Training Courses, Providers and Links

Downloadable governance training can be found on the governance page 

Make It Happen – Training for Community Organisations

A series of training events for all kinds of community organisations in Argyll and Bute, including community councils, trust and others. To get trusts and other community organisations off to a good start for the new financial year, the first event, MAKE IT ADD UP, will cover everything to do with finances. Advice and guidance will be given on book keeping, accounts, OSCR, annual returns, management accounts, VAT, corporation tax, gift aid. A light buffet will be provided.

2-5pm: Information and networking, small group sessions

5.30-7.30pm: One to one surgery sessions with book keepers, treasurers and accountants.

To register contact Dorothy Taylor on 01389 722009, or email dorothy.taylor@lochlomond-trossachs.org

For more information about the sessions or to let us know about your specific issues contact: Colin Roxburgh tell: 01764 670499 or email: colin.rox@cali.co.uk

SCDC: Strengthening Scotland's Communities - Various dates & locations

The workshops will cover four related but distinct learning events, each of which will be offered three times in different venues across Scotland. More info Workshop themes include:

• Strengthening Scotland's communities briefings
• Planning a community capacity building strategy
• Achieving community change
• Effective community organisations

Using the Learning in Regeneration Skills Pack in the Community Learning and Development Sector

A workshop to help you link the Skills Pack with other CLD tools and resources The Scottish Centre for Regeneration (SCR) developed the Learning in Regeneration Skills Pack which was designed to help everyone involved in regenerating communities identify and develop their skills to help them work more effectively. CLD workers are involved in a number of activities relating to community regeneration across sectors and the Skills Pack can provide a powerful tool in supporting capacity building within community regeneration activities. It also complements a range of resources already available to those working in the Community Learning and Development sector.
A series of workshops are being run in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Inverness and Dumfries and Galloway in the New Year which are designed to provide support for you to link the Skills Pack with some of the CLD tools and resources you are currently or planning to use in the future. For instance, LEAP, National Standards for Community Engagement and How Good is Our CLD? Anyone working with communities is welcome to attend the seminars. For example, if you are involved in Community Planning; community learning and development; housing; health initiatives; environmental projects, regeneration; community and voluntary sector organisations; local authorities and other statutory agencies.
You will find the workshop informal, interactive and enjoyable. It will be conducted by highly experienced facilitators who will help you to relate the skills framework to your role and interests, taking into account your experience and the challenges facing you, and encourage exchange of ideas within the group.
To sign up for a workshop, please e-mail gthomson@lwtt.org.uk and they will get back to you.
The workshop sessions are free of charge however numbers are restricted to 20 and they would ask you to ensure you can attend before booking your place. If you have not obtained your free copy of the Skills Pack call learndirect scotland on 08456 000 111.

Full cost recovery

Fire (Scotland) Act - Fire Safety Risk Assessment Workshops

‘Listening to Children: Research and Consultation'

is a ten-week training course designed for those who work with children and young people and want to improve their skills of research and consultation. Run by the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR - www.crfr.ac.uk), it involves a combination of online learning and classroom sessions based at the University of Edinburgh. Bookings are now being taken for Spring 2008. Details and sample learning materials available at www.crfr.ac.uk/cpd/listeningtochildren

Information is Power

The Royal National Institute for the Blind has launched a series of leaflets. They look at a number of key areas that show how society can empower blind and partially sighted people and each leaflet identifies five priorities for action. They cover the high street, public libraries, health services, local government, schools and television. Approximately two million people in the UK have a sight problem, of whom near 400,000 are registered as either blind or partially sighted. This number is set to rise as the population ages. Inaccessible information is a major barrier facing people with a visual impairment, massively restricting life chances and quality of life. All too often, relatively small adjustments can mean the difference between inclusion and exclusion. One of the most common adjustments is to provide information in accessible formats - large print, audio, Braille and on accessible websites.
Download all six leaflets in either PDF or Word at the RNIB website at: www.rnib.org.uk

Guide to Raising Funds

• The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is making available free of charge for a short period of time the updated version of its popular "How to Raise Funds" guide.The guide has been fully updated by Pam Judson and is aimed at small and medium sized organisations working in Scotland. It explores fundraising myths and truths, what you need to have in place before you can fundraise effectively, writing effective proposals, researching funders, bringing it all together and what to do when you get the money.
  Copies can be downloaded here.

New Inter-Agency Training Resource For the Mental Health of Children and Young People

• This is a two-day course which provides basic understanding of children and young people's mental health and the target audience is those who work in universal services delivered to children and young people. The resource was commissioned by HeadsUpScotland and developed on their behalf by Young Minds. They would like to acknowledge with thanks the meticulous work and commitment of the Young Minds team in developing this helpful resource. This training is now available for downloading from the HeadsUpScotland website at http://www.headsupscotland.co.uk/workf.html

Evaluation Support Scotland

• Training courses and events

Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations

• SCVO’s training programme for 2008 is now available at the link below. Their courses cover a broad range of topics from IT to organisational governance, from personal development to capacity building to meet the training requirements of the Sector.
  http://www.scvo.org.uk/scvo/SCVOEvents/SCVOTrainingByMonthHome.aspx

Charities Evaluation Services

• CES offer courses on monitoring and evaluation and quality assurance. For a full list of their training courses, please click on the link below:
  http://www.ces-vol.org.uk

Child Poverty Action Group Training Programme

• CPAG offers training for people working with families in Scotland. The training course calendar can be found at http://www.cpag.org.uk/training_scot/CPAG_scot_courses.htm.

Highlands & Islands Community Capacity Partnership (HICCaP)

• The long awaited HICCaP Website is now live at www.hiccap.org.uk
  The aim of this site is to create a marketplace where all those who are looking to improve their skills or accessa training course can meet with those providers who can help. These courses are run all over the Highlands and Glasgow
  The main features of the website include:
  The Training Calendar - A comprehensive list of events around the Highlands & Islands.
  The Training Directory - Listing training providers from around the Highlands & Islands.
  The Discussion Forum - An opportunity to post up requests for training, recommend good training received and gather together others looking for the same training.