Foundation Degree in MVCO

University of Leicester has been running the Foundation Degree in Managing Voluntary and Community Organisations for a few years now. The Foundation Degree is a relatively new Higher Education qualification specifically designed for those who wish to develop their skills to further their career whilst still at work.

Voluntary and community organisations in the UK are experiencing unparalleled changes as transitions in national and local government have drawn them into the mainstream policy agenda. With Government agencies relinquishing their traditional roles as providers of services, VCS agencies are taking a growing share of public service delivery and are contributing their expertise to social inclusion and community cohesion initiatives in work with diverse groups.

However, the changing emphasis and commissioning culture, combined with the drive to professionalise the sector to meet external managerial demands and regulatory frameworks, have affected the sector’s autonomy and flexibility and its relationships with local community stakeholders and service users. The Foundation Degree in Managing Voluntary and Community Organisations therefore focuses on key debates about the changing roles and contexts of third sector organisations, adopting a critical and interdisciplinary approach.

The course aims to offer students knowledge of the changing social, political and demographic contexts in which voluntary and community groups operate. It explores issues surrounding the setting up and effective management of voluntary and community organisations and provides the skills and information needed to negotiate with official agencies and funders.

Please note that funding is available through Local Education Authorities (means tested) and Train to Gain.

To present, a number of UK national voluntary organisations have agreed to disseminate information about the MVCO course to their network contacts and/or newsletters recognising that the University can play a critical role in preparing people to enter this field, or in providing midcareer education for employees on the front lines as community organizers, social change activists, or leaders in the process of community change.

For more information contact:

Kate Pavlidou
Programmes Coordinator

University of Leicester
Institute of Lifelong Learning
128 Regent Road
Leicester LE1 7PA · UK
Tel: +44 (0)116 252 5915
Fax: +44 (0)116 252 5909
Email: [email protected]