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About Skills - Third Sector

Skills - Third Sector is a sector-led, independent charity which helps ensure the third sector has the skills and learning it needs to do the best possible job.

Our vision is for third sector organisations have the staff, volunteers and trustees with the diversity of skills and people they need to make an ever growing contribution to their communities.

Established in 2009, Skills – Third Sector aims to provide the coherent voice that third sector organisations need to influence strategy and policy in relation to their skills development, underpinned by a strong and credible research base.

At the same time, Skills – Third Sector will provide a focal point for exchanging knowledge and good practice in skills and workforce development, working to drive up demand for and an investment in learning and workforce development in third sector organisations.

Vision

Our vision is for third sector organisations to have the staff, volunteers and trustees, with the diversity of skills and people they need, to make an ever growing contribution to their communities.

Why is this important?

Because the third sector needs to be fit to do the best possible job in:

  • Campaigning; advocacy; fundraising
  • Reaching people other organisations don’t
  • Delivering better services
  • Setting up and running social businesses
  • Innovating - cutting edge practices pioneered by the third sector can be adopted and mainstreamed by other sectors
  • Purpose

Skills – Third Sector aims to provide the coherent voice that third sector organisations need to influence strategy and policy in relation to their skills development, underpinned by a strong and credible research base.

At the same time, it will be a focal point for exchanging knowledge and good practice in skills and workforce development, working to drive up demand for, and investment in, learning and workforce development in third sector organisations.

How will Skills -Third Sector work?

Skills – Third Sector is funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) to work with The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils, the Learning and Skills Council and its successor bodies and programmes, third sector networks and development agencies, learning providers, funders, commissioners and other key stakeholders.

Working with and through these partners, it will provide a first-stop-shop on skills and workforce development, so that third sector organisations and the individuals working and volunteering in them, can easily find all the information, resources and signposts they need to:

  • Identify their skills needs, and
  • Systematically plan to address these;
  • Know the cost of recruiting, managing and developing people effectively, and
  • Include this cost in their budgets and in every funding bid or tender;
  • Find or create affordable and flexible learning provision that will meet their needs;
  • Know how to use coaching, mentoring and other peer learning to develop learning organisations;
  • Find relevant standards and qualifications that can enhance their work and demonstrate competence.

Resulting Outcomes

Better and more robust labour market and information and intelligence is developed through collaboration and shared research methods across Sector Skills Councils.

Robust labour market and information and intelligence informs funders and commissioners, so that they invest in development and retention of skills.

Government departments routinely include the third sector as strategic partners in service and policy developments and promotions that will impact on their paid and volunteer workforce.

There are clear points of access for third sector organisations seeking resources and information about specific skills such as fundraising or trusteeship, which will be available through both Skills -Third Sector and The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils.

More effective investment in skills leads to enhanced effectiveness and impact.

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