The minister was speaking at the launch of a report on the Northern Ireland Voluntary and Community Sector Skills Survey 2008. The report, a collaboration between nine of the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and led by Skills for Justice and the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA), examined the nature, scope and impact of skills shortages and skills gaps in the paid workforce of the sector.
Welcoming the report, which was based on research funded by the Department for Employment and Learning, Sir Reg said: “One piece of research cannot fully articulate the complex nature of this sector and equally it does not claim to have found a single solution to the problems facing voluntary and community organisations, but the report has established a solid basis on which to develop further work on skills issues for this sector.”
Among the report’s key findings were that 95% of all organisations in the sector fall within the footprint of one or other of the Sector Skills Councils, with over 50% falling within two or more. It also highlighted funding and staffing issues as major challenges for voluntary and community organisations.
Significantly, the report found that many of the skills gaps prevalent in the sector are common to all sectors, areas such as management and leadership, finance, problem solving and communication, indicating that the sector can benefit from the wider work being done by the SSCs to help address these problems.
The minister concluded: “This is a unique piece of research, with Northern Ireland being the only country in the UK which has produced such a study. It is a great example of how a cross-cutting issue can be tackled successfully, when the right groups work together.”
Notes to Editors:
- Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are independent, employer-led, UK-wide organisations, designed to build a skills system that is driven by employer demand. There are 25 SSCs, covering over 90% of the economy.
- The nine SSCs involved in this project were: Skills for Justice, Skills for Health, Skills Active, Skills for Care and Development, Skillsmart Retail, Asset Skills, LANTRA, Lifelong Learning UK and Creative and Cultural Skills.
- The Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) is a not for profit organisation which provides support to the voluntary, community and charitable sector in Northern Ireland.
- The report can be accessed at the Skills for Justice website
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