One of the main priorities of the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS) is to encourage Voluntary Organisations to invest in training and capacity building, of their members, volunteers and administrators focusing on strengthening the capability of Voluntary Organisations as part of the process of building the potential of voluntary organisations to respond to the needs of the community they serve. Through this approach organisational development aims to: (1) commit and improve management and technical skills through training (increasing knowledge), (2) change of operating procedures and/or restructuring within an organisation; (3) make the organisation effective and sustainable. Voluntary Organisations tend to be very adaptable to the societal trends leading to quick organisational growth and change. It is therefore important to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to implement changes within the organisation. This priority is aligned to the mission statement of MCVS stating:
“to support the development of a more effective and efficient voluntary and community sector in Malta and Gozo through the delivery of a range of support and capacity building services including information, advice and training.”
This can mainly be supported by providing Voluntary Organisations and volunteers with the resources and information they need, not only to do their specific volunteer position but also to be a bona fide member of the organization’s team, by setting aside time for training.
Many volunteers are charged with tasks that take a lot of understanding and knowledge to do properly.
Many times, well-meaning people will offer to help the organisation, but are lacking many of the skills the organisation needs most. In situations like these, when the organization needs many people with the same skills, the group might want to have some sort of formal training programme. While enthusiasm for the cause is fantastic, this enthusiasm needs to be gathered and focused to truly meet the organization’s objectives.
There is a lot of good work that can be done with minimal or no training. But the organisation that wants to grow and move forward doesn’t really have a choice; volunteer training is an absolute necessity and a necessary building block in organisational development.
The main objectives of the Training Initiatives Scheme (TIS) shall be to:
- Help volunteers improve their skills to undertake the voluntary work skillfully, ethically and efficiently establishing a minimum competency that all volunteers are expected to obtain.
- Provide volunteers with adequate skills that may be helpful on a personal level and contribute to their personal growth, lifelong learning and enhance their Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- Raise the level of professionalism in the services and initiatives implemented by Voluntary Organisations within the community.
- Promote active citizenship by fostering social inclusion and the active participation people from all walks of society.
- Promoting social inclusion and well-being, mainly through the empowerment and up-skilling of individuals.
- Raise awareness about Voluntary Organisations, their voluntary work and the Voluntary Sector in general.
The TIS shall have two main priorities which shall focus on:
Priority 1 – Individual Volunteers Training Programmes
Support for individual volunteers who form part of a Voluntary Organisation in one’s training which will be beneficial both to oneself, one’s Voluntary Organisation, to other Voluntary Organisations and to the community at large.
Priority 2 – Voluntary Organisations Training Programmes
Support for Voluntary Organisations in the organisation of training initiatives which are beneficial both to the same organisation, to other Voluntary Organisations and to the community at large.
Full Guidelines, including Sample of Applications and Eligibility/Marking Criteria in the Annexes attached can be found in the folloing link:
TRAINING INITIATIVES SCHEME 2016 (F)v2
The CALL FOR APPLICATION for both Priority 1 and Priority 2 shall OPEN on the 27th June 2016 and CLOSE on the 27th JULY 2016 at NOON.
For more information contact Mr. Kevin Cassar on 22481115 or email kevin.a.cassar@gov.mt
