We are committed to providing excellent accredited and non-accredited training designed to support those in the community and voluntary sector. All our training sessions are run by qualified experts who have vast experience in the issues and challenges affecting the sector. Our training is pro-active and incorporates a number of activities to boost learning; ensuring you leave the session feeling that you have a better understanding of the subject matter.
Big Lottery Reaching Communities
“Very relevant information which was clear to understand. How to read questions in grant applications and use them to formulate answers was most useful.”
“Clear, responsive and concrete examples were explored throughout the session. The information surrounding the need for volunteers and strategies was very useful.”
“This session provided a lot of information, guidance, direction and examples. Learning about the importance of steering groups and how to approach questions was very useful.”
Chairing Effective Meetings
“The content and delivery of this session was perfect and the personality and behaviour tests were very useful.”
“The content was to the point and relevant with good speakers and balance. The sections on recognising ‘types’ and giving very practical examples was useful.”
“All was relevant and accessible, held interest and was very informative. Personal qualities as well as discussion of other people’s experiences and the review of setting up meetings was very practical.”
“I came away feeling more confident in attendance as well as the prospect of chairing meetings. I enjoyed learning about the team roles and how it is helpful to ensure all roles are filled.”
Data Protection Challenges for Charities
“Learnt more on how we should collect information on where/what our partners do with the information we give them.”
“This session answered all of my concerns and the information in relation to my sector was very useful.”
“A totally relevant session which was lively informed and provided opportunities for interaction. Information about changes in 2018 and clear examples of data breaches in practice was very useful.”
“Clear and comprehensive and the speakers were able to answer questions with little ambiguity while being friendly and approachable. Clear advice was given on steps to take practically to be more compliant.”
Emergency First Aid at Work Level 2
“Clear, concise, engaging and interactive. Encouragement from the trainer along with participation in practical exercises was very useful. Jamie is an excellent trainer.”
“Very clear, relaxed and good humoured with lots of help and support offered to the group. Helpful information along with past experiences was very useful.”
“The trainer was engaging and kept the training as practical as possible and it provided the information I needed. I now feel confident that I would have a good knowledge of what to do in a situation that would require first aid.”
Health and Safety Level 2
“Many areas of Health and Safety were covered in this session competently. There were plenty of opportunities to ask questions which was informative and helpful.”
“This is a good refresher course and all aspects were useful. The realistic topics that were covered were very helpful.”
The session was interactive and covered at a comfortable pace. Examples of actual Health and Safety related issues were very useful.”
How to Save Crucial Hours in your Day
“Useful techniques, sharing and discussion made the course a comfortable experience. It was a relaxed environment which enabled group discussion. The aspects which were particularly useful were the time management techniques and allowing yourself time to reflect.”
“This session was relevant and useful and the delivery was informative and professional.”
“Good variety of theory, discussion and tasks and it was an excellent reminder of some techniques as well as the learning of new ones.”
Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers
“Emily is a fantastic trainer and explains the information very well. The course was well presented and doing group discussions and getting other ideas was very useful.”
“I learnt a lot and it definitely made me think. The pace of the presentation was fantastic and the variety of approaches helped. Analysing adverts and why people volunteer was useful.”
“The session was clear, covered the outcomes set and was interactive, involved and interesting, easy to follow presentation along with advertising and campaigning information was very useful. Excellent trainer.”
Researching and Prioritising Funders
“The content was excellent, exactly what I expected from the session – thank you. John really knew his stuff, both in the planned training and in answering questions (adding additional information). I have been out of funding/applying for grants for a number of years so this was a brilliant refresher plus updated information on applying for grants/funding helped. This session was very beneficial and I will certainly look at the OCVA website to consider further training.”
“Lots of useful/thought provoking material to consider. Style was relaxed, informal and the facilitator was open to questions and learner context. The search engines and depth of applications and using funders language was very useful. John was very knowledgeable about his subject matter.”
“I got a wealth of information and ideas from this session. Everything was worth listening to and the style of delivery helped. The emphasis on lateral thinking and innovation was very useful.”
Resilience in Changing Times
“I enjoyed the discussion and reflection of this session and gained some useful tools to use. Being encouraged to think about stress events rationally and to analyse the situation was helpful.”
“I learnt new techniques from this session on how to be a better team leader. The useful aspects included were the chimp information and ways of getting more resilient.”
“This is an excellent course with lots of new techniques included on becoming more resilient. The easy style of the course leader made for a relaxed session.”
The High Achieving Board
“I have found the course useful and the discussions that took place were practical and informative. I enjoyed the delivery and found the examples helpful. The information on succession planning and details of useful websites and organisations was particularly helpful.”
“The trainer has an interesting, enthusiastic and lively delivery which made the session enjoyable. I found that the recruiting trustees and team working aspects were most useful.”
“The trainer provided and easy and accessible course. The ideas provided on trustee recruitment, discussion about succession planning and reviewing constitutional aspects was very useful.”
Volunteering and the Law
“The interactive methodology was superbly conducted with varied activities. Volunteer’s rights and expectations along with modifying the language used in agreements was very useful. Many thanks for the care with which you prepared this course.”
“It was useful for me in my role which involves overseeing and managing volunteers. The trainer was really good at interacting with everyone and getting everyone involved in the training. It made me more confident in what I say to the service’s volunteers.”
“The course was well presented, clear on its aims and enjoyable. Very interactive and it made a potentially dry subject good fun. Coverage of volunteer’s rights and our organisational obligations was very useful. This was a very helpful morning – thank you very much.”
