting the implementation of this policy.”

Today’s event coincided with attendance by Keith Mogford, Stephen Gardner and Stephen Jeffrey at a ministerial breakfast where Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd MP; Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning John Hayes MP, and Minister for Employment the Rt. Hon. Chris Grayling MP explained the offers available under the Youth Contract, listened to views on their practical implementations and gave assurances about their suitability, availability and accessibility for third sector organisations.

Photos from today’s event are available upon request.

For more media information please contact Debbie Hydedebbie.hyde@oasismedia.co.uk 07956 320 486

Notes to editors

Founded in October 2008, Skills – Third Sector is working to identify and address skills gaps and shortages for charities, voluntary groups, social enterprises and cooperatives. It is working with Sector Skills Councils to open up learning opportunities for voluntary sector paid staff and volunteers, and is ensuring the sector's needs are properly considered and addressed in the design and development of national occupational standards, qualifications and apprenticeships. The Office of Civil Society (OCS) in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) are providing initial funding for Skills – Third Sector.For more general information about Skills – Third Sector and its work, please visit: www.skills-thirdsector.org.uk

Fair Train is the employer led Group Training Association of the third sector, formed in 2010 and is working to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities available to young people across the sector and to support third sector employers to be able to deliver apprenticeships. As an employer led membership organisation, Fair Train has been successful in increasing the profile of third sector employers in the arena of apprenticeships and is supported by the National Apprenticeship Service. Fair Train is coordinating the delivery of the third sector frameworks. For more information about Fair Train and its work, please visit: www.fairtrain.org

London Learning Consortium is a Community Interest Company that works for the benefit of communities and business across London. LLC is a mainstream Skills Funding Agency (SFA) provider delivering a range of services to learners, employers and employees across London. Our Membership is drawn from Voluntary and Community Sector learning providers and other learning and skills delivery partnerships. Our Members represent the most disadvantaged groups in the region and deliver services in a holistic manner providing a bespoke package of learning, skills and support within a transitional framework. For more information visit www.londonlc.org.uk

For more information about Apprenticeships Week 2012, please visit: www.apprenticeships.org.uk/Awards/Apprenticeship-Week-2012.aspx

For more information about the Youth Contract, please visit: www.dwp.gov.uk/youth-contract/

The Work Programme provides tailored support for claimants who need more help to undertake active and effective job seeking. For more information please visit: www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/the-work-programme/

For more information about the work of the National Apprenticeships Service, please visit: www.apprenticeships.org.uk

For more information about the work of the Skills Funding Agency, please visit: www.skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk

For more information about Skills – Third Sector’s forthcoming LINKS tool, please visit: www.skills-thirdsector.org.uk/qualifications_learning/what_is_links/

For more information the Directory of Social Change, please visit: www.dsc.org.uk/

Case studies

Based in Kent, Enterprising Opportunities CIC is a community interest company dedicated to strengthening local communities through a number of support services and partnerships. It employs around 300 people, mainly in the social care and training sectors, and has recently formed the UK Skills Partnership, a consortium of work-based skills providers to deliver training across a number of sectors in the UK.

Enterprising Opportunities is committed to helping people back into work. Following success with the Future Jobs Fund in 2011, it has been testing apprenticeships in different areas over the last couple of years; is now building apprenticeships into its employment strategy, and has set a target to make apprentices 5% of its workforce by the middle of 2012.

The benefits Enterprising Opportunities has experienced from employing apprentices have included value for money and effective succession planning – as the majority of its apprentices have stayed on and become permanent members of staff. As it looks to expand its apprentice numbers, it is working proactively to prevent any drop-out, not just by building in normal employee coaching and mentoring, but via their buddying system for new staff, and by building in ‘taster’ sessions for potential candidates before they formally sign up.

Claudia Sykes, Director of Resources at Enterprising Opportunities says: “I believe apprentices bring real value to an organisation very quickly, and should be part of every company’s employment strategy. This makes good business sense, but it’s also a vital part of creating opportunities for young people and giving them that first, critical step into real work. In the third sector, I believe we also have a responsibility to lead – and if we don’t step up to help build society and create opportunities for the next generation, then who will?”

·Claudia Sykes is available for further media comment.

Stacey Clarke is nearing the end of her apprenticeship in business administration with Enable in Kettering, Northamptonshire. Having completed her GCSEs but finding herself unhappy studying at A/S level, Stacey decided that she wanted to do something different, train, and earn money as well. “I wanted a busy role, one that gave me something to think about both within and outside work,” she says. Stacey found signing up with the National Apprenticeship Service quick and simple, and was surprised at the number of opportunities available locally to her. She quickly obtained interviews for apprenticeships and was delighted when she was offered her current role with Employ. “Studying for my NVQ fits very well into my busy admin role, and I have also done lots of on the job training, for example in customer service, first aid and equality and diversity. It’s improved my skills and confidence greatly,” she says. “In the future I look forward to progressing in my career and learning new skills.”

Registered charity Sparks funds fund life-saving research into conditions affecting babies, children and mothers-to-be. A relatively small charity with an annual income of approximately £4 million and a staff of 30 including many young and enthusiastic graduates, it has relied heavily on volunteer support, creating extended ‘internship’ roles for some volunteers and with others joining as permanent staff members. Sparks has seen this as an area with potential to help them expand their capacity, but has sought to do this in responsible way; avoiding ‘milking’ volunteers. It has recently decided to hire two apprentices to work out of its main office in central London.

Chief executive John Sparks says: "Times are tougher than ever now – not just for job hunters but for employers too. Particularly in the charity sector, where every penny counts and we are answerable to our supporters. So why wouldn’t we get help with training costs when it is readily available to us? It is bordering on irresponsibility not to do so. Through the apprenticeship scheme, we will get fresh, keen talented young people; and they will get a foot on the ladder and the training they need. They can help us; and they can earn while they learn the skills that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. The result will be that more of our money can go into funding the research which is so vital to children’s health.” At today’s event, he asked apprentice Stacey Clarke from Enable (see above) to help mentor his new apprentices.

