Learning Needs Analysis for Funding Advisors

Learning Needs Analysis for Funding Advice

Jonny GutteridgeFunding Advice Network Manager Regeneration East Midlands25 January 2010

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Learning Needs Analysis for Funding Advice

In November 2009 Regeneration East Midlands conducted a survey of the learning needs of funding advice workers in the region. 111 people responded to the survey, giving us a rich andvaluable source of information about who funding advisors are and what their needs are in terms of knowledge, information, skills, and training provision. This document summarises our findings.Thank you to all those who responded to the survey and who forwarded the survey to colleagues.If you would like to make further comments on what the learning needs are around funding advice,or to suggest appropriate learning activities please contact the Funding Advice Network Manager.

Contents

Summary.............................................................................................................................3

Section 1:

Skills and training...........................................................................................4

Section 2:

Knowledge and Information...........................................................................7

Section 3:

The changing funding advice environment....................................................8

Section 4:

Delivery of training.......................................................................................11

Section 5:

Meeting needs across sectors and roles.....................................................13

Section 6:

Next steps....................................................................................................14

Section 7:

Additional information..................................................................................14

Section 8:

Contact details.............................................................................................14

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Summary

Aims of the report

With this report we aim to support the personal development of paid workers and volunteers whoprovide funding advice services for voluntary and community groups. By identifying key skills andknowledge and trends in the sector we hope to help individuals and their managers to makechoices about training and other learning activities.Secondly the report’s analysis will guide the development of a programme of learning activitiesdelivered or promoted through East Midlands Funding Advice Network. We have identified coresubjects for EMFAN’s own funding advice training as well as additional learning needs that wehope to meet through events and discussions and through promoting training from other providers.

Key learning

There is a reasonable level of training in key funding advice subjects for a good proportion of respondents but still a significant level of need: nearly half of funding advisors appear to beworking with only quite limited training.

See pages 4 and 5.

Client groups for funding advice training include those new to funding advice, general developmentworkers who give funding advice, and those seeking accredited training to support their continuousprofessional development.

See page 6.

We identified support for the current OCN level 3 accreditation for training but a significantproportion of advisors do not see it as valuable for them. No clear alternative has emerged yet.

See page 6.

Business advice and the use of web sites and email bulletins are important new areas of skill andknowledge for funding advice workers.

See page 6.

EMFAN has support from the Big Lottery Fund to help provide funding advice training but we needto help advisors identify alternative sources of learning to address areas not covered by thatsupport, particularly web skills, business advice, project management and marketing.

See page 6.

Even advisors who have participated in a lot of training still need the latest information aboutfunding and fundraising trends, so we need to supplement training by ensuring that advisors haveaccess to information services.

See page 7.

Training is being delivered in a difficult environment, with advisors reporting change that is havinga negative impact in terms of funders’ expectations, the type of income available from funders, thechanging local economy and most of all the amount of income available from funders. Someadvisors are facing uncertainty about their own future and concerned about their own continuingprofessional development.

See page 9.

Next steps

The EMFAN project will develop a training programme for 2010/11 in line with therecommendations in this report and work with other infrastructure projects to identify a range of alternative training opportunities for funding advice workers.The detailed recommendations of this report will be integrated with EMFAN’s project plans.The project will also share this analysis with the Network membership, with stakeholders includingEast Midlands Funding Forum and with training providers with an interest in funding advice trainingand related areas.The EMFAN project will continue to research and respond to the learning needs of funding adviceworkers over the course of the project (until 2013).