Education

OVERVIEW

There are 208 organisations in the voluntary and community sector which are involved the education and training sector. Total income for 2003/04 is estimated to be £37.29 million.

The education and training sector is characterised by medium to large sized organisations with approximately one quarter having an income of between £100,000 and £500,000 per annum.

There are approximately 888 paid employees working in the education and training sector with a further 1,313 volunteers directly involved on a formal basis (management committees etc).

ROLE

The education and training sector provides a wide range of opportunities for individuals ranging from essential skills learning and adult training to developmental courses for voluntary and community organisations. Organisations in the education and training sector deliver training directly to workplaces and communities and offer an alternative point of entry to learning for individuals. This sector has often been at the forefront of government learning initiatives.

Activities in this sector are often focused on the most marginalised sections of society which are unable to access mainstream educational opportunities. Many of these organisations promote and provide structured learning programmes to improve the employment prospects of young school leavers, unemployed adults and other individuals.

FUNDING

Just over half (51.2%) of all the funding that is accessed by organisations in the education and training sector comes from government. Central government departments are the single largest funder, spending £13.92 million (72.9% of all government funding) in 2003/04. Income gained from service delivery is significant, accounting for 13.8% of all government expenditure in this sector.

The voluntary sector is the next largest contributor to this sector. A total of £8.36 million (78.8%) was accessed by the education and training sector from the voluntary sector in the form of grants and donations. A further £2.25 (21.2%) million was generated by the purchase of goods and services by the voluntary sector from education and training organisations. In total the education and training sector receives 28.4% of its total funding from this source.

Funding from Peace II accounted for 11.3% (£4.19 million) of total funding for this sector. While funding from the public only accounted for 6.3% (£2.35 million) of total income, 80.9% of this was as a result of the public purchasing services.

There is a significant dependence on government funding in this sector. One in five organisations were dependent on government for 75% or more of their total funding, with 13% of organisations relying on the voluntary sector for 75% or more of their funding.

PEOPLE

The education and training sector employs 888 individuals.

The number of part time employees is proportionally lower than the voluntary and community sector overall. Approximately 22% of employees in the education and training sector are part time whereas the figure for the sector overall is 36%.

There are 1313 volunteers involved in the education and training sector.

ORDER

Price: State of the Sector IV costs £10 (plus 85p p&p). To order a copy contact Lynn Anderson 028 9087 7777

COMMENTS

Please give your opinion on this research by using the Have your Say box at the end of this article, or contact:

Gordon McCullough
028 9087 7777