About Us
Review of VCS Learning Consortium leading to launch of NLEAP
Northumberland Learning & Employability Access Partnership
During late 2009 and early 2010, the VCS Learning Consortium attracted funding from Capacity Builders Modernisation Fund, to carry out a review of its remit, scope and purpose. NCDN commissioned Declan Baharini to help carry out this review and 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. You can view her presentation here. Download presentation.
Based on the survey and the information gathered at the meeting, a number of recommendations were made.
During early 2010, a further set of meetings explored the potential for merging the VCS Learning Consortium with the Employability Partnership, a group of providers and partners who had been involved in employability programmes, focussed on but not exclusively in the south east of the county.
In April 2010 agreement was reached on the new body, and its final remit and business plan is in the final stage of preparation. The new network has a new name - NLEAP - Northumberand Learning & Employability Access Partnership. Its terms of reference include a decision to create webspace for the partnersip in an independent setting, and so from late May, NLEAP information will be posted on the learning skills and employability page of the Northumberland VCS Consortium website. The history of the Learning Consortium is laid out below for your information.
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
Contracts Matter - 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.
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.
