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Introduction

Professional training for the sector is on the increase - at one time there were concerns from short course (open access) providers that their business would go down the pan as people focused on gaining qualifications and credits for 'continuous professional development' (CPD). There is room for both. While short courses are often seeing as having more immediate relevance to day-to-day work, part-time and distance/flexible learning (such as Open University) can also have direct, practical impact on your current job.

It would be a little foolish of us to give general guidance on how to decide what is most appropriate for you, as there are so many factors, courses and a lot of change too. Managing the time commitments, how much you can afford, whether your organisation has a training policy restricted on what it recognises for promotion, funding etc, are obvious questions. Bear in mind that some have entry requirements - postgraduate courses MAY take mature students with relevant experience rather than a degree but could require a lot of persuading; others will be aimed at those in particular stages of their career or from certain parts of the sector (possibly due to how their funding works). Above all be clear why you want to study, and what you hope to achieve. This may change as you go along, but it gives you a base to judge courses and your progress.

Accreditation and Qualifications

Accreditation can be by a number of different bodies, at different levels. At the moment we don't cover CPD rated courses but short courses may count to ongoing development requirements for membership of professional bodies (e.g. accountancy, CIPD, law).

Institute of Fundraising has developed the Certificate for Fundraising Managers which can be obtained via a number of providers (some indicated on the training pages). It is worth checking out the other Professional bodies to see if they run, recommend or list development programmes.

Note that while we have separated off Certificates and Diplomas, usually from further/higher educational institutes, they are often quoted as being equivalent to a certain level of NVQ. This may be quite important in connection with sources of personal educational funding. See our Training Resources page for government and other support initiatives.

Foundation degrees are relatively new - vocationally focused higher education courses at 'intermediate' level, the same as HND/C and NVQ level 4. See Foundation Degrees Forward .

Finding Courses

The National Open College Network site gives quality standards and local OCN contacts who may offer qualifications in community development, volunteering training, management.

Norfolk Portfolio for finding skills and training services for voluntary and community groups in the county. Its course directory may have information from elsewhere in the UK, too.

ladder4learning, covering the South East region, closed Feb 08. Check Learning Curve instead (main focus Wiltshire and south west?).

Learnability (link problem July 08) covers Staffordshire.

VC Train - South Yorkshire VCS Training Consortium.

voluntaryskills.com is for the North East.

Accredited courses, NVQ etc

Gloscat (Gloucestershire College of Arts & Technology). Qualifications and/or training through various routes for local voluntary sector.

Coleg Harlech WEA provides courses that meet the needs of individual volunteers and voluntary organisations across North Wales. OCN accredited.

Money Advice Scotland is an (SQA) Approved Centre for the delivery of the Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) in Advice (money advice route) at levels 3 and 4.

Penwith College, Penzance. Charity Administration evening course.

Voluntary Sector Training Unit, Tees Valley. Range of accredited qualifications for both the private and voluntary sectors. VSTU, CSI Building, Corporation Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 2RG, phone 01642 873377/9, email: Admin@vstu.org.uk

The Assessment Centre for Voluntary Organisations in York. Specialised in qualifications for the sector in social welfare, the arts and cultural heritage, for Yorks/Humber area. 17 Priory Street, York, YO1 6ET, phone 01904 653888.

No exam and/or formal qualification

Note: Some courses created with qualifications in mind do allow study excluding examination/assessment.

University of North London With LVSC and LBG funding. Progress into Leadership programme - no management qualification required. Contact Kristine Wellington at LVSC on 020 7700 8206, email kristine@lvsc.org.uk

Professional Development in specific issues

Roughly grouped by issue. Not just NVQs.

See Volunteer management or trustee resources for training in those areas.

Community

• Warwick University (with North Warwickshire and Hinckley College) Foundation Degree in Community Enterprise and Development, for those involved with voluntary and community organisations and local regeneration in Coventry and Warwickshire.

• Durham University School of Applied Social Sciences Community & Youth Work offers professional qualifying training in community and youth work, a taught Masters programme and opportunities for postgraduate research. MA in Community and Youth Work and MA in Community Studies programme aimed at those already practising in the community and youth work field. Not sure that Cert/DipHE/BA in Community and Youth Work or Community Studies still exist (Jan 06).

• Applied Community Studies at Liverpool John Moores University, BA (Hons), BA, DipHE or CertHE for those interested in management or advocacy.

• Institute of Continuing Education at University of Cambridge has a range of courses focusing on communities and social inclusion, including Advanced Diploma in Community Leadership. Also see Enterprise below.

• Community Development at University of Gloucestershire can be taken by distance learning and other options.

• Bachelor of Arts in Community Development from Department of Adult & Continuing Education, University of Glasgow. Work-based learning course for those with paid and unpaid experience of working in the community new September 2006.

• University of Ulster has a BSc Hons Community Development. Those with experience in the sector may be able to take advantage of a short course - Accreditation for Prior Experiential Learning - to gain direct access to the second year.

• Staffordshire University's Creative Community Unit Graduate Certificate in Community Practice has Voluntary Sector and Community Arts as 2 'pathways'. Also an MA available,a nd short courses with titles such as Getting Communities Involved, Making it Happen with Community Arts.

• University of Sussex Centre for Continuing Education Community Development Foundation Degree.

Housing, Regeneration

• Community Regeneration and Development Foundation Degree, University of Derby.

• Department of Urban Studies at University of Glasgow has various Postgraduate and Continuing Professional Development courses in Housing, Regeneration.

Enterprise

• Part-time Masters of Studies in Social Enterprise and Community Development from Institute of Continuing Education and Judge Business School, Cambridge. Contact MSt Administrator (Social Enterprise & Community Development) Community Education and Outreach Division, University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall, Madingley Cambridge CB23 8AQ Tel (01954) 280234, email: community@cont-ed.cam.ac.uk.

• Postgraduate Certificate in Cross-Sector Partnership from University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the International Business Leaders Forum.

• BA (Hons) Social Enterprise, also Certificate, Diploma, Masters post graduate options. 'Created to help people build professional and organisational capabilities, increase their knowledge and sharpen their critical analyses. This unique course provides a grounding in the knowledge and capabilities needed to come up with new solutions to new - and old - problems.' Contact Mike Locke or John Pratt, Centre for Institutional Studies, University of East London, Manbey Park Road, London, E15 1EY, phone 020 8223 4230, email: cis@uel.ac.uk

• MBA in Social Entrepreneurship from Business School, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff launched in September 2006 as a specialist option to the general MBA.

• MBS in Co-operative and Social Enterprise (by eLearning) from Centre for Co-operative Studies, University College Cork (Republic of Ireland).

• Social Entrepreneur module from University of York - York Awards.

• Institute of Leadership & Management has a numebr of social enterprise support qualifications.

• School for Social Entrepreneurs has a number of bases or projects around the country as well as London HQ.

Operational

• A new qualification for individuals working in operational management positions within humanitarian logistics (aid delivery etc) available from September 2006, designed by Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK and the Fritz Institute in San Francisco. Further details awaited on CILTUK web site - see Society Guardian article for background.