Organisations within the Third Sector are being given a unique opportunity to get their voices heard about their current and future skills needs across south west Wales – including Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

A survey in the form of a questionnaire has been jointly developed by the Llanelli-based Regional Learning Partnership (RLP) and partners within Carmarthenshire’s five voluntary councils (CVCs) as part of a wider profiling exercise, funded by the European Social Fund through the RLP, which seeks to define the regional picture of the third sector and demonstrate its contribution to education, skills and regeneration.
The CVCs include Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services, Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services, Swansea Council for Voluntary Service, Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service and Ceredigion Association of Voluntary Organisations.

Looking at key themes, including the role of each organisation within the community, the questionnaire also addresses the current impact of the various organisations, staff recruitment, volunteer and trustee numbers and how each organisation is being recognised.

Speaking about the importance of undertaking this survey, Executive Director of Carmarthenshire’s Association of Voluntary Services (CAVS), Mandy Jones, said: “This questionnaire provides a real opportunity for the role of the voluntary sector across south west Wales to be recognised. It’s an important piece of work and the support and input of organisations working within this sector is vital as the information gained through this exercise will help determine how services are delivered, if and how staff and volunteers access training and develop opportunities and help reinforce the impact of the sector to strategic decision makers and others.”

Once all the questionnaires have been collated, the valuable information contained within each will help form the basis of a final report which aims to influence future funding and policy around the third sector. This report will be available in late spring/early summer 2012 and will be launched at an event to an audience of policy makers.

To access the questionnaire, which should take no longer than a few minutes to complete, log onto the RLP website at www.rlpsww.org.uk. Follow the link to the ‘Third Sector Questionnaire’ and once completed, click submit. Alternatively, for a postal copy or further details, call the RLP Team on 01554 742430. The deadline for submission is February 20th 2012.

A brief guide about the RLPSWW:

• The aim of the Regional Learning Partnership is bringing education and regeneration partners together to help provide a better future for learners across the south west Wales region.
• The RLPSWW team, based at Llanelli’s Parc-y-Scarlets, continues to engage with key regeneration and education organisations across the five counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Neath Port/Talbot and Swansea.
• Since forming in 2007, the RLPSWW, which is funded by the European Social Fund and match funding from its various partners, has been recognised by the Welsh Government as a “transformational partnership.”
• Its main over-riding aim is to ensure publicly-funded learning providers and associated organisations work collaboratively, effectively and efficiently to meet the needs of learners and the regional economy in south west Wales.
• The RLPSWW works in partnership with local authorities (education and regeneration), higher education and further education institutions, the third sector, work-based learning providers, with private sector representation through the South Wales Chamber of Commerce as well as Careers Wales West and JobCentre Plus. 
• The partnership’s work is based around three Key Pillars which are Partnership Brokerage and Development, the Regional Learning Skills Observatory (RLSO) and an E-Portal.