Last autumn Lasa took part in an online Q&A on the network on the topic of meeting charities' training needs despite budget cuts. There was a huge amount of interest in this, so we followed it up with some research to establish whether training budget cuts are affecting the sector, and how voluntary sector professionals felt this would affect them and the individuals they support.
Cuts to training budgets are taking place in the context of wider cuts to the third sector. In 2011, NCVO estimated that by the end of the parliament an estimated £911m would be lost from the sector in grants and contracts. Our research, however, reveals that far from training being "nice to have", the majority of the 446 charity sector professionals who responded regard it as essential. They are concerned about the impact of cuts in this area, not only on their skills and knowledge, but ultimately on the quality of support and advice they can offer to the people they work with.
Main findings
Over three quarters (76%) of respondents said that training and professional development was absolutely necessary for their job, with 17% rating it as fairly important. Only 7% said that it was "nice to have but I don't do much".
"These results don't surprise us," says Jan Burnell, managing director of The Centre, a company that specialises in training charities. "Our delegates are finding that cuts and redundancies mean that everyone else has to work smarter – making training even more important as the sector gets leaner and is forced to get more efficient."
Of those surveyed, 85% said that training helps to "do my job by providing me with the required knowledge/skills". Two thirds (66%) say that these resources "help contribute to the upskilling of my colleagues/team", 57% that they "contribute to the difference my charity makes", and 55% that they "support the people who my charity helps". Respondents are telling us loud and clear that the net effect of training is not only to arm charity sector professionals with the right skills and knowledge for the job, but also to contribute to the organisation's mission and purpose.
Many organisations are having problems accessing training and learning and development resources. Of those surveyed, 74% said that budget cuts were the main barrier, while more than half (53%) cited lack of time, which is also a result of squeezed resources; according to NCVO, the sector lost 70,000 jobs in 2011. Indeed, almost half (49%) of respondents stated that their charities don't have the budget to train volunteers and staff to support the big society agenda, with a further 34% unsure. The fact that the majority of the sector organisations surveyed do not have or are unsure whether they have the budget to train their people in line with a major government initiative demonstrates the extent of the cuts involved.
Charity sector professionals also expressed concern about the probable impact of training budget cuts on the sector in 10 years' time. Of those surveyed, 86% said the quality of support and advice that charities give could deteriorate, while 61% thought that organisations would not be able to help as many people due to a lack of knowledge and skills. Worryingly, 42% thought that not being able to access training about management and governance could affect their charity's sustainability. Jenny Clark, NCVO's research manager says: "At a time when voluntary sector budgets are being stretched further than ever, these findings reiterate the importance of providing both paid staff and volunteers with opportunities for learning and development, thus ensuring organisations are best able to deliver on their mission and values."
The results also indicated two other growing trends in the sector. Almost two thirds (64%) of respondents said that their charities used e-learning. Coincidentally, many of the charities we work with have also told us anecdotally that they need a blended learning approach to suit the different learning styles of their staff.
Finally, 65% of respondents felt that a minimum number of hours of formal learning and development should be mandatory for charity staff due to the potential impact of charities' work on the vulnerable and wider society. This indicates that professional development is moving up organisational agendas.
As these results show, many charity sector professionals see training as vital. Charities are crying out for greater professional development, despite cuts. Now is the moment to have the conversation about how best to resource that. Jan Burnell agrees: "As management teams take on more responsibility and front-line workers find their workloads increasing all the time, the question is not 'can we afford the training?' but 'given that we've got to make the most of our people - how can we get the best value from our training?'"
Zoe Amar is head of marketing and business development at Lasa. For more information on the report, click here
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