13 March 2008Scottish Higher Education Employability Network Scottish Higher Education Employability Network Meeting Janice Ralston Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations Telephone:

2 13 March 2008 Scottish Higher Education Employability Network What is the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)? SCVO is a membership and representative body working with and for charities and voluntary organisations in Scotland Through our policy, development and communication networks we provide support and services to the sector Our work is structured around five main themes Promoting Equality Developing Active Communities Growing the social economy Highlighting the rural dimension Building sustainability

3 13 March 2008 Scottish Higher Education Employability Network Information about the Third Sector Also known as voluntary sector, charity sector, social economy, not-for-profit sector 45,000 organisations in Scotland Employ around 129,000 people Work with 1.2 million volunteers Annual Income of £3.2 billion Manages over £8.6 billion of assets A diverse sector

4 13 March 2008 Scottish Higher Education Employability Network Employability Activities Employment Initiatives Team Delivers a range of Employment Programmes New Deal Programme Progress to Work Link-Up Moray New Futures Provision includes training and work experience placements within voluntary and private sector; accessing specialist support Relationships developed with Colleges

5 13 March 2008 Scottish Higher Education Employability Network Relationships with Universities Glasgow Caledonian University Certificate in Management for the Voluntary Sector AGCAS – awareness raising event for AGCAS members University Careers Services – presentations at Careers Events Preliminary soundings with Universities – ICT Graduate Placements in the Voluntary Sector

6 13 March 2008 Scottish Higher Education Employability Network Initiatives to Promote Voluntary Sector as a Career Choice Shaping Careers and Leaders Project Involved matching graduates to voluntary organisations to undertake a specific piece of work Good Moves into the Social Economy Online recruitment site:

7 13 March 2008 Scottish Higher Education Employability Network Next Steps …………. Explore with yourselves opportunities for the development of joint areas of activity First Step – Establish a Joint Activity Development Group Remit – identify potential areas of joint activity and present these, within an agreed timescale, for consideration by the SHEEN group