Funding announced for new third sector apprenticeships

2012-02-01T08:44:20+00:00

Skills – Third Sector is pleased to announce that new advanced apprenticeships in campaigning, fundraising and volunteer management have been approved by the National Apprenticeships Service for funding by the Skills Funding Agency. This means that third sector employers can now get help towards the training costs of apprenticeships in these professions.

Further details about these new advanced apprenticeships in campaigning, fundraising and volunteer management, can be found here.

News of funding for these new advanced apprenticeships comes in the run-up to an event looking at how third sector organisations can access funding and apprenticeships through the Youth Contract 2012. Aimed at third sector employers, this event will be held in central London on 8 February as part of Apprenticeships Week (6-10 February) and will include contributions from Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd MP, and Simon Waugh, executive chair of the National Apprenticeship Service. The event has been jointly organised by Skills –Third Sector, Fair Train and London Learning Consortium to fund, recruit and train apprentices. Details of Fair Train’s bursary scheme for apprentices will also be announced at this event. For more details, please contact Ellen Ryan of Fair Train on: ellenryan@btconnect.com

Skills – Third Sector is the registered charity working to make it easier for people who work and volunteer in charities and social enterprises to have the right skills to make a difference to people and their communities. Working with the sector throughout the process, it has developed these new apprenticeships to serve the needs of charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises.
Keith Mogford, chief executive of Skills – Third Sector, says: “This news represents the culmination of a lot of hard work on the part of Skills – Third Sector and partners in the sector. I hope that the new apprenticeship frameworks are sought out by employers, as they should be”.

Fair Train is the group training association for the third sector, offering third sector employers a fair deal on training; ensuring that the funding available is used to benefit the employer and not to generate profits for training providers.

Stephen Gardner, chief executive of Fair Train believes that the new frameworks will be of great value to many small charities who are fighting for survival: with funding through grants declining, many charities are looking to raise funds and reduce costs. These new apprenticeship will provide employers with the funding needed to train staff and build the skills they need to secure financial stability for their employers.

Organisations interested in recruiting apprentices in the new framework can also contact Fair Train, who are delivering the new qualifications. For more details, please contact Ellen Ryan of Fair Train on: ellenryan@btconnect.com

Charity workforce shrinks

2012-01-09T09:15:05+00:00

Employment in the voluntary sector has fallen by nearly 9% over the past 12 months according to our latest analysis of the Labour Force Survey. Data recently released for the third quarter of 2011 shows that the UK voluntary sector employs 723,000 people. This equates to a fall of 70,000 (8.7% of the workforce) over the past 12 months. In comparison, public sector employment fell by 4.3% whilst private sector employment rose by 1.5% over the same period.

The data also indicates that certain parts of the sector have been disproportionately affected by the fall in employment. The majority of the annual fall has occurred among female employees, with 56,000 fewer female employees in the sector than 12 months previously, a decline of 10%. Certain regions have also witnessed greater losses, in particular the North East, London, the South East, and Scotland. The latest figures also show an annual fall in pay in the voluntary sector. Median gross hourly pay fell by nearly 3% in the voluntary sector and currently stands at £10.00 per hour. This fall occurred despite increases experienced in both the public and the private sector.

The latest findings were produced by the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) in partnership with Skills -Third Sector, the registered charity working to make it easier for people who work and volunteer in charities and social enterprises to have the right skills to make a difference to people and their communities. The findings come as part of an ongoing study being conducted by these three bodies into overall voluntary sector workforce trends.

Keith Mogford, chief executive of Skills – Third Sector says: “These figures reveal the scale of the reduction in the voluntary sector paid workforce and confirm what most of those working in the sector will have been anticipating. The reduction in average pay in the sector, when set against modest increases in both the private and public sectors, is a serious cause for concern. The sector’s ability to retain a well-motivated and talented workforce will be critical to its ability to meet the future challenge of delivering higher quality services to more people with less resource. Despite these challenges Skills - Third Sector continues to work with organisations in the sector to support them in the development of their workforce.”

Sir Stuart Etherington, NCVO chief executive, says: "The steep drop in the sector workforce is deeply troubling, and provides robust evidence that spending cuts are hitting the voluntary sector disproportionately. With diminishing resources and fewer staff, voluntary organisations are facing a perfect storm and will struggle to meet the increased demand for their services that began with the recession of 2008. The sector is playing its part by looking for efficiencies or more innovative ways to deliver services, but government must play its part too. In particular, it is essential that government at all levels make cuts intelligently and with adequate notice, in accordance with the Best Value Guidance for working with the voluntary sector."

Keith Mogford of Skills – Third Sector, and NCVO spokespeople, are available for comment. An executive summary of the analysis is available to download here (.pdf 41.1KB).

Case studies of third sector organisations affected by these findings are available. Please see details below.

For more media information please contact Deborah Hyde debbie.hyde@oasismedia.co.uk 07956 320 486

Case studies

Yorkshire-based Reading Matters supports children and young people in schools and other settings to become confident and enthusiastic readers. It has 14 years experience and a proven range of tried and tested interventions that can change the lives of young people.

It has recently experienced a loss of local authority contracts to deliver services in schools, and cuts to regional funding sources which support business development and volunteer support. With schools now in control of their own budgets, they are more cautious about buying in specialist support. The impact is less demand for support for young people who are struggling with reading, and reduced opportunities for people to volunteer. In October 2010 Reading Matters had to cut staff from 15 to six, the majority part time.

"Reading Matters delivers a vital service which is high on the political agenda. We operate as a social enterprise, providing accredited training for adult volunteer mentors recruited from local communities and businesses, and support effective peer to peer learning in schools," says Neil Bennett, chief executive of Reading Matters. "Our small staff team are applying all methods promoted as important in a positive civic (big) society but the take-up for a much needed service is reducing. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the pressures on my organisation with government ministers but also the real impact on young people." Neil Bennett is available for further media comment.

