Humberside Learning Consortium (HLC)

New training quality kite mark launched
This is to help employers identify the best training for them [98/190508]

Training Quality Standard brings trainers and employers together to deliver the training that employers really want

Employers and training providers have joined forces today to formally launch an innovative new standard, designed and endorsed by employers, which will recognise and highlight excellence amongst training providers.

The Training Quality Standard was developed to give employers a simple benchmark for choosing training provision. Achieving the standard demonstrates providers' ability to offer high quality training at a time and place to suit employers - setting them apart from the competition and making it easy for employers to find the right training solutions for them.

Employers have been involved every step of the way in the creation of the assessment and accreditation system and for the first time their needs are really being met. During the assessment process training providers are assessed against two key criteria:

• provider responsiveness to employer needs
• provider excellence in a particular vocational area

Speaking at the launch, David Lammy said: 'I am delighted to congratulate the providers who have achieved the Training Quality Standard. Training is at the heart of any successful enterprise and by bringing training providers and employers together to deliver economically valuable skills and qualifications we will make high quality training accessible for all. The Training Quality Standard will be a mark that employers can trust and I hope many more providers will, in time, go on to achieve it.'

Learning & Skills Council - May 2008

Adults are dropping out of learning
Thousands of adults targeted by government skills-boosting schemes have dropped out of evening classes, a survey of 5,000 people suggests. [97/200508]

Those in the lowest income groups have been hit the hardest, with the share of skilled manual workers on courses falling by a fifth to 33 per cent in one year. This reverses the participation gains of the last 12 years, the figures show.

Any small rises in the share of unskilled, unemployed and retired people on adult learning courses since Labour came to power have also been reversed. Just 26 per cent of social groups D and E are on such courses - the same figure as in 1996.

Since then, the National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education has been counting the proportion of adults participating in learning through an annual survey. Its director, Professor Alan Tuckett, said this year's survey findings posed sharp challenges for a government trying to improve the nation's skills.

The government is committed to a major programme of increasing the skills of working adults and youngsters, so that Britain can compete with the fast growing economies of China and elsewhere. It has re-focused much of its funding away from short courses, in areas like foreign languages, towards improving basic skills such as literacy and numeracy.

Professor Tuckett said: 'The very groups identified as key to the achievement of the skills strategy and in the Leitch Review are bearing the heaviest burden of the re-balancing of funding. The findings suggest that the price of investment in key groups of adults in workplace learning is being paid for by reduced participation by other adults from exactly the same groups. This is either because other workplace learning opportunities have declined, or because those adults can no longer access public provision they previously chose for themselves.'

Skills minister David Lammy said the government was committed to ensuring those in the greatest need could access the skills training they needed to help them get a job or advance at work. 'To improve value for money we have stopped funding many short courses and are focusing this money towards, higher quality courses that directly improve people's employability,' he added.

It is from these courses that many of the learners had been lost, Dius said.

Story from BBC NEWS: - Published: 12/05/2008

Big Lottery Fund launches grants round
The Big Lottery Fund has launched the second round of its Basis grant stream, which is aimed at supporting third sector infrastructure. [96/160508]

The lottery distributor says £50m is available to 'fill the gaps' after the heavily over-subscribed first round of funding, in which £101m was awarded to 206 projects.

'This second round of Basis is taking a much more targeted approach to ensure funding is used specifically to meet identified needs with third sector infrastructure support,' said Sanjay Dighe, chair of the fund's England Committee.

In contrast to the first round of funding, the fund will solicit applications from named organisations. It has asked for an application from the NCVO, Navca and the Public Law Project to improve awareness of the Compact. Other priorities require bidders to form partnerships and, in some cases, specify which organisations can apply.

The fund's regional staff will hold a series of stakeholder events to fully brief interested organisations on the opportunities. The deadline for applications is 27 August.

By Mathew Little, Third Sector Online, 9 May 2008

Access IT awards 2008 at Microsoft, Victoria, London 18 July 2008
Celebrating achievements in Assistive Technology and Digital Inclusion.[95/270508]

Are you aware of an individual, or an organisation or an initiative that you believe has made an impact in the quality of life of people with disabilities and elderly with the support of ICT?

Do you believe you personally have made some significant contributions to the quality of life of people with disabilities and elderly with the support of ICT?

We are calling for nominations for the ACCESS IT awards 2008, which fit the criteria. These can be self nominations or nominations of others.

'Be Unique, be Different, be Recognised'

The Access-IT awards 2008 (in association with eAbilities, the Platinum sponsor of 2008), jointly organised by e-ISOTIS and AbilityNet are aimed at identifying and promote the impact to quality of life and independent living being made by Public, private voluntary groups and/or individuals to an inclusive society through ICT and Assistive Technology.

The Access IT awards aim to recognise the following categories:

• Nomination for Assistive Technology Use Award - This award aims to recognise an individual or an organisation that through their efforts, commitment and advocacy that have advanced the availability of assistive technology to people with disabilities.
• Nomination for Assistive Technology Innovation Award in transportation - This award will recognise an organisation or individual that through innovation and the support in the development of assistive technologies has enhanced the quality of transportation of people with disabilities.
• Nomination for Assistive Technology Innovation Award at work - This award will recognise an organisation or individual that through innovation and their support in the development of assistive technologies have enhanced the quality of the working conditions of people with disabilities.
• Nomination for Assistive Technology Innovation Award at home - This award will recognise an organisation or individual that through innovation and their support in the development of assistive technologies have enhanced the quality of the living conditions of people with disabilities especially in their home environment.

Step 1 - Identify the category & tell us your story - Download the nomination form at www.access-it-awards.org - Tell us about your initiative, product, network, service or website. Keep it simple (no more than two sides of A4) and explain how your involvement has enhanced the lives of people with a disability and how it relates to the award you have selected. If you have a case study with real users, we would be delighted to receive it.

Step 2 email it to us - We will accept nominations up until 1 June 2008 - Email - access-it-awards@eisotis.org with your nominations

Shortlisted entries will be notified by 18 June 2008

More charities are recognising the importance of IT at strategic level.
According to the Charity Finance IT Survey 2008, Voluntary Sector IT budgets are increasing. [95/150508]

Some 36 per cent of respondents to this year's study said their IT budget will be greater over the coming 12 months. This compares with 31 per cent in last year's survey.

Furthermore, 21 per cent said their IT budget was more than £100,000, up from 18 per cent in 2007.

Eleven per cent said they would be spending more than £100,000 on new IT projects in the coming year, up from 9 per cent last year, while 38 per cent said they would spend less than £5,000, down from 43 per cent.

At senior management level, 37 per cent have IT representation on their board, up from 34 per cent, while 72 per cent now make reference to IT in their strategic plan, up from two-thirds in 2006 and 70 per cent in 2007.

However, the proportion of chief executives closely involved in IT decision-making fell, and concerns over the level of staff IT training are on the increase.

Complacent about security

Other findings indicate that charities are increasingly offering staff the opportunity to work remotely, but may be getting complacent about security.

'Once again our annual IT survey shows some interesting trends in the sector's IT use,' said Ian Allsop, editor of Charity Finance. 'Charities have in the past been seen to be behind the curve when it comes to IT, but these findings show that those at a senior level in charities are recognising how crucial it can be to the ongoing health of the organisation.'

'Now the challenge is not just implementing the required hardware and software, but ensuring staff on the ground are able to make the most of it.'

Source: Charity Finance.

Finance conference addresses accountability
Charities should appoint someone at board level to handle transparency, the annual Charity Finance Directors' Group conference heard. [94/190508]

Accountability to stakeholders was the main theme of the event in London, which was attended by hundreds of finance professionals.

Michael Hammer, executive director of the One World Trust, said his organisation had each year carried out a survey of 30 international bodies, which found that charities were lagging behind multinationals in terms of their complaints procedures and behind inter-governmental organisations in terms of transparency.

Speaking at the conference on 8 May, he said charities should be careful to avoid 'multiple accountability disorder' when trying to reconcile their separate responsibilities to donors, beneficiaries, government, employees, the public and one another. He said appointing someone at board level with a specific remit for transparency would help organisations tackle the problem.

'Charities need to have consistent complaints procedures whose workings are known to everyone, not just to people inside the organisation,' he said.

'There should be an understanding of the process, what happens if your complaint is upheld and what right of appeal there is.'

'I think the most important thing for charities is that they don't rest on their laurels as doers of good. It's not enough to do good - you have to do it in a good way.'

Stuart Etherington, chief executive of umbrella body the NCVO, said that charities needed to educate stakeholders, particularly donors, about the need to spend money on good administration.

'Donors are reluctant to see their money go on procedures,' he said. 'Charities often have to guarantee that a high enough percentage of donors' money goes to the beneficiaries.'

'This means there isn't a lot of money for internal procedures. Maybe we need to show our donors that we need to spend this money, and that spending it now will allow us to do a better job in the long run.'

By David Ainsworth, Third Sector Online, 9 May 2008

Consortium plans volunteer recruitment drive
Three voluntary youth work groups have formed a consortium to encourage more people in the Humber region to train for volunteer work with young people. [89/200508]

The Voluntary Youth Training and Education Consortium, which unites groups from East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and Hull, has started by organising an Introduction to Youth Work training course.

The course covers key aspects of working with young people, including activity planning, legal responsibilities and safe practice, and enables participants to earn nationally recognised Open College Network credits.

The course is available free to people who run youth clubs, sports clubs and other youth organisations.

Alicia Laking, a development worker for Voluntary Action North Lincolnshire, said: 'Most youth work training starts at A-level standard or higher, so this course fills a big gap in training provision. It's a first step for people who would like to build careers in youth work but are not ready to undertake longer college or university courses.'

By Rosie Walker, Third Sector Online, 13 May 2008