The Government today announced plans to create a new Third Sector skills body which will identify and address skills gaps and shortages for charities, voluntary groups, social enterprises and other third sector organisations. It will pull together the work of the sector skills councils to open up learning opportunities for third sector paid and voluntary staff. It will ensure the sector’s needs are properly considered in the design development of National Occupational Standards, the design Apprenticeship Frameworks and Sector Qualification Strategies. The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) will jointly fund the new skills body with £2.5 million over the next three years. It will be independent and directed by a board representing the sector’s employers. To help the new body become established, Skills for Justice will act as an incubator.
 
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21 October 2008
© Office of the Third Sector

These are extraordinary economic times and the Social Enterprise Coalition think it is crucial to understand the range of experiences social enterprises are having. Let them know about your immediate difficulties as well as your successes. Please spare five minutes to complete their survey by following this link: www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=8yHdrm0KEsEz5LOqYbrGWg_3d_3d

 
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22 October 2008
© RISE

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, has welcomed the launch of a School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) in Cornwall. Cornwall’s SSE is the seventh franchise to be established in the UK. Initial investment has come from the ESF (European Social Fund) Convergence programme matched with the activity of Jobcentre Plus through the Cornwall Works for Social Enterprise programme. The aim is to support disadvantaged people in a variety of ways. The SSE programme nationally is open to entrepreneurial individuals who are serving communities and addressing issues including innovative projects for young people and children; people disadvantaged by social or economic circumstances; health and education projects; neighbourhood renewal projects; refugees and asylum seekers; minority ethnic groups; people with disabilities; environmental projects and crime and community safety projects.

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10 October 2008
© School for Social Entrepreneurs

A North East green project has formed the first UK wide community owned energy supply company which could soon be handling £millions. Community Renewable Energy (CoRE) has set up the new company to sell energy and provide other financial services to the growing number of community owned renewable energy systems. Its first customer is likely to be a district wood heating system supplying heat to 80 houses and a school in Middleton-in-Teesdale. “Selling energy in today’s European wide market is a complex business,” said Keith Richardson, Chair of CoRE, “It is a major obstacle to many community owned renewable energy systems as they have to deal with regulators, sell energy and bill customers, trade in Renewable Obligation Certificates and much more.”

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10 October 2008
© CORE

20 November 2008 is Social Enterprise Day: a national day to celebrate and promote social enterprise. We’re currently holding a national competition across England to find the best photographs that show how social enterprise is transforming lives. Maybe you work for or volunteer at a social enterprise, or maybe you or someone you know has benefited from one - simply take a photo that captures how social enterprises are changing the world one community at a time - we want to hear from the people who experience it every day. Read on to find out about our fantastic prizes for the photographer and the featured social enterprise. Enter now by emailing your photograph to photocompetition@socialenterprise.org.uk Deadline for entries: 28 October 2008 - winners will be announced on Social Enterprise Day.

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7 October 2008
© Social Enterprise Coalition

Organisations providing services to beneficiaries in the third sector face a huge number of valid competing pressures on their time and resources. Often technology gets relegated down the list because in many cases it is not part of core service delivery. It is not a bad thing to view technology or ICT as a utility service in the same way that an organisation may view lighting or drainage. It is essential that there is a contingency or back-up in place should there be a problem with the plumbing or the lighting; in the same way this should apply to the computers used in an organisation. There are many ways to organise the contingency solution, one of which is through engaging the services of an external provider of ICT services. In the same way as you would bring in a specialist to deal with leaking tap a specialist provider of ICT services is best placed to deal with ICT emergencies. This report looks in detail at the Social Enterprise model of delivery and draws on the knowledge of those with experience of it to critically ask if it is the best solution, what services could be provided together with the pitfalls and benefits of this method of service delivery.

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29 September 2008
© ICT Hub

Research into current levels of understanding and awareness of social enterprise, carried out for the government’s Office of the Third Sector, has revealed a high level of confusion. In those surveyed, when asked to pick out social businesses from a list of candidates the largest number chose Comic Relief or Childline, rather than the likes of Eden Project or Big Issue. And the sector is seen as vague, woolly, worthy, small and inefficient. See Social Enterprise magazine news item http://www.socialenterpriselive.com, or the OTS short summary which has a link to a presentation (PowerPoint style) of the findings.

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27 September 2008
© VoluntaryNews

One the final reports to come out of the work of the ICT Hub is now published. “ICT Support for the Third Sector: Is Social Enterprise the Solution?” was commissioned by the ICT Hub to answer the following questions: Should the sector try and deliver ICT support services from within, or should it rely on services from the private sector? If yes, what sort of services should be provided for the sector? How have current social enterprises emerged? What problems have they encountered in their birth and growth? How can these be avoided? Are they robust enough and, if not, how can this be improved? It will be of value to: Anyone thinking of setting up a social enterprise to deliver ICT services to the third sector; Anyone running a social enterprise that delivers ICT services to the third sector; Policy-makers and funders who want to understand how they can support the development of social enterprise models to deliver ICT services to the third sector; Anyone interested in helping to meet the ICT support needs of the third sector. It is the work of 4 of the regional ICT champions who also run social enterprises.

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26 September 2008
© Yorkshire and Humber ICT Champion

Social Enterprise Magazine reporters attended the Social Enterprise World Forum in Edinburgh from 2-5 September 2008. Here, Social Enterprise Magazine bring you the key messages from top social entrepreneurs around the world, the issues raised in breakout sessions, case studies of some of Scotland’s most successful social enterprises and news from behind the scenes.

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24 September 2008
© Social Enterprise Magazine

The annual gathering of the Development Trusts Association in Leeds on 15th September saw the launch of the important research findings ‘Bearing Fruit: Good Practice in Asset-Based Rural Community Development. The study examines the experiences of seven rural Development Trusts to ‘see what works’. Importantly, the report identifies 10 specific characteristics of successful initiatives and focuses on the attributes of the people who are the driving forces within the Trusts. Amazingly, these individuals shared a great many of these traits! This report will be an important talking point for the growing number of rural Development Trusts and social enterprises as more and more rural communities assume responsibilities for service delivery and the transfer of assets into community management. A copy of the report can be downloaded from: http://rural.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/files/rural/DTA-Bearing%20Fruit%20.pdf

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24 September 2008
© Carnegie UK