Based in West Sussex, Outset Youth Action aims to give young people the opportunity to make a positive difference to their communities by providing high quality volunteering opportunities which are tailored to volunteers’ needs and to help them flourish as people.

In March 2011 they had to make a 70% cut in staff from 15 to 6, and end two short term contracts. Cuts to West Sussex County Council’s Youth budget also meant they lost their grant, although this is being phased, which has bought them some time.

“We’ve brought in a fundraiser, and we are working hard to restore funding levels,” says Chris Gillings, Outset Youth Action chair. “We’re enabling 1,800 young people to volunteer in West Sussex, from right across the social spectrum, who are not only thus getting the chance to flourish, but who are doing a great job, very cost-effectively, in settings such as care homes, hospitals, charity shops and animal aid centres. We need paid leaders to ensure that continues to happen safely and securely.”

Notes to editors

Founded in October 2008, Skills – Third Sector is working to identify and address skills gaps and shortages for charities, voluntary groups, social enterprises and cooperatives. It is working with Sector Skills Councils to open up learning opportunities for voluntary sector paid staff and volunteers, and is ensuring the sector's needs are properly considered and addressed in the design and development of national occupational standards, qualifications and apprenticeships. The Office of Civil Society (OCS) in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) are providing initial funding for Skills – Third Sector.

For more general information about Skills – Third Sector and its work, please visit: www.skills-thirdsector.org.uk

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, with sister councils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. NCVO has over 8,400 members, ranging from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level. With over 280,000 staff and over 13 million volunteers working for our members, we represent and support almost half the voluntary sector workforce. (www.ncvo-vol.org.uk)

The Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC)exists to develop the research on, for and with the third sector in the UK. Led by the universities of Birmingham and Southampton, the Centre was established to provide a strong evidence base to inform policy-making and practice. TSRC works in collaboration with the third sector, to ensure its research reflects the realities of those working within it. TSRC is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, Office for Civil Society and the Barrow Cadbury Trust. (www.tsrc.ac.uk)

Acknowledgement: we would like to thank ONS/NISRA as creators of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) data, and the UK Data Archive for supplying these data. LFS data are Crown Copyright. Neither the data creators nor the UK Data Archive bear any responsibility for their further analysis or interpretation.

The Voluntary Sector Workforce – New Almanac Chronicles a Decade’s Growth

2011-10-25T14:29:34+00:00

Newly-published research has revealed a significant growth in the size of the voluntary sector workforce over the past decade. The UK Voluntary Sector Workforce Almanac 2011 published today (26 October 2011) shows that there were 765,000 people working in the voluntary sector in 2010, an increase of 40% since 2001. This represents a quicker rate of growth than that experienced in either the public or the private sectors over the same period. Such long term growth precedes our recently released figures showing indications of a downturn in voluntary sector employment during 2011.

The Workforce Almanac is a user-friendly source of research and information for voluntary sector employers and managers. It was commissioned by Skills – Third Sector, the registered charity working to make it easier for people who work and volunteer in charities and social enterprises to have the right skills to make a difference to people and their communities. It has been jointly-produced as part of an ongoing partnership of research into the sector’s workforce with the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

The Workforce Almanac illustrates the importance of the voluntary sector’s contribution to the UK over the past decade, showing the range of occupations and skills that exist within the sector. It also suggests a range of challenges for the voluntary sector and its workforce over the coming years as we cope with an ageing population, rising unemployment, and constrained public spending. The Workforce Almanac provides reliable information on the current state of the voluntary sector workforce and its capacity to deal with such challenges.

Key findings:

In 2010, there
In 2010, over
More than half

Keith Mogford, interim chief executive of Skills – Third Sector says: “The publication of The UKVoluntary Sector Workforce Almanac 2011 presents a valuable resource for employers and individuals working in the sector. We all know that voluntary organisations are suffering at the minute, with increasing demand for services and diminishing resources. This puts a strain on the time and money available for training and skills development, yet equally makes it ever more important that there is investment in that development. Skills – Third Sector hopes that by providing a comprehensive overview of the sector’s characteristics this publication will enable those organisations to plan more effectively and strategically for the future.”

Sir Stuart Etherington chief executive of NCVO said: “We are very pleased to have been involved in this research. NCVO have long recognised the need for the sector to adopt a more strategic approach to workforce development and we continue to support an active programme of research in this area. We know that the level of resource seen by the sector throughout the past decade is unlikely to be sustained, meaning an increasing need to ensure that employers know how to get the best contribution out of the dedicated staff and volunteers upon which the sector depends.”

Other Key Findings

The sector now
Over one-third
Gross weekly
More than
Just under one
The majority
Only 5% of

Keith Mogford and Graham Leigh at Skills – Third Sector, plus Ben Kernighan at NCVO and Stephen McKay at TSRC are all available for comment.

For more media information please contact

Debbie Hyde

debbie.hyde@oasismedia

07956 320 486

Mandy Murphy

mandy.murphy@ncvo-vol.org.uk

020 7520 2469

Notes to editors

Please contact info@skills-thirdsector.org.uk to obtain a copy. Copies can also be downloaded for free from the Skills – Third Sector, NCVO, and TSRC websites.

