About Us
History of the Learning Consortium
During 2005-6 NCDN was able to respond to the opportunity offered by Change Up and other funds, to play an instrumental role in the development of the VCS Learning Consortium. This group emerged initially from the Learning & Skills Council’s ‘Working Together’ initiative for building partnership with the VCS.
The LSC funded the regional VCS skills forum to oversee a programme of management skills training through the sub-regions, and to help develop sub-regional consortia. In Northumberland we succeeded in supporting 72 VCS based learners through management skills training.
The Consortium has also overseen the ‘VCS learners’ Project, which provided practical audits, support and training to VCS agencies interested in developing as learning providers. The Consortium has also worked through task groups or task-focussed meetings to support the development of new accredited youth work training, the progression award that recognises and formalises the small steps to learning made by community-based learners; and moderator and assessor training. The growing numbers and range of members has enable progress to be made quickly, to the point where the consortium has started to generate more substantial resources to support VCS based learning.
VCS Learning Consortium Meeting 18 November 2009
Please find below the documentation from the last VCS Learning Consortium Meeting.
Minutes
Consortium Terms of Reference
Nominations to Steering Group
Changes to LSC Bulletin
Information about the Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Bill
Review of VCS Learning Consortium
NCDN has commissioned Declan Baharini to help carry out a review of the VCS Learning Consortium.
An on-line survey of the members was implemented to seek their views on the role and scope of the Consortium. The results of the the survey can by accessed here. Download survey results.
Declan presented the results at the VCS Learning Consortium meeting on 17th September. Please download her presentation here. Download presentation.
Based on the survey and the information gathered at the meeting, Declan has made the following recommendations.
VCS Contracting arrangements for skills and employability
NCDN is currently participating in a series of meetings about setting up a regional 'hub' to support the VCS in successfully bidding for large contracts for work in the skills and employability field. VONNE has set up a dedicated page - skills & employability contracting hub where you can find out more about the process.
The minutes of the last meeting of the task group are here - 
Notes of 1st meeting of TF group (04-06-08).doc 188.50 KB 10.06.2008
Third Sector National Learning Alliance
The Third Sector National Learning Alliance (TSNLA) is a growing, national alliance of voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises involved in learning and skills. It aims to provide a coherent national ‘voice’ from and for Third Sector providers across government departments and other important bodies, and a forum for developing Third Sector ideas and proposals.
The TSNLA is publishing infromation to help VCS organisations understand the changes to the LSC system. Please find below references to documents that may be of interest.
ICT Strategy
Andrew Samuel the Regional ICT Champion based at VONNE is drafting a strategy that will focus his work and that of the Sub Regional Champions in 2010 / 11. In brief the proposed priorities are:
Making the most of Social Media
In order that ……support providers will be able to adapt or to adopt social media principles and practices to enhance how they listen and communicate with their supporters.
Improving access to quality ICT information and resources
In order that……. all local support providers will have a clear route to find straightforward advice about how they can use their own ICT more efficiently and be more effective in delivery of their core services to others.
Building sustainable ICT support providers
By identifying and improving sustainability of ICT infrastructure service providers, local support organisations will have access to a range of relevant ICT services.
The reports supporting these priorities are attached. Regional Champions Workplan Activities and ICT Strategy for VCS in North East.
The latter two issues are fairly straightforward; the first (social media) is more complex. So that we can develop this priority futher, could you let us know if you use social media in your work (Facebook, Twitter, BeBo,) or anything like it. If you do not use these media could you let us know if you are planning to or would use these media if you understood more about them.
Could you let us know as soon as possible please.
Thanks
Geof Armstrong
Inclusion and Diversity Email replies to geof@ncdn.org
PS As well as the Social Media question, please feel free to forward your comments on any aspect of the attached documents.
