Having been in the sector for over 25 years, one thing I’ve learned is that there is not often a budget for training. However, that has never stopped me from going on training. Over the years, I’ve become quite an expert in sourcing low-cost or no-cost training to help with my professional development. Here are some ways you can access free training.
At Salford CVS, we understand the funding constraints the VCSE sector operates under and that is why the majority of our training is free. If we do have to charge for training, we try to keep the costs as low as we can. To find out what we are currently offering, please go to our website - Salford CVS Events & Training | Salford CVS
We are very fortunate in Salford to have the Salford Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, which organises a wide range of safeguarding-related training for free, which VCSEs based or operating in Salford can attend. I encourage you to check out their range of training here as there may be something you didn’t know was available. SSCP Training Programme | Salford Safeguarding Children Partnership
Over the years I’ve developed a list of useful go-to-list of organisations that provide free online webinars. Here are some that you might find helpful:
- The Cranfield Trust provides pro-bono support and free resources to charities. Not only can you sign up for free webinars on a wide range of subjects Free charity training webinars | Cranfield Trust, including AI, leadership and fundraising, but you can also get access to their webinar library Cranfield Trust Training | GoToStage.com.
- Charity Excellence Framework offers free weekly webinars on a variety of subjects, and details can be found here. Free UK Charity Webinars (charityexcellence.co.uk)
- The Open University has a free online hub that offers e-learning, and details can be found here Free short courses from the Open University | OpenLearn - Open University
Sometimes, I’ve been known to check out Eventbrite, where you can search for free courses. These searches can throw up some interesting subjects. The only word of warning is to double-check the credentials of the organisers, as sometimes these sessions are to upsell a paid course or product.
If you want to learn more about technical skills, for example, how to use Excel or do some IT wizardry, my go-to has been searching YouTube for instructional videos. Although some of my younger colleagues do recommend this thing called TikTok!
New courses are always being released, and signing up for our weekly e-bulletin is a really good way to keep up with what training is happening in Salford. Also, if you want to promote your own training, please get in touch with our Comms Team. Mailing List Subscription | Salford CVS
Unfortunately, not all training courses are provided for free. The one we get asked about most frequently is First Aid Training, and we are not aware of any free courses. However, there are several training providers providing paid training, including St John’s Ambulance, the British Red Cross, and Salford Community Leisure. To access money to pay for these courses, we recommend that you include a budget for training in funding bids to cover these costs.
Accessing training can save you time, money, and resources in the long term. You might think, “But I’m too busy to attend training.” However, please remember that improving your skills and knowledge will not only help you do your work more effectively but also help the people you support by providing a better service.
If you need further support with training, please contact me at Annemarie.marshall@salfordcvs.co.uk