Founded in October 2008, Skills – Third Sector is working to identify and address skills gaps and shortages for charities, voluntary groups, social enterprises and cooperatives. It is working with Sector Skills Councils to open up learning opportunities for voluntary sector paid staff and volunteers, and is ensuring the sector's needs are properly considered and addressed in the design and development of national occupational standards, qualifications and apprenticeships. The Office of Civil Society (OCS) in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) are providing initial funding for Skills – Third Sector. For more general information about Skills – Third Sector and its work, please visit: www.skills-thirdsector.org.uk

· The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, with sister councils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. NCVO has over 8,400 members, ranging from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level. With over 280,000 staff and over 13 million volunteers working for our members, we represent and support almost half the voluntary sector workforce. (www.ncvo-vol.org.uk)

· The Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC)exists to develop the research on, for and with the third sector in the UK. Led by the universities of Birmingham and Southampton, the Centre was established to provide a strong evidence base to inform policy-making and practice. The Centre works in collaboration with the third sector, to ensure its research reflects the realities of those working within it. TSRC is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, Office for Civil Society and the Barrow Cadbury Trust. (www.tsrc.org.uk)

· The UK Voluntary Sector Workforce Almanac 2011 is based on UK Labour Force Survey analysis from 2001 – 2010, the latest available at the time of analysis. Evidence on training and skills is based on analysis of the National Employers Survey 2009.

· Acknowledgement: we would like to thank ONS/NISRA as creators of the LFS data, and the UK Data Archive for supplying these data. LFS data are Crown Copyright. Neither the data creators nor the UK Data Archive bear any responsibility for their further analysis or interpretation.

New Apprenticeships Launched for Third Sector Employers

2011-10-19T14:18:36+00:00

Practical Skills for Charities and Social Enterprises

Three new apprenticeships are now available to support third sector employers in successfully recruiting, training and retaining staff in roles which are key within the sector: campaigning, fundraising and volunteer management.

Whilst the third sector currently lags behind other sectors in providing apprenticeships, employers have reported that they produce a highly skilled, motivated and productive workforce, which in turn can make an organisation more sustainable, and improve its chances of successful income generation activities. (Please see “Notes to editors” for research details.) Apprentices are generally highly motivated as they have made a considered decision to join an organisation demonstrating commitment and enthusiasm for the role.

Apprenticeships offer many other important benefits for third sector employers in this difficult economic climate. They can provide an organisation’s workforce with the skills it needs because the training involved develops skills specifically designed around an employer’s needs – both for new recruits and existing employees – which in turn can improve employee retention rates and reduce training costs. Apprenticeships are an excellent way to unlock talent within the local community, and can be more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff, leading to lower overall recruitment costs. Investing in apprentices can also enhance an organisation’s reputation in the eyes of their funders, stakeholders and staff.

The three new apprenticeships will provide apprentices with recognised professional qualifications in their chosen fields. They have been launched – following extensive consultation with key third sector organisations and employers – by Skills - Third Sector, the registered charity working to make it easier for people who work and volunteer in charities and social enterprises to have the right skills to make a difference to people and their communities. They worked to develop the frameworks in partnership with a number of organisations including the Institute of Fundraising and the Association of Volunteer Managers, who are the endorsing bodies for the fundraising and volunteer management apprenticeships respectively. Skills Third-Sector has also worked very closely with Fair Train, the sectors first Group Training Association. Fair Train helps organisations within the third sector to fund, recruit and also train apprentices for the new apprenticeships. Further information can be found on the Fair Train website, http://www.fairtrain.org/. (For a full list of partners, please see “Notes to editors”.)

“These three new apprenticeships offer employers a strong basis on which to recruit and develop talented individuals who will strengthen the work of their organisations for now and tomorrow,” says Keith Mogford, interim chief executive of Skills – Third Sector. “They offer charities and social enterprises a way of future-proofing their workforces, ensuring they have up to date skills and diversifying their teams.”

Keith Mogford is available for comment.

As well as benefitting third sector employers, the new apprenticeships offer further benefits to those undertaking them, including an initial route into the sector, and skills that are transferable within the sector.

More information about these new apprenticeships can be found on the Skills – Third Sector website at: www.thirdsector.org.uk/qualifications_learning/apprenticeships/

For more media information please contact Debbie Hyde http://uk.mc285.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=debbie.hyde@oasismedia.co.uk 07956 320 486

Notes to editors

Founded in October 2008, Skills – Third Sector is working to identify and address skills gaps and shortages for charities, voluntary groups, social enterprises and cooperatives. It is working with Sector Skills Councils to open up learning opportunities for voluntary sector paid staff and volunteers, and is ensuring the sector's needs are properly considered and addressed in the design and development of national occupational standards, qualifications and apprenticeships. The Office of Civil Society (OCS) in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) are providing initial funding for Skills – Third Sector.

For more general information about Skills – Third Sector and its work, please visit: http://www.skills-thirdsector.org.uk/

In research conducted in 2008 by Populus on behalf of the Learning Skills Council to launch the first National Apprenticeship Week, 76 % of employers said that apprenticeships provided higher overall productivity. See National Apprenticeships Service website: www.apprenticeships.org.uk/Employers/The-Benefits.aspx

The partners who worked with Skills – Third Sector to develop the new apprenticeships frameworks were the Association of Volunteer Management; the Institute of Fundraising; the National Apprenticeship Service; Fair Train; EdExcel; EDI and Groundwork UK.

Support for Learning & Skills needed if Voluntary Sector is to play greater role in Open Public Services

2011-10-05T12:47:53+00:00

Skills - Third Sector have submitted a formal response to the Government's White Paper on public service reform (http://files.openpublicservices.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/OpenPublicServices-WhitePaper.pdf)

In our response we focus on the need for Government to fulfill the following three objectives:

Creation of fair and equitable opportunities for voluntary organisations to bid to deliver services.
Sufficient allowance for organisations to maintain the independence to campaign and lobby on behalf of their beneficiaries without jeopardising funding.
Availability of satisfactory resources for learning and staff development to build upon the skills of the sector’s workforce.

We argue that if the Government is to fulfill the promise of ‘giving the sector a bigger role in delivering more innovative, diverse and responsive public services' then it must ensure the necessary support for voluntary organisations to compete with large private providers with stronger balance sheets and greater ability to attract financial investment. Without the correct support in place, the voluntary sector will be unable to fully contribute to the creation and delivery of Open Public Services.

