Here we provide information on skills and workforce strategy issues relevant to all third sector organisations, including:

• Skills for Scotland : A Lifelong Skills Strategy
• SCVO role in skills and workforce development
• Third sector skills strategy for Scotland
• Skills – Third Sector : New third sector skills body (in England)
• Consultation responses
• Recent
• Past
• Skills agencies and bodies

Skills for Scotland: A lifelong skills strategy

SCVO welcomed the publication of “Skills for Scotland, A Lifelong Skills Strategy” in September 2007, and especially the recognition that voluntary sector organisations are part of one and the same learning system as well as having an important contribution to make – both as learning providers and as advocates and campaigners. Click here  for an overview of the strategy.  Within the strategy document, the Scottish Government recognised the crucial role played by the sector in delivering many of the services required by society and that the sector faces huge challenges in addressing skills and workforce needs because of its diversity of remits, structures, geographical spread and resources. We are currently working with the Scottish Government and other partners to develop a specific third sector skills strategy.

More information on progress in the Scottish Government's strategy is available in an updated website. The new website contains information on action taken to progress Skills for Scotland, new and recent developments in skills, new activities and approaches to skills delivery, information on measuring Scotland's performance and useful skills-related websites.

For full information click here

SCVO’s skills and workforce strategy work is part of a Strategic Partnership with the Scottish Government's Third Sector Division which will operate from 2009 until 2012 . (Read the Strategic Partnership agreement   This is part of the Scottish Government's ENTERPRISING THIRD SECTOR ACTION PLAN - you can access the Enterprising Third Sector Action Plan here - which was launched by John Swinney in June 2008. The skills and workforce development work falls into Objective 4 : Action 4.3 of the Action Plan which is: Investing in skills, learning and leadership in the third sector. The Strategic Partnership outlines the skills work as follows:

• SCVO will advise, inform and assist in the development of options and proposals for a Third Sector Skills strategy, and subsequent implementation. This will involve partnership working with skills bodies, other government directorates, and third sector partners, and the production of written papers, presentations and advice.

If you would like to discuss anything about this, please contact celia.carson@scvo.org.uk.

Third Sector Skills Strategy

The Background

Following the work done last year by SCVO and key skills partners, the Scottish Government has been facilitating partnership work in consultation with some third sector organisations and the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils, to identify possible ways of ensuring that the Third Sector has an appropriately skilled workforce in Scotland and that those skills are utilised to the full. A Third Sector Skills Framework document has been drawn up based on the evidence collected from consultation events and discussions with third sector and skills bodies. The document is still in draft form and its current status is "work in progress". The proposals included setting up a multi-partner partnership to take forward the draft framework.

Next Steps

Following a" brainstorming session" with Third Sector and Skills bodies on 21 May, a short-term working group (which includes SCVO) has been formed to examine the proposals for establishing the Third Sector Skills Partnership arrangement. The working group, which is chaired by Gareth Allen from the Third Sector Division, comprises representatives from Third Sector organisations and the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils. Its first meeting was held on 9 July. Future meetings are intended to be held in August and September 2009.

If you would like further details please contact celia.carson@scvo.org.uk or telephone Celia on 0131 474 8017.

Skills - Third Sector:  new third sector skills body (England only)

UK Government Ministers announced on 21 October 2008 that £2.5 million will be made available over the next 3 years to set up a brand new skills body for the third sector, opening up thousands of new learning and development opportunities for people working and volunteering in the third sector across the UK. At present, the skills body is currently limited to England. However, SCVO and the Scottish Government are working together to continue Scottish engagement in the UK Skills agenda. Skills - Third Sector, the new independent skills body for the Third Sector, will be underway by September 2009. Full details are here.

RECENT - THIS YEAR

Scottish Funding Council - Learning to Work 2 (July 2009) SCVO Response to SFC L to W 2.doc

Scottish Government - Standing for Office: Time-off entitlements and encouraging civil engagement (March 2009)SCVO Response Standing for Office - time off Consultation.doc

PAST YEARS  - available on request from celia.carson@scvo.org.uk

Scottish Government – Right to request time off for training (Oct 08)

The Apprenticeship (Scotland) Bill – Public Consultation by John Park MSP (June 2008 )

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Green Paper Consultation: “No-one Written Off: Reforming Welfare to Reward Responsibility” (Oct 08)

Skills agencies and skills bodies

Alliance of Sector Skills Councils - www.sscalliance.org.

Sector Skills Councils - at above website

Scottish Credit & Qualifications Authority - www.scqf.org.uk

Scottish Funding Council - www.sfc.ac.uk

Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) - www.sqa.org.uk

Skills Development Scotland - www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk

UK Commission for Employment & Skills - www.ukces.org.uk

Sector Skills Councils

Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are independent, employer-led, UK–wide organisations designed to build a skills system that is driven by employer demand. There are currently 25 SSCs covering over 90% of the economy and they all work towards the following four key goals:

• reduced skills gaps and shortages

• improved productivity, business and public service performance

• increased opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector's workforce

• improved learning supply through National Occupational Standards, apprenticeships, and further and higher education.

Contact details for all SSCs are available from The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils at www.sscalliance.org.

The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils

The Alliance is an organisation comprising all 25 licensed UK Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), the employer-driven organisations that together articulate the voice of the employers of around 90% of the UK's workforce on skills issues. Its core purpose is to:

· Act as the collective voice of the SSCs

· Promote understanding of the role of SSCs within the skills system across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

· Co-ordinate policy positions and strategic work on skills with stakeholders across the four home nations

· Help build the performance capability of the SSCs to ensure they continue to work effectively on the employer-driven skills agenda

Web: www.sscalliance.org