Please see selected information below on a number of topics, including: nextstep
Train to Gain
VCS Supply Chain Hub
Contract opportunities

I hope this information is useful to your organisation; we would welcome feedback on the information provided by Pentagon Partnership to WTTW members.

LSC North East nextstep Stakeholder Briefing
4^th Feb 2009 – Lecture Theatre, Neville Building, New College DurhamOn the 4^th February 2009 the Learning and Skills Council North East is hosting a nextstep briefing for stakeholders.The primary focus of the briefing is to update stakeholders on the new nextstep adult careers, information and advice offer available in the North East. In addition to this there will also be information on how nextstep can be utilised to help employers and employees who are faced with or have recently been made redundant.The event will begin with registration at 9:00 for a 9:30 start and close approximately 11:30.The LSC North East would like to invite you along to what we hope will be an informative and productive event for all involved. To book your place please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the following information no later than Thursday 29^th January 2009:Name:
Job Title:
Organisation:
Contact Email:
Contact Telephone Number:
Accessibility requirements:Please note that places on the event will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
If you have any queries regarding the event please contact Jill Field:
T: 078 2440 8524
E: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Train to Gain flexibilities
This month sees the introduction of new measures to assist Third Sector organisations to train staff during the economic downturn. Further information:
http://www.vonne.org.uk/policy/policy_article.php?offset=0&id=457

LSC Capacity Building fund available to all Train to Gain Providers
The LSC have recently launched a Capacity Building fund available to Train to Gain providers. To be eligible for the fund the Learning and Skills Council will require you to have a business plan detailing how you can increase your learner numbers by 50% before the end of 2011 using the employer responsive framework.Further information at:
http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/Nat_Capacity_Building_Guidance__Note_Dec08.pdf 

Contract opportunity: Community Involvement & Volunteering Service
(£500,000 - £1,000,000)

Sunderland Children's Services are seeking expressions of interest from providers who can deliver the following contract:

This service will operate within the guidelines for the development and delivery of Children's Centres outlined in the Childcare Act 2006 and Sure Start Children's Centres Practice Guidance. Sunderland Children's Centres have adopted a citywide approach to service delivery through five agreed locality areas. It is therefore expected that all prospective tenderers will either provide services across all Children's Centre locality areas, or tender for specific areas but agree to work collectively with other agencies delivering the same service to ensure continuity and consistency of provision throughout the city.The aim of the tender process is to identify independent providers to deliver this service which will compliment a range of other services being delivered by agencies from the statutory, voluntary and private sectors to children, families and the community. The successful provider(s) will be expected to deliver a service which is flexible and aligns itself with the Council's Children's and Young People's Plan and aims and objectives agreed for Children's Centre delivery.

An Information Session for this tender will be held at the Training Room, Community Library, Sandhill Centre, Grindon Lane, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR3 4EN on Tuesday 27th January 2009 at 3:00pm - 5:00pm.

Expressions of interest should be made in writing to:
Mrs Kerry Leece
Procurement Support Officer
Sunderland City Council
Health, Housing & Adult Services
Leechmere Training Centre
Leechmere Industrial Estate
Grangetown
Sunderland SR2 9TQ
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The closing date for receipt of written expressions of interest is 30th January 2009.Tender packs will be sent out on 2nd February 2009.Requests for further information should be made to Kerry Leece at the above address or tel: 0191 566 2380.

 

VCS Supply Chain Hub - update and competition
VONNE, the regional VCS infrastructure organisation, has been working in partnership to develop a mechanism to help support voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations in the contracting process.  The VCS Supply Chain Hub is the proposed model.VONNE has had a number of discussions with the LSC and One North East, who are both keen to support the development of the hub.  VONNE is currently in the process of securing the required funding need to set up and develop the hub. The new legal entity will need a name and as "The Hub" has been causing some confusion the Task & Finish Group have decided to run a competition to find a better name. For further information and details of a competition to name the hub, visit http://www.vonne.org.uk/policy/regeneration/skills&employabilitycontractinghub/index.php?flink=601 

Working in a consortium - A guide for third sector organisations involved in public service delivery
The Office of the Third Sector has produced a short guide for third sector organisations who may be considering, or already involved in, developing a partnership to deliver a public services contract. The document is available from the Office of the Third sector website, here.    

Developing a Sector Qualification Strategy
The Workforce Hub has been commissioned by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills to develop a Sector Qualification Strategy for the third sector (building on the Labour Market Intelligence reports available at http://www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/sqs).The draft Sector Qualification Strategy is now available for consultation at http://www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/DisplayPage.asp?pageid=13025 as a Word document (1.34MB), responses wanted by 27th February.

Joining Together - A conference on strategic commissioning
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, 26 February 2009

This major conference will bring together speakers and delegates from central and local government with representatives of the voluntary and community sector to explore how strategic commissioning will contribute to excellence in service delivery.Further information at www.nationalschool.gov.uk/commissioningconference  

Join Pentagon Partnership’s mailing list

Pentagon Partnership is now responsible for the secretarial / information functions of WTTW. We are the strategic partnership for third sector involvement in the economic regeneration of the Tyne and Wear City Region. We do this by informing and consulting the sector on economic regeneration news and policy, securing third sector representation on decision-making partnerships and capacity building – helping the third sector towards a businesslike and sustainable future.For more information about Pentagon, visit www.pentagonpartnership.org.uk Many of the issues and topics we work on will be if interest to WTTW members; if you are not already on the Pentagon Partnership mailing list and would like to be, please visit http://www.pentagonpartnership.org.uk/documents/mailinglist.docTo read previous Pentagon e-bulletins, visit http://www.pentagonpartnership.org.uk/Archive.htm