To view the Skills - Third Sector response in full, click here

Institute for Youth Work Consultation

2011-10-04T09:39:18+00:00

The National Youth Agency (NYA) is launching a consultation that seeks to establish the level of support for an Institute for Youth Work.

This work forms part of the National Youth Agency’s broader work programme for Catalyst, a consortium of four organisations coordinated by the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) working with the Department for Education (DfE) as the strategic partner for young people, as part of the Department’s wider transition programme for the sector. Skills-Third Sector is on the DfE Catalyst group. Catalyst will work to deliver three key objectives over a two year period. It will strengthen the youth sector market, equip the sector to work in partnership with Government and coordinate a skills development strategy for the youth sector’s workforce.

National Youth Agency is one of these partners and is leading on the workforce development strand which includes the exploration around the possible development of an Institute for Youth Work (IYW) as a sector body owned by its membership. At this stage of the two year work plan, the main aim is to establish whether there is support for an IYW and if so, to gain a broad picture on the value, functions and services that this could provide, and for whom.

If positive, this will allow a business case to be presented which will then lead to phase two which will establish the detail of the structure & governance, membership levels, terms & fees, functions and services and business planning and sustainability of an IYW as an independent organisation.

Each aspect of a potential IYW will require extensive consultation to ensure all aspects are carefully considered, views balanced and proposals presented and agreed.

If you are a third sector youth work organisation and would like get involved, please click the link below for further information.

http://www.nya.org.uk/exploring-an-institute-for-youth-work

Economic Downturn Hits Charity Workforce

2011-09-27T07:43:38+00:00

Employment in the voluntary sector has fallen by 5% over the past 12 months according to the latest Labour Force Survey. The figures for the second quarter of 2011 show that the voluntary sector employs 768,000 people, a fall of around 38,000 employees since the second quarter of 2010. These latest findings signify that the voluntary sector workforce has now experienced two consecutive quarters of decline in addition to the ‘flatline’ witnessed towards the end of 2010.

Early indications also suggest a change in working patterns and pay within the sector. The number of part-time employees in the voluntary sector has increased over the past three months, with an additional 13,000 people working part-time. Meanwhile, average hourly earnings in the voluntary sector have fallen over the previous quarter to £10.14 per hour.

The findings were produced by the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) in partnership with Skills - Third Sector, the registered charity working to make it easier for people who work and volunteer in charities and social enterprises to have the right skills to make a difference to people and their communities. The findings come as part of an ongoing study being conducted by these three bodies into overall voluntary sector workforce trends.

Keith Mogford, interim chief executive of Skills - Third Sector says: “Although it might be unrealistic to expect the voluntary sector to be immune from the wider economic pressures in the UK, these findings illustrate the scale of the challenges facing the sector at a time when expectations are clearly rising. If the sector is to deliver vital support for vulnerable communities it needs enough skilled people to carry out the work in hand.”

Both Keith Mogford and Graham Leigh of Skills – Third Sector are available for comment.

Download this item as a press release

Youth Work National Occupational Standards - Have Your Say

2011-09-26T14:04:31+00:00

In partnership with employers, stakeholders and practitioners in each nation of the UK, UK Qualifications and Skills at Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) are keen to seek your opinions on the Youth Work National Occupational Standards and a Sector Qualification Strategy for Youth Work. There are two separate consultation documents, and they are keen to receive your comments and feedback in both these areas. Contributions can be made in one of three ways:

· By completing an online questionnaire

· By participation in a review event (to be held in each of the nations of the UK)

· By using a master set of documents to host your own discussion with colleagues or in your team as part of another meeting

These three ways are offered to try and supply appropriate ways to contribute to this work without incurring excessive costs.

Youth Work National Occupational Standards in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The Youth Work NOS are being reviewed to ensure they continue to provide UK wide agreed statements of the skills and knowledge required to deliver functions within youth work. The review will result in a reviewed and, where appropriate revised, functional map for youth work as well as a revised suite of Youth Work National Occupational Standards

They would be particularly keen to seek views on the content from:

· those who are responsible for the planning, management and day-to-day delivery of youth services within an organisation, (for example as a youth worker, youth and community worker, youth support worker)

· individuals who work with young people as part of their role (such as IAG personnel)

· managers and leaders of such a workforce, whatever part of the youth work sector is involved in (eg providers, community groups, voluntary organisations, local authorities or partnership arrangements.)

All downloads, information and support for the NOS review is available at: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=320143

The online survey is available to access from: http://www.snapsurveys.com/swh/surveylogin.asp?k=131522923661

Youth Work Sector Qualification Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The draft of the Sector Qualifications Strategy provides the background on which has been developed a vision of future qualifications and will ultimately result in an action plan for the achievement of this vision.

Initially, information is included on:

· the nature of the workforce including the size and characteristics,

· the current qualifications available

· the similarities and differences between the four nations of the UK

· Features of the sector and the working environment

· Consideration of future trends in the sector

And then the initial draft of the vision and principles of youth work qualifications for the future has been developed.

We would be particularly keen to hear your views on the content if you are responsible for strategic decision making regarding youth work training and qualifications within your organisation, for example as a manager, head of function, director, HR personnel and whatever part of the youth work sector you work in, e.g. providers, community groups, voluntary organisations, local authorities or partnership arrangements.

All downloads, information and support for the SQS review is now available at: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=3201434

The online survey is now available to access from: http://www.snapsurveys.com/swh/surveylogin.asp?k=131522928828

The open public review will run from 6th September to 21st October, during which time individuals and organisations will be able to review the draft National Occupational Standards and Sector Qualifications Strategy and comment on their content.

There is an additional limited opportunity between 28th October and 14th November, to share the revised drafts following the public review and invite further feedback against changes made, the opportunity will be offered to all those who have participated in the first round.

New Interim Chief Executive Joins Skills-Third Sector

2011-06-30T08:57:32+00:00

Skills – Third Sector is pleased to announce the appointment of Keith Mogford as Interim Chief Executive.

