Skills Gaps and Skills Shortages in the UK Voluntary and Community Sectors Paid Workforce

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Skills Gaps and Skills Shortages in the UK
Voluntary and Community Sectors Paid Workforce

• Jenny Clark
• Research Officer

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Introduction

• Key facts on the VCS workforce
• The UK Workforce Hub
• Research within the Hub
• Research exploring skills gaps and shortages in
  the VCS

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The VCS Workforce

• In 2004, there were at least 608,000 people
  employed in the VCS in the UK
• Increase of 45,000 people (8) since 2000
• Equates to 488,000 FTE paid staff
• London and the south-east continues to be the hub
  of the VCS
• One-third have obtained a degree and only 6 of
  VCS employees have no qualifications

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The UK Workforce Hub

• Four Strands of Work
• 1. Encouraging more people to work in the sector
• 2. Promoting learning and skills development
• 3. Promoting the development of skills in
  leadership and management
• 4. Encouraging organisations to have the
  resources and skills required to be better
  employers

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Research within the Workforce Hub

• Aim
• To develop an evidence base of Labour Market
  Information (LMI) for the voluntary and community
  sector (VCS).
• We aim to achieve this by
• Commissioning research
• Conducting secondary analysis
• Build and sustain relations with key LMI
  providers and users

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Research projects include

• Research on young peoples attitudes to working
  in the sector
• Evidence review of pathways into employment
• Labour Force Survey time-series analysis of the
  UK VCS/ Workforce Almanac
• Research in to the skills shortages and skills
  gaps in the VCS

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Research in to the skills shortages and skills
gaps in the VCS

• Skills Shortages lack of available and
  accessible skilled individuals in labour market
• Skills Gaps where existing workforce have lower
  skills levels than necessary
• Background in two research reports conducted by
  the VSNTO
• - Skills Matter 2000
• - Futureskills 2003

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FutureSkills 2003 identified

• 47 had experienced problems recruiting of these
  2/3rds reported a lack of skilled applicants
• 10 felt that not all of their current staff were
  fully proficient
• the following priority skills needs for the
  future
• - management skills including planning and
  organising, project management and strategic
  planning
• - team working, partnership working skills,
  leadership and fundraising.

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FutureSkills 2003 identified

• FutureSkills 2003 identified
• 95 of organisations funded training
• 55 of organisations had undertaken management
  training
• Reasons for not undertaking training
• 30 lack funds
• 14 felt there was no appropriate training
  available

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Research in to the skills shortages and skills
gaps in the VCS

• Conducting this research in conjunction with
  Skills for Health.
• Exploring the paid workforce
• Two Phases
• Phase 1 Evidence review, pilot of method,
  survey and sample
• Phase 2 UK wide survey of skills

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The questionnaire will focus on

• Current vacancies in their paid staff and the
  reasons for these
• Whether specific functions within the
  organisation have the right level of skills
• What skills within their own workforce need
  improving
• What skills need improving in those applying for
  jobs at their organisation
• How their organisation views training and
  development
• What their training and development budget is

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Conclusion

• The Workforce Hub is conducting a number of
  research projects to fulfil its aim of developing
  an evidence base of Labour Market Information
  (LMI) for the voluntary and community sector
  (VCS).
• The skills research should provide us with key
  information on the state of the sector which can
  be used by policy makers, sector skills councils
  and training providers.

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Any Questions?

• Jenny Clark
• Research Officer
• UK Workforce Hub in England
• Regents Wharf
• 8 All Saints Street
• London
• N1 9RL
• Jenny.Clark_at_UKWorkforceHub.org.uk
• www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk