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Email: htdc@hertscf.org.uk

Consultations Archive

You will find here details of major consultations affecting the voluntary sector and learning and skills in Hertfordshire. When final reports resulting from consultations are published we will add them to this section as they are useful reference.

Review of Informal Adult and Community Learning

Deadline - Friday, October 21, 2011

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) opened its consultation with organisations on 16th August.

This consultation is relevant to: Further education colleges and their governing bodies; Local Authority Adult Education Services, Specialist Designated Institutions, other providers of further education and skills and adult learning; sixth-form colleges; higher education institutions; college principals, teaching staff and their representative organisations; voluntary and community organisations; Government Departments; organisations representing the interests of past, current and prospective adult learners.

HTDC will be working alongside the Hertfordshire Informal Adult Learning Group in preparing a response on behalf of the voluntary sector, and will contact members regarding collation of information for that. To view the consultation document and to respond visit the BIS website.


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Colleges in their Communities

Deadline - Friday, March 18, 2011

To improve understanding of the relationship colleges have with their communities, a public call for evidence has been issued by the joint Colleges in their Communities Inquiry - led by NIACE, the 157 Group and the Association of Colleges.

The Colleges in their Communities which will report in November 2011, is investigating the strategic role colleges play in their communities and the added public value they can bring in leading adult learning provision and serving each of their local communities.

The Inquiry wants to hear the opinions of principals, managers, teachers, learners, community representatives and others with an interest in this area and has issued a call for evidence. In particular, the Inquiry invites submissions that address the following questions:

  • What is the relationship between colleges and their communities?
  • How do colleges contribute to local/ community leadership?
  • How do colleges develop, implement and refine national adult learning policies and plans?
  • How do colleges define and arrive at an adult curriculum for their communities?


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Tackling Poverty and Improving Life Chances

Deadline - Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Government has launched a consultation on its approach to ending child poverty and improving life chances. Developing a long-term strategy to tackle decades of inter-generational disadvantage requires new approaches and depends on everyone working together. They therefore want to hear from the public, private and voluntary sectors to find the creative solutions and capitalise on opportunities that can help communities and individuals ensure their children have the very best start in life.

The consultation documents can be accessed via the Department for Education website.


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Supporting a Stronger Civil Society

Deadline - Thursday, January 06, 2011

Through this consultation, the Office for Civil Society is looking for your thoughts on its role in ensuring that civil society has the advice, support and influence it needs to help build the Big Society in England. The consultation presents some potential priorities for this.

Responses will also help to develop an Equalities Impact Assessment, to be published with the Government summary and response.

Click here to access the consultation document.


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Modernising Commissioning Green Paper

Deadline - Wednesday, January 05, 2011

The government is seeking views as to how civil society organisations and others can lay a greater role in delivering public services. The paper can be downloaded from the Cabinet Office website.


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Learning Delivery Qualifications Review

Deadline - Tuesday, November 09, 2010

The current teacher, tutor and trainer qualifications for the further education sector in England were introduced in September 2007. The further education sector includes people working in further education colleges, work-based learning and adult and community-based learning.

Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) has been asked by BIS to complete a full review of the qualifications - looking at the best way to improve them. The review will include:

  • Current generic teaching qualifications, including PTLLS, CTLLS, DTLLS and their equivalents offered by higher education institutions
  • Current subject specific qualifications for teachers of literacy, numeracy and ESOL
  • Accredited professional development opportunities beyond initial training
  • A proposal to establish a new framework for all qualifications for all learning professionals
HTDC contributed to the first phase of the review online. A second more detailed phase will commence early in 2011.

For further information please visit the LLUK website.


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Skills for Sustainable Growth

Deadline - Thursday, October 14, 2010

Business Secretary Vince Cable and Skills Minister John Hayes launched the Government's strategy for skills and reform of the further education and skills system on 16th November.

The strategy sets out the Government’s vision for reform of the further education and skills system in order to improve the skills of the workforce, the performance of the economy and engagement in learning.

Full copies of the reports are available on the BIS website.

HTDC's response to the consultation can be downloaded here.


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A Simplified Further Education and Skills Funding System and Methodology

Deadline - Thursday, October 14, 2010

The consultation examines ways in which the funding system and methodology for post-19 further education and skills can be simplified to ensure greater transparency for learners and employers and reduce burdens on Further Education colleges and training organisations aiding them to deliver high quality further education and skills training.

The government published their response on 18th November 2010.

One of the outcomes of this consultation is that a minimum contract level of £500k will be set for the 2011/2012 academic year with the likelihood that smaller providers are only going to be able to continue via joining consortia led by those who already have larger contracts.

You can access the government's response to the consultation via the BIS website.

Click here to access HTDC's response to the consultation.


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Skills Priorities Statement 2010/11

Deadline - Tuesday, August 31, 2010

EEDA (East of England Development Agency) was given responsibility for producing an annual Skills Priorities Statement, developing a skills evidence base and championing the benefits of investment in skills across the East of England.

This will be used by BIS (Department for Business Innovation and Skills) to influence Skills Funding Agency investment for the 2010/11 academic year and help inform the National Skills Investment Strategy which is due for publication early October 2010.

It is intended the Skills Priorities Statement will have a three year horizon and be annually refreshed, identifying regional prioritisation for subsequent years.

Draft Skills Priorities Statement 2010/11 has been produced and is available to view via the link below. This will be going to the Department for  Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) on 31 July 2010.

The final version of this Skills Priority Statement will be submitted to BIS in mid September 2010. EEDA would like you to continue with your responses to the consultation between July and August for consideration and inclusion in the final statement.

If you would like to contribute any comments on this draft document please complete the consultation form below.

For more information on the Skills Priorities Statement or the consultation process, please contact strategicskills@eeda.org.uk

Downloads
East of England Skills Priorities Statement   (PDF 1MB)
Skills strategy for the region - consultation form   (DOC 106KB)


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National Skills Framework for the Voluntary Sector

Deadline - Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The voluntary sector, like any other sector, needs a skilled workforce in order to thrive and provide quality services, particularly in the face of rising demands about what it can and should deliver.

A National Skills Strategy is a crucial tool for supporting a skilled workforce.

The National Skills Framework was produced by consultation carried out by Skills Third Sector – both online and through a series of roundtable events. Over a hundred organisations participated in the roundtable events.

The framework aims to give proper recognition of the sector’s skills and talents, because skills matter to the sector’s ability to meet the challenges of the period ahead.

The Skills Framework for 2011-2014 was published in October 2010 and can be downloaded by visiting the Skills Third Sector website.


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Hertfordshire Community Foundation, Foundation House, Units 2-4 Forum Place
Fiddlebridge Lane, Hatfield, Herts AL10 ORN

HTDC is a project led by Hertfordshire Community Foundation, registered charity number 299438