Keith replaces Julie Wilkes, who recently left the charity after leading its development since 2009. He was until recently the Director of Stakeholder Engagement at National Open College Network (NOCN), a national awarding organisation with a long tradition of working in partnership with a wide range of third sector organisations in developing flexible qualifications. Prior to that Keith was CEO at OCN Eastern Region. He has worked w ith Skills - Third Sector and previously UK Workforce Hub in the development of qualifications, and in addition had involvement with Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) in relation to community development qualifications. He was for three years a member of the National Programme Board for Foundation Learning.

Jane Slowey, Chair of Skills – Third Sector said: “We are delighted that Skills – Third Sector will be able to draw on someone with the depth of experience Keith brings, both of the skills world and the not-for-profit sector. Many organisations in our sector deliver services to individuals and communities who are bearing the brunt of the current economic difficulties. The Government is challenging the sector both to play a bigger role in the delivery of publicly funded services and to fill gaps when those services are no longer there. In order to meet that challenge, our workforce needs to be highly skilled. It is our job is to make sure paid staff, volunteers and trustees in both large and small organisations can access the skills and qualifications they need to make our contribution to the economic and social wellbeing of the country.”

Keith Mogford said: “I'm delighted to be joining Skills - Third Sector. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to move Skills - Third Sector forward in making a significant contribution to addressing the skills needs of our sector in such challenging times. Creative and innovative solutions will be critical to meeting the challenges."

Position Statement: Why volunteer management requires specific skills

2011-05-31T07:12:01+00:00

Skills – Third Sector champions the skills of volunteer management. From our research and experience we know that the nature of volunteering means that people who manage volunteers require specialist skills – skills that are distinct from those needed to manage paid staff. By skills we mean the knowledge, understanding and experience that someone needs to do their job well.

Volunteering has a long tradition in the UK and this is set to increase under Big Society proposals to get more volunteers involved in shaping and running public services. Volunteering is “an activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or individuals or groups other than close relatives.”[1]

Over 40% of the UK population formally volunteers each year, and 25% of the population does so each month, which adds up to 24.7m volunteers a year.[2] This equates to 1.2 million full-time paid employees and contributes approximately £21.5 billion to the economy.[3] Volunteer management is essential to make sure that volunteers make the best contribution and get the most out of the experience.

A volunteer’s relationship with an organisation may not be defined by legal structures and contracts, and there can be significant differences in the motivations, commitment and availability between staff and volunteers. In addition, volunteering can sometimes be ad-hoc. A volunteer can walk away from the organisation at any point.

Managing volunteers is a skilled job that is different from managing paid staff. While the role has more in common with other management roles at a senior or strategic level, at the day to day level there are a number of important differences. People who work with volunteers on a practical level, need to understand and know how to:

Recruit, motivate and retain volunteers – needs an understanding that people volunteer for many different reasons and knowing how to maintain volunteers’ enthusiasm and commitment is a real skill.
Design task descriptions for volunteers - needs knowledge of how to design and disseminate task roles so that volunteers and staff are clear about how that role fits in with the work of paid staff and other volunteers.
Manage the relationships between volunteers and paid staff – needs an understanding of the differing needs, interests and responsibilities of both volunteers and paid staff and the ability to manage these complex relationships.
Induct, support and supervise volunteers – needs knowledge of how to give volunteers regular feedback and how to balance any concerns about their performance with maintaining their commitment and without compromising the quality of the work of the organisation.
Apply the legal and other regulatory requirements – needs knowledge of how these differ from those that apply to paid staff.

These activities require a firm understanding of the context in which volunteering occurs and specific knowledge and skills that meet the needs of volunteers.

At a strategic level the skills needed to manage volunteers and staff are more closely aligned. However, organisations get better value from their volunteers if volunteer managers and senior managers have knowledge and understanding of:

Developing and investing in structures that support volunteers
Developing volunteers’ skills and training needs
Involving volunteers in designing and developing volunteer programmes effectively
Succession planning for volunteers
Aligning volunteers and volunteering with the organisation’s strategy.

Skills development for volunteer managers

National Skills Network for Volunteer Management

Skills – Third Sector is developing a new national skills network focused on volunteering and volunteer management in collaboration with a number of partners. This will join up and share information about good practice, good skills development, accredited training and provide web-based resources. See National Skills Framework for the Voluntary Sector

Advanced level Apprenticeship in Volunteer Management

Skills – Third Sector is supporting future volunteer managers’ skills by developing an Apprenticeship.

National Occupational Standards

The specific skills that volunteer managers need to do their job well are set out in the Managing Volunteers National Occupational Standards. These detail the particular knowledge, understanding and experience that volunteer managers need to do their jobs well, whether they are managing volunteers on the ground or at a strategic level. These can be a valuable and useful tool for preparing job descriptions, reviewing roles and responsibilities and can be used for appraisals. They can also be used to identify which areas someone needs to develop their skills and knowledge.

Evidence for specialist volunteer management skills

Research on Valuing Volunteer Management Skills carried out by the Institute for Volunteering Research identified: “several differences between managing volunteers and staff including differences in terms of motivation, recruitment methods, attendance at meetings, taking holidays, boundaries between paid and volunteer roles and the need to deal with mental and physical decline as volunteers got older.”

The volunteer managers interviewed felt strongly that: “There was a need for volunteer management to be seen as a more clearly defined profession.”

While The Manifesto for Change, which presented the findings of the Commission on the Future of Volunteering, concluded that: “Effective volunteering requires effective management.” And that “The first step in valuing volunteer management is for an organisation to acknowledge that it involves volunteers in its work and, therefore, needs to consider how those volunteers are supported.”

Volunteer England’s Recognise, Invest, Support: A guide to valuing volunteer management also concludes: “the level of benefit an organisation stands to gain from volunteering is directly correlated to the amount of recognition and support it provides, and the investment it makes, in volunteer support and management. The more your organisation recognises, supports and invests in the people that manage your volunteers, the greater the benefit it will receive from volunteering.”

Conclusion

Our experience and the evidence from research is that investing in volunteer managers is the best way to raise the skills and opportunities for all volunteers in the voluntary sector. Not understanding the different skills needed to manage volunteers and how they differ from managing paid staff, can lead to poor quality services for the people who use the services, poor volunteering experiences for volunteers and, at worst, can lay organisations open to legal prosecution and industrial tribunals.

[1] The Compact Code of Good Practice on Volunteering

[2]Citizenship Survey 2009-2010

[3] Civil Society Almanac 2010

Charity staff numbers flatline despite Big Society

2011-03-31T08:21:48+00:00

Numbers of paid staff and average hourly pay have failed to recover since the last quarter, despite increased emphasis on the Government’s Big Society.

Latest Labour Force Survey figures for the fourth quarter of 2010 show that the voluntary sector employs 793,000 people, the same figure as reported during the previous quarter. The previous quarter’s figures were a 2% reduction on the preceding quarter. Median gross hourly earnings have stayed at £10.40 per hour.

The findings were produced by the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) in partnership with Skills –Third Sector. The findings come as part of an ongoing study being conducted by these three bodies into overall voluntary sector workforce trends.

“Charities have been holding their breath on staff cuts in the last quarter, waiting to hear if their contracts with government will be renewed. The next two quarters will be the real test of the state of the sector as they include the end of the financial year,” says Julie Wilkes, Chief Executive of Skills – Third Sector.

“This amounts to increased pressure on labour markets at a time when so many young people need work. But it also places a further burden on the voluntary sector which is increasingly seen as the backstop for public sector cuts.

“We’re setting up National Skills Networks to help the sector to make the most of the skills that remain in the sector through better networking and access to learning opportunities as well as increased employment offers to younger people through our new apprenticeships which will launch later this year.”

Download this news item as a press release (.doc).

Our response to the Cabinet Office's Giving Green Paper

2011-03-09T15:32:41+00:00

Skills - Third Sector have submitted a response to the Cabinet Office's Giving Green Paper.

Our response covers:

The importance of volunteer management and premature loss of the Citizenship Survey in measuring levels of volunteering.
How philanthropy and Gift Aid reform are the best routes to increased giving and the continued importance of fundraising.
The need to better spread resources and frameworks of impact measurement across the voluntary sector.
How the National Skills Networks will contribute to the development of this agenda.

Read our response here (.PDF).

New service redirects talent from the public sector to new work opportunities

2011-03-02T13:24:44+00:00

Given serious concerns about loss of talent in the public sector due to job losses, many at the end of March, you are requested to invite all staff leaving the sector to register now, before they leave, with workonit.org.

Workonit.org is a mutualised social business created by the sector for the sector.

It is a community and social market-place designed to retain and develop the talent, knowledge and skills of people leaving the public sector and connect them with new work opportunities in order to improve outcomes for people who use services.

To do this, we offer staff in work transition a personal chain of information, contacts, development and recruitment in support of employment, business start-up, project work or placements.

We also offer employers and agencies a simple and efficient mode of recruitment and skill adjustment.

Because service boundaries are changing, our key services, People to People, Shop for Work, Enterprise, Skills and Think-Piece, are offered on demand across all public services, commencing with adult and children's services.

Register for Workonit.org for free at http://www.workonit.org/.

Employers looking to recruit and agencies interested in working as contractors or partners should contact Ann James.

Workonit.org’s full service is coming soon. Workonit.org is presently hosted by Skills for Care.

Third sector support for apprenticeships: New Employers’ Forum launched

2011-02-11T15:36:43+00:00

Skills - Third Sector and Fair Train have launched a new Employers Forum, which will:

Support the development, understanding and promotion of apprenticeships in the third sector, including in charities, social enterprises and the voluntary and community sector.
Provide practical, workshop-based advice on how to get involved with apprenticeships and how to support them within third sector organisations.
Promote new “Advanced Apprenticeships” for the third sector.

If you are interested in finding out more or joining the Employer's Forum, please email Tom Watson at Fair Train. It's free to join.

The forum was launched at an event during Apprenticeship Week 2011 (7-11 February), and over 60 third sector employers were present. The event was organised by Skills – Third Sector, in conjuction with Fair Train, the sector’s employer association and the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS).

The event showed how they offer an excellent opportunity for addressing third sector skills shortcomings, contributing significantly to providing young people and adults with valuable work experience, skills training and work-based learning, leading to confident and sustainable futures.

To find out more about apprenticeships in the Third Sector, please visit the Fair Train website.

Press release

Download a press release (.doc) containing more information about the above. We also have a briefing available about Skills - Third Sector's work in developing a framework for Apprenticeships in the voluntary sector, which can be downloaded here (pdf).

National Skills Networks and Academies: A framework for building and promoting quality in third sector skills.

2011-01-17T10:18:59+00:00

Acting on feedback from consultation, Skills – Third Sector are working with partners to develop a network model to help fill key skills gaps in the sector.

The third sector is being asked to deliver more impact with less resource so we’ll have to make more of what we already have. Skills – Third sector believes that with better mapping of quality learning resources, better sharing of the knowledge we have and an independent quality framework, there’s a better chance of meeting this challenge.

Read our introduction to National Skills Networks and academies here (pdf).

