Staff development
The Workforce Development and Training workstream of WTfA set out to develop a co-ordinated approach to workforce development and training by addressing identified needs across the advice sector. It also aimed to establish a national market for workforce development and training resources.
Its work was guided by mapping exercises and surveys of needs in the sector at the start of the project. The findings from this work is summarised in the report Workforce development stream summary of findings.
Partners: AdviceUK, Age UK, Citizens Advice, Law Centres Federation, and Youth Access
Training
The workstream has co-ordinated 194 training sessions, which have reached 1,920 participants. This is over double the original target of 800. The training delivered includes:
- 78 skills and knowledge sessions
- 65 manager training sessions
- 36 youth focussed sessions
- 8 sessions for new entrants and
- 7 careers sessions for students
Training sessions ranged from young people's rights in the education system, to co-ordinating volunteers; from supervision skills to equality and diversity.
Resources
A Manager's Toolkit, which is an amalgamation of the Competency Assessment toolkit and Workforce Development Awareness pack, provides a range of practical tools/resources designed to help managers in advice centres to recruit and retain their staff more effectively.
Skills Gaps and Career Progressions in the Legal Advice Sector identifies skills gaps within the sector, and considers some of the career progression routes within the sector.
Youth work information sheets aim to inform and equip people who are considering working with young people.
Qualifications for the advice sector provides an overview of current qualifications for people interested in working in advice.
Youth Access Policy Briefing, 2009
Read why the time is right for a qualification giving youth advisers recognition and status.
The Youth Advice Workforce Now and in the Future
Skills for Justice report
As part of the Working Together for Advice project, the networks involved worked to align themselves more closely with Skills for Justice as the sector skills body. This report identifies workforce demographics across all sectors and will be used as the basis to reinforce the work of the independent advice sector with Skills for Justice.
Qualifications for the Advice Sector
A range of qualifications and training courses are available and can be accessed by people interested in a career in advice.
These courses will help learners to get accredited or qualified to provide advice, learn or develop an advice skill, gain knowledge of advice giving at various levels and improve awareness of the advice sector more generally.
This document gives an overview of the qualifications in the sector.
All of these resources and more can be found at www.wtfatraining.org.uk.
Other links
Skills Third Sector
National Occupational Standards
