Training and Skills Development in the VCS

By Sarah Elliott
Development Worker,
Herts Training and Development Consortium

I am the Development Worker for Hertfordshire Training & Development Consortium (HTDC). Around 100 organisations have now joined the consortium – a wide mix of voluntary sector groups interested in workforce development for their own staff and volunteers, for the sector generally or in the provision of training for the community, or both. And importantly, there are a number of statutory agencies and all the Hertfordshire FE colleges. The impetus for developing consortia has come from the Learning & Skills Council via their Working Together strategy, and it is thanks to the support of the LSC in Hertfordshire and regionally that HTDC exists.

It’s now Friday afternoon, and looking back at what I’ve done this week will give you a flavour of how HTDC embodies the Thriving 3rd Sector objective, and how our relationships with the statutory sector are fundamental to achieving this.

Monday:
Breathed a sigh of relief having submitted a tender last week to Herts County Council for the Economic Participation Programme – now have all my fingers & toes crossed!
An interesting morning at The Stakeholder Event run by the CVS for Broxbourne & East Herts – where I participated in group sessions focussed on updating their strategic plan. Great enthusiasm and involvement from their statutory partners e.g. Broxbourne Council as well as their VCS members.

Tuesday:
Went through e-mails from Citizens Advice Bureaux – confirming the details of a regional bid they have won via EEDA for delivering financial inclusion training. HTDC’s role will be to set up and run a Hertfordshire Forum and organise training courses for front line workers in voluntary sector groups. Clearly a hugely topical area, however not much funding for delivery, but hoping we can build on this via the Forum.

Met with Mark Mitchell from Community Action Dacorum to discuss how we work together to deliver skills advice and training courses for groups working with children and young people via some funding from Hertfordshire County Council’s Children Schools and Families unit.

Wednesday:
Today we interviewed candidates for a part-time administrator position. This role will be essential to our member communications and to running the administration for our joint delivery contracts. This will include the provision of a wide range of training courses for voluntary sector organisations – funded by Hertfordshire County Council’s Adult Care Services.

Thursday:
I went to the Pastoral Centre at London Colney for the Volunteering Strategy Workshop. It was interesting to meet a number of statutory sector organisations there – I was surprised at the extent to which the public sector is looking to involve volunteers in their activities. The edges are definitely blurring!

Friday:
Normally my day off – I squeezed in a couple of sets of tennis, wrote this and I also had to prepare for another day of interviewing next week. This time for a Skills Advisor to work with voluntary sector organisations across the county to help them identify the training needs of their staff and volunteers and to help them access provision. I’m now looking forward to meeting the candidates next week.

If anyone reading this would like to find out more about HTDC – the website is http://www.htdc.org.uk/. Membership forms can be downloaded from the Members area.