Cardiff Third Sector Learning and Enterprise Network was launched in October 2011. It offers free membership to third sector organisations that work in the learning and social enterprise field in Cardiff.
As a member of the Network you will:
- Be connected to other third sector organisations, to liaise and share thinking, learning and good practice;
- Gain knowledge of the sector’s contribution by mapping existing activities, analysing needs and highlighting gaps in existing services;
- Have the opportunity to contribute to strategic knowledge and direction in the field;
- Be able to feed into, and influence, other regional and national networks.
Here are the priorities of the network:
- Improving online resources and linking between Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC) and the wider learning sector;
- Bringing out learner- and provider-led information, giving attention to the complexity of the information and in a user-friendly format;
- Promoting and managing the flow of information and keeping it up to date;
- Raising awareness of network organisations and what they can offer, so that appropriate signposting and referrals can take place;
Third Sector Organisations’ Intelligence Data:
This is a living document and details for your organisation can be added by sending them to thoria.m@C3sc.org.uk
The information shared with the sector will be: what you do, your funder, number of learners per month, and the gaps and challenges you’re facing. Your information will be promoted and made accessible through this web page.
Next Network event:
To be confirmed
You can find more information about a previous meeting here.
Training and events
- Superfast Business Wales is running fully-funded, specialised masterclasses and workshops to help your business exploit easy-to-adopt digital technologies and online tools in order to reach new customers, increase profits and boost business growth. Delivered locally across Wales, the free digital technology events have been designed specifically for micro, small and medium sized businesses to access important, practical business advice. There’s lots of other useful advice on the website. Find out more at https://businesswales.gov.wales/superfastbusinesswales/
- Free courses from Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning’s Widening Access Team.
Funding opportunities
- Care and Wellbeing Fund: The £12 million investment fund focuses on community-based provision, integrated health and social care services, and prevention and wellbeing approaches. It is looking to invest in ventures that are structured as social enterprises – either as CICs or limited companies – and that tackle the challenges faced by those with long-term health conditions. There is no formal application process or set funding rounds.
More funding opportunities…
Consultations
News and other info
- Loans are available through the Start Up Loans Company for entrepreneurs looking to start or grow a business in Wales. If you know of an individual or a business who would benefit from a Start Up Loan with a low interest rate then please contact Business in Focus. Read more
- Click, Connect and Learn with WCVA. Take a look at WCVA’s Learning Zone at www.learningzone.wales/ – an online learning website offering a range of courses and resources specifically tailored for the third sector in Wales.
- Wales Co-operative Centre’s Care to Co-operate is a service that can assist you to share your skills, knowledge and ideas to directly improve how services are designed and delivered – and this is done by working co-operatively. Want to know about Care to Co-operate? Visit http://wales.coop/care/
- The Welsh Government’s Local Energy Service provides financial and technical support to help social enterprises and SMEs across Wales to develop their own renewable energy schemes. Find out more at http://localenergy.gov.wales/en/
- Download the newsletter for Cardiff & Vale Community Learning Partnership Learners.
- Read Cardiff Youth Service’s Education and Training Newsletter. The newsletter is released by Cardiff Council in partnership with Careers Wales as Careers Wales has the database system to allow for multiple distributions. It is designed to give particularly practitioners working with young people in our city the opportunity to see what is available for them to access and where, to support with their continued pathway to employment. For those organisations who receive the newsletter and feel they would wish to advertise/contribute towards it, please get in touch with David Holtam at DavidJHoltam@cardiff.gov.uk. The newsletter will begin to highlight success stories moving forward to show the continued good work of organisations within our city.
- Have you seen everyonesbusiness.coop – the blog site for the co-operative and social enterprise sector in Wales, brought to you by Wales Co-operative Centre?
- Read the May 2014 edition of the ‘DfES footprint for ESF delivery 2014 – 2020’.
- Pathways to a degree at Cardiff University – find out more.
- Connecting Learners: Best Practice Guides – Connecting Learners Project has developed a series of Best Practice Guides aimed at employer partners, learners and Union Learning Reps. Here are the titles of the guides: ‘Encouraging Reading’, ‘Find Out and Fund It’, ‘Employability Skills’ and ‘Learning Pathway into Social Care’. You can access the guides here.
- On the Welsh Government’s Business Wales website, you can access Finance, Funding and Support, which links to the UK-wide Business Support and Finance Finder. This tool helps businesses find out about the public sector support schemes available to them.
- New fund to invest in social enterprise.
To find out more:
Please contact Thoria Mohamed if you’d like to find out more about becoming a member of Cardiff Third Sector Learning & Enterprise Network. Email Thoria at thoria.m@c3sc.org.uk or call her on (029) 2048 5722.