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Web Sites

TrainingZONE is a web based resource primarily for trainers. It also has a searchable training providers listing - we came up with 6 when we searched on 'voluntary'. You may be able to make use of the Toolkit of resource materials, although the quality and usefulness is likely to vary with author. They review publications, software and other resources.

Suggestions and useful topic pages from Training Zone:

• Role Play feature - Want people to perform the role play or simulation for you? There are several training companies which offer this service - have a look at Aim Associates (was Actors in Management). Steve Finkel has an excellent online guide entitled 'From Knowing to Doing' which offers some great tips and ideas for making role play actually work.
• How to: Carry out an effective Training Needs Analysis. Not the definitive guide for voluntary organisations, but does put this activity in the wider context.

Association for Management Education and Development is a professional network for people involved with individual and organisational development.

Institute of Training and Occupational Learning (ITOL) PO Box 69, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 4FR, phone 0161 483 4577, email: enquiries@itol.co.uk

The Training Journal has an online discussion forum for the 'learning and dvelopment community'.

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development for professional personnel practitioners. There are resources for trainers (Topics for Trainers eg Dealing with difficult people) online. They detail short courses as well as professional study for qualifications, but they arent cheap. You will need to register as a guest to access most of the info on the site. CIPD House, Camp Road, London, SW19 4UX, phone 020 8971 9000, email: cipd@cipd.co.uk

Industrial Society Learning and Development (now part of Capita Learning and Development) runs a lot of courses designed to raise working standards, but at commercial rates (no discounts for charities that we could find).

Work-related Learning Initiatives/Campaigns

Skills Councils took over from the various NTOs (National Training Organisations) for different sectors.

The Skills-Third Sector site may be helpful.

Sector Skills Councils for relevant areas include:

• Skills for Health - drug and alcohol workers, mental health etc.
• Skills for Care - part of the UK-wide Skills for Care and Development, along with the other social care training bodies for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
• SkillsActive - sport, recreation and outdoor education. Has specific section for Playwork.
• Skils for Justice - criminal, community justice.
• Creative and Cultural Skills. Arts, cultural heritage, etc.
• Lantra, for the environmental and land-based sector.
• UK Qualifications and Skills Team took over from Lifelong Learning UK, for community education workers, youth work, work-based learning as well as libraries, archives and information services.

Occupational Standards, accreditation

Check out Skills Third Sector for info on National Occupational Standards (NOS). Some already developed or in process are ones for Fundraising, Managing Volunteers, Trustee/Management Committee, Community Development, Drugs and Alcohol National Occupational Standards. We need to locate current links, but the Management Standards Consultancy may have some useful ones.

Management Standards Centre Standards developed "with the help of thousands of managers in all types of organisations and represent the acknowledged best practice indicators for management at every level."

Courses run by/for voluntary organisations may be able to be accredited (rated for educational awards, such as NVQ levels) by various boides. One of the most obvious is a local contact of the National Open College Network. Some examples and more detail may be on the Professional Development page.

Other learning projects

Campaign For Learning runs Learning at Work Day, and has various promotional info as well as pages like 'What kind of learner are you?'

The Learning Skills Council covers England.

Lifelong Learning is supported and closely connected with DfEE Individual Learning Division, with news and developments in this area.

LearnDirect provides learning and careers information service and 'courses using computers and the internet to provide learning at a time and place to suit the learner - home, workplace or at one of the national network of learning centres.'

In Scotland, check out Skills Development Scotland, skills, training and funding advice.

Materials

• Community Work Resources produced by the West Yorkshire Community Work Training Group - web site no longer seems to work, unfortunately.

• Gower Training is one of the best known names in learning resources for business (e.g. Team Building Role Play packs), but not cheap.

• Choosing and briefing a management consultant or trainer from voluntary sector specialists in the Management Development Network.

• MyTrainingResources publishing training materials especially for the voluntary and community sectors, part of trainign provider Sahara Consultancy.

• National Extension College (NEC) has various training materials of relevance, for example:
  - The Playcare Pack, to which they have recently (Jun 01) added four Level 3 S/NVQ units with titles including 'Manage information for action' and 'Support the efficient use of resources'.
  - Voluntary Work titles Stand Up for Your Rights (with FIAC) £12-00, Community Start Up (with Community Matters) £15-00

• Pavilion Publishing are leading publishers of health and social care training materials, who also organise conferences and events.

• Peter Honey is another well known name (as in Honey and Mumford/Learning Styles). In print: Manual of Learning Styles Peter Honey and Alan Mumford, ISBN 0 9508444 7 0 £60.00 (plus £1.95 post and packing). See publications list on web site.

• Training Journal 'the publication for learning and development'. Subscriptions phone 01353 654877

• Volunteer Solutions has training packs on such things as Motivating Volunteers, Working Safely, Confidentiality, Managing Change. Phone 01474 358013.

• See also: Training Zone and others under Web sites above.