CVS Fife - 23-27 Randolph Street, Buckhaven KY8 1AT (Map)
T: 01592 567001 - F: 01592 567009 - E: cvsfife@cvsfife.org

Skills for Scotland

"Skills For Scotland" is a multi-agency project supported by the European Social Fund. The project intends to build on the existing partnership between CVS Fife and the Adam Smith College, which has created a learning culture within the voluntary sector in Fife, with a view to providing structured career development opportunities for low skilled employees.

The project aims to develop the established model of taster training opportunities to recruit employees on to accredited courses. The key output of the project is to enable employees in the voluntary sector to create accredited portfolios. Traditionally, there has been a lack of training and progression opportunities within the sector, mainly due to resource restrictions, making it difficult for employees to develop their full potential and advance both within and outwith the voluntary sector. It will address higher level management and technical training, professional development and core skills, with a strong emphasis on ICT. Where appropriate, the mini MOLI vehicles will be offered for the delivery of ICT training at geographical locations throughout Fife for people who are unable to access training at other venues.

By increasing the skill levels across the workforce, the project aims to assist organisations to adopt a more enterprising approach to service delivery, to become more competitive, to play a more significant role in the delivery of public services, to address the needs of service users more effectively and efficiently and to enhance the employability of individual employees.

The project will also target EU migrant workers via its existing relationships with cultural community groups with a view to providing responsive training to enable them to realise their potential. The project will look at the specific needs of job seekers coming form the EU and once work opportunities have been found, they will be encouraged to build workplace skills through the opportunities made available. As workers will be dispersed through a variety of workplaces, they can be more effectively targeted via community organisations/groups.

CVS Fife Training Project Wins National Award

Adam Smith College's partnership with CVS Fife has won national recognition at the first ever TFN Annual Charity Awards. The awards, designed to recognise excellence across Scotland's Voluntary Sector, were conferred at a prestigious ceremony hosted by Ruth Wishart at Glasgow Science Centre on 24 May 2007. The College scooped the award along with CVS Fife in the Partnership category, against some tough competition from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with Glasgow CVS and Harper McLeod with the National Autistic Society Scotland.

In her acceptance speech, Carol Humbert, Director of Community Colleges at Adam Smith College, highlighted that the Training Project is all about partnership effort, not just between CVS Fife and Adam Smith College but also involving important contributions from Volunteer Centre Fife, Fife Council, Scottish Enterprise Fife, Fife Chamber of Commerce and BRAG Enterprise. The project, which has now been running for six years, has developed a strong track record in delivering accessible training for voluntary organisations. At a time when the project team are looking to the future, the award has come as a tremendous boost.

Ian Cowie, CVS Fife's Learning Services Co-ordinator (pictured with award), said: "We were delighted to be nominated for this national award, and it was a great outcome for everyone involved in the project when we actually won. We are always looking to develop the project and the key thing for us is to meet the needs of our voluntary sector clients. We are confident we can do this successfully through the good partnership relationships we have in place."

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Ian Cowie, Training Project Learning Services Co-ordinator
CVS Fife, 23-27 Randolph Street, Buckhaven, Fife KY8 1AT
T: 01592 567001 - E: ian.cowie@cvsfife.org

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