Mind the Gap: Developing Third Sector People and Skills

First national skills conference for the third sector  

Date: Tuesday 21 October 2008
Time: 9.45am to 4.00pm
Venue: Central Hall Westminster, London SW1

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About the Conference

Join us at this conference to discover how you can find the resources to develop the skills of your organisation’s most important asset – its staff and volunteers.

Why you should attend

The day will include presentations and discussions which will focus on the importance of skills in the sector - and the need to find practical ways to fund skills development when public funding is so difficult to achieve. There will also be plenty of opportunities to network and share your ideas and learning with others.

Keynote speakers

• Kevin Brennan MP Minister for the Third Sector
• Lord Tony Young of Norwood Green Minister for Skills at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
• Stuart Etherington CEO of NCVO
• Cheryl Turner Learning and Skills Council
• Janet Fleming Head of the UK Workforce Hub
• David Brindle SocietyGuardian

Who should attend?

This event is for you if you are involved with or interested in developing the skills of paid staff, volunteers or trustees. Including:

• HR Managers;
• Chief Executives;
• Chairs and Trustees;
• Learning and Development Managers.

The conference will also be useful for funders, commissioners and policy makers.

Morning Session

The morning session will be chaired by Stuart Etherington and will include discussions with Phil Hope MP, Minister for the Third Sector and David Lammy MP, Minister for Skills, who will discuss the government’s policy for developing skills in our sector. This will be followed by a discussion lead by Janet Fleming, head of the UK Workforce Hub, who will outline recent research into skills gaps in the sector, and will discuss:

• What we know;
• What we don’t know and
• What we’d like to know.

This will be followed by round table discussions which will feature brief case studies from people who have been successful in finding the money to invest systematically in skills development of their organisation. They will share their learning and experiences and facilitate the discussions. 

Afternoon Session

The Afternoon session will involve a panel discussion chaired by David Brindle of Society Guardian.

A panel of employers and funders will join Jane Slowey (CEO of Foyer Federation) and Cheryl Turner (Learning and Skills Council) to open up a debate around:

• Why we should invest in skills
• what the benefits of investing are
• If we do invest – who will pay?

The discussion will include up-to-date, real examples of the tangible benefits of investing in skills, as well as exploring the cost of not investing in skills, for both organisations and those who fund or contract with them.

A brochure containing the full programme and details of speakers and workshops is available to download here.

Programme

Price

Mind the Gap: Developing Third Sector People and Skills

Date : Tuesday 21 October 2008
Time: 9.45am to 4.30pm
Venue: Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, London, SW1H 9NH

For more information:  Contact workforcehub@ukworkforcehub.org.uk or call 0207 520 2490. Download a Mind The Gap brochure (PDF, 966Kb).

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