VONNE

The North East VCS Economic Regeneration Forum is an advisory and reference group which meets on an ad hoc basis around matters of interest to the voluntary and community sector in the North East.  Its members are drawn from across the North East's VCS and it has been supported by One North East with a view to developing a sector voice around Economic Regeneration issues.

Next meeting

To be announced.

Previous meetings

Details of previous meetings are given below:

Skills, Employability and Europe.

On the 15th April 2010, the Economic Regeneration Forum and the VCS Employability Reference Group hosted a joint meeting focusing on Skills, Employability and Europe.

Kim Smouter (EU Skills and Employability Policy Specialist Advisor) join us from One North East's Brussels office, to talk about some of the current EU policy and related opportunities including funding available around the skills and employability agenda.  A full report of the meeting will appear here soon.

The Future of Learning & Skills in the North East

On Thursday 28th January 2010 the Economic Regeneration Forum met to discuss the Future of learning and skills in the North East.  Nick James, Skills Development Director at the North East LSC spoke to the group about the latest developments in the transition from the LSC to the new bodies that will have responsibility for delivering the Learning and Skills agenda in the region, namely the Young People's Learning Agency, the Skills Funding Agency and the National Apprenticeship.

The presentation slides given by Nick at the meeting and associated papers can be found on the right of this page.  The report of the meeting will be placed on these pages within the next few days.

The VCS and the Northern Way

The Northern Way was launched in 2004 as a response to a challenge set out by John Prescott and Gordon Brown to close the prosperity gap between the Northern region and the UK average.  The Northern Way brings together the northern regions of the North West, Yorkshire and Humberside and the North East to promote and develop pan-regional working which helps improve the prosperity of the North of England.

In November 2009 the Forum invited Richard Baker, Policy and Research Manager at the Northern Way, to give an update on the work of the Northern Way and discuss areas of mutual benefit.

Full details of the meeting can be found on the right of this page.  Further information on the Northern Way can be found on their website which can be accessed below:

Visit The Northern Way website

Third Sector Trends Study - October 2009

In October 2009, the Forum met to discuss the published and emerging findings from the Northern Rock Foundation's Third Sector Trends Study. Tony Chapman, Director of the Social Futures Institute at Teesside University, presented some of the findings from the study and introduced findings from a study undertaken in North Yorkshire to explore some of the strategic dilemmas faced by leaders of third sector organisations in commissioning and procurement.

Full details of the meetings can be found on the right of this page.  Further information on the Northern Rock Foundation's Third Sector Trends Study can be found on their website which can be accessed below.

Visit the Third Sector Trends Study website

Impact of the recession - November 2008

In November 2008 the Forum met to look at the potential opportunities and threats that are arising as a result of the current economic climate. As such the Forum met on 26th November to discuss the resulting emerging issues for the voluntary and community sector in the North East.  Details from that meeting together with a presentation from Jonathan Blackie (Regional Director at Government Office for the North East) on current Government Policy and the North East Economy can be found on the side of this page.

We have also received a copy of NAVCA's (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) response to the current econmicclimate, which can also be found on the side of this page.

If you would like further information about the Forum or if you have any comments or views you would like to make on the impact of the current economic downturn then please email John Main.