Voluntary Value Skills, Employment and Worklessness forum

An update on the European Social Fund (ESF) and discussion on VCSE involvement in the skills, worklessness and employment agenda.

Click here to book your place

Simon Charters from South West Forum will talk about the potential for a new region-wide learning partnership

David Draycott from the newly formed West of England Skills and Competitiveness board will provide information on the emerging Work and Skills Plan

Voluntary Value Skills, Employment and Worklessness forum

As the cuts begin to bite and the ‘Big Society’ looms what does this mean for skills and learning in the West of England?  What is the role of the VCSE and how can we contribute to the West of England skills plan. Is there a role for the sector in the Local Enterprise Partnership?

The event will offer you the opportunity to find out about:

• the West of England Skills and Competitiveness Board and how you can contribute to the development of the West of England Skills plan

• the Skills Funding Agency commissioning timeline, the voluntary sector consortium being developed by South West Forum and its partners, and how West of England VCSE organisations can be involved (see further details below*).

• the revised NAVCA Tender support project – now available to you for £50 including access to a day’s consultancy to help you with preparing tenders.

*A learning and skills consortium for third sector organisations in the South West is preparing to bid for an EFS contract.  The consortium’s short term focus will be to bid for a 2010 ESF contract for the South West Competitiveness area. The consortium’s long term objective will be to compete for mainstream skills and learning contracts in the South West.

Within the consortium, ‘members’ will be different from ‘delivery partners’. ‘Members’ will be all voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations who meet basic requirements in terms of skills and learning delivery. ‘Delivery Partners’ will be those VCSE sector organisations who ‘fit’ with aspects of the contract specifications (once they are published).

The Steering Group managing this process will provide representation for the wider membership of the consortium and has a membership that balances organisations with technical expertise in skills and learning bid writing, with infrastructure bodies that can reflect the diversity of providers in the South West. For further information please click here.