After extensive research and consultation with the sector, we identified these four priority skills areas where the biggest skills gaps exist and where improvements could lead to greatest impact:

governance and leadership
skills for business
managing volunteers
measuring effectiveness and impact

Across these four themes, it’s more important now than ever before that we can pinpoint exactly the learning we need. Here’s an outline of our proposed solution:

A project built on strong principles

Governance and leadership that’s fit for purpose and outcome focused

Multiple partners who can understand and reflect the range of user requirements
Formal partners and informal collaborators
No and low-cost solutions wherever possible. This should encourage sharing of resources and responsibility and help us keep the networks going
Not re-creating what already exists
Clear, consistent and impactful promotion

Access and support for learning that’s tailored to users’ needs:

Focused content
Sensitive to the working environment of the learner
Accepting that people learn in different ways
Good quality online resources including innovations that work
People learning from people
Delivered in the right sized chunks

A framework for independent assessment of quality:

A directory of resources with a range of independent quality indicators
Involving users in quality assessment
Relevant qualifications and awards from a range of providers
Endorsement for training, apprenticeships and peer to peer learning

Linking people with each other and with the learning they need:

Active and functional networks that keep people engaged and encourage learning and support
A skills bank linking volunteers and paid people with organisations
A mix of online and offline activity
Open networks where all are welcome
Secure networks for controlled groups and paid membership
A community of users from the local to the national level
Organisations of all types and sizes

Relevant learning materials collated from a wide community of users and providers

News, policy analysis and short reports
Books, training materials and e-learning
Signposting events and events building tools
Surveying tools for informing policy

Some organisations have already joined us on our journey to make these networks and academies a reality and work is under way to draw in others. If you’re interested or have feedback for us then please send it to Graham Leigh.

Voluntary sector employment starts to dip after a long upward trend, causing concern for service delivery

2011-01-14T09:00:04+00:00

Latest Labour Force Survey figures for the third quarter of 2010 show that the voluntary sector now employs 793,000 people, a slight decrease of 2% since the last quarter. This is in contrast to the private sector which has shown a slight increase of 2%, whilst the public sector stayed reasonably static.

The levelling-off of what has been a long term upwards trend in voluntary sector employment will be of no surprise to those who have lost or are worrying about losing their jobs. But it will be of just as much concern to those who depend upon the services delivered by voluntary and community organisations, as these estimates might be one of the first signs that levels of activity are reducing in the face of budget cuts.

The findings were produced by the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) in partnership with Skills -Third Sector, the registered charity working to make it easier for people who work and volunteer in charities and social enterprises to have the right skills to make a difference to people and their communities. The findings come as part of an ongoing study being conducted by these three bodies into overall voluntary sector workforce trends.

‘We know that organisations tend to cut training when things are tight, but it’s the quality of the people in the sector that makes all the difference, and we must not lose sight of that’. says Julie Wilkes, chief executive of Skills – Third Sector. (See “Notes to editors”.)

Skills – Third Sector is talking to potential partners about building National Skills Networks, which will bring learning providers and organisations together and make it easier for people to find and share expertise and pool learning resources at a time when shrinking budgets and fewer staff make it harder to maintain skills and experience.

Both Julie Wilkes and Janet Fleming, Skills – Third Sector’s director of knowledge management are available for comment/interview upon request.

Do Skills Matter? Literature Review on Skills and Workforce Development in the Third Sector

2011-01-06T11:48:06+00:00

Do Skills Matter? A Literature Review on Skills and Workforce Development in the Third Sector provides a comprehensive review of current thinking and contextual information about skills and workforce development issues in the third sector. It also covers voluntary workers in the UK.

It covers areas such as:

The workforce profile of the third sector,
The state, regulation and the third sector,
Skills gaps and shortages,
Managing change,
Recruitment, retention and turnover in the sector,
and much more.

The report, published by Skills - Third Sector, is available to download here (pdf).

Read our response to Cabinet Office's consultation on Modernising Commissioning

2011-01-05T11:19:36+00:00

Skills – Third Sector have responded to the Cabinet Office consultation on public service reform – Modernising Commissioning: Increasing the role of charities, social enterprises, mutuals and cooperatives in public service delivery.

Our response is available to download below.

We have responded to the consultation questions where we can offer practical suggestions relating to training and development.

Some of these include:

In which public service areas could Government create new opportunities for civil society organisations to deliver?
Which public service areas could be opened up to more civil society providers? What are the barriers to more civil society organisations being involved?
How can we encourage more existing civil society organisations to team up with new employee-led mutuals?
How could Government make existing public service markets more accessible to civil society organisations?

If you would like to read our response, download the document here. Read more about the consultation on the Cabinet Office website.

Voluntary sector employment continues to rise, due to increase in part time jobs

2010-12-20T14:41:09+00:00

Latest Labour Force Survey figures for the second quarter of 2010 show that the voluntary sector now employs 806,000 people, an increase of 8% over the last year. This is in contrast to the private sector which has shown a decrease of 0.5%, whilst the public sector grew by 1%.

The voluntary sector continues to have a high proportion of part-time staff – 40%, and this has increased from 38% one year ago. A sizeable proportion of these part-time workers (11%) would like to work full-time but worryingly, could not find a full-time job. Total paid hours worked have been growing less quickly than overall numbers of workers, reflecting shorter hours and less overtime. Compared to two years ago, voluntary sector workers are working an average of close to half an hour less each week.

The findings were produced by the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) in partnership with Skills -Third Sector, the registered charity working to make it easier for people who work and volunteer in charities and social enterprises to have the right skills to make a difference to people and their communities. The findings come as part of an ongoing study being conducted by these three bodies into overall voluntary sector workforce trends.

The figures suggest that organisations have responded creatively to declining income and that, in many cases, have changed working hours and arrangements in order to retain staff or to bring in new expertise to meet changing needs.

However, it should be noted that these increases in voluntary sector employment may not continue. The funding patterns of the sector mean that there is a lag between what affects the private and public sectors and what goes on to affect the voluntary sector. The recent Comprehensive Spending Review has outlined large cuts to the public sector, and this is likely to significantly impact on the voluntary sector over the next year.

Julie Wilkes, chief executive of Skills - Third Sector says:

“Skilled staff and volunteers are essential if organisations are to make a difference to the people and communities they serve. Now, more than ever, managers and trustees will need to think creatively about training and development to retain the skills they need”

For more information, download our press release.