About the TSNLA...

The Third Sector National Learning Alliance (TSNLA) is a growing, national alliance of voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises involved in learning and skills. It aims to provide a coherent national ‘voice’ from and for Third Sector providers across government departments and other important bodies, and a forum for developing Third Sector ideas and proposals.

Our vision

The TSNLA will be…

• a powerful national advocate for Third Sector providers of learning and skills, able to listen to their views and influence thinking across government
• inclusive, equitable and diverse in the way it works, and take action to involve all Third Sector providers, including more isolated and under-represented organisations
• credible and authoritative so that Third Sector providers, relevant government departments and agencies, and other key stakeholders can trust its ideas, evidence and proposals
• membership-led, accessible and transparent, so that its processes are as simple, open and stable as possible, with regular, interactive communication
• well connected through a national communication network and collaboration with other national, regional and local networks and organisations with shared interests
• sustainable through efficient processes, minimal bureaucracy, strong financial planning and quick responses to the changing environment

Our task

The TSNLA will:

• stimulate, inform and listen to the views of Third Sector learning and skills providers;
• work constructively across government and with all key stakeholders to influence policy and other developments affecting Third Sector providers
• undertake or commission research for and about Third Sector learning and skills providers to inform national debates and developments
• gather, analyse and circulate information relevant to learning and skills in the Third Sector
• enable Third Sector learning and skills providers to communicate well with each other, with policy makers and funders, and with the wider learning and skills sector to make timely, informed and effective interventions

Background

Work on the TSNLA began in 2006 through a partnership between the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and the UK Workforce Hub. They were soon joined by a group of voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations acting as an informal Steering Group. The members are: National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA), UK Workforce Hub, Foyer Federation, Learning Curve, Federation of Community Development Learning (FCDL), Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Forum, NIACE, and Lancashire Learning Consortium.

A national consultation exercise conducted by NIACE on behalf of the Steering Group overwhelmingly endorsed the idea of a strong, national ‘voice’ for Third Sector providers. Click here to view the report in our resources section. 

The details were developed further through two round table events involving other Third Sector bodies and some external stakeholders in February 2007 and February 2008. Click here to view the papers for these meetings. After the initial Hub funding ended, work moved forward through voluntary effort until funding by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) enabled progress to really accelerate.

Funding

Set up funding for 2006-07 was provided by the UK Workforce Hub. The LSC later agreed to invest £238,600 over three years (2007 – 2010) to support work on the TSNLA’s national communication strategy (including this website) and membership base, and its capacity to make informed and influential interventions across government. The Steering Group asked NIACE to host and manage the TSNLA’s development until its launch as an independent organisation early in 2009. LSC funding also helped the TSNLA/NIACE to employ a project manager from October 2008 until March 2009 to oversee the transition to independence. Additional funding has been (and will continue to be) actively sought from other sources. This will eventually include membership subscriptions.