Background to National Training Strategy

This is the first I have heard about it. What is the National Training Strategy for Town and Parish Councils all about?

The National Training Strategy for Parish and Town Councils arose directly from the Rural White Paper ('Our countryside: the future', November 2000). The purpose of the Strategy is to offer training to councils in order for them to make the most of their role and carry out their duties more easily. The strategy has now been in place for several years, which has led to significant movement of the sector. We are currently looking to take the strategy further and expand the work we are involved with.

Who provides training for clerks/councillors?

There are many training providers for our sector and it is the job of the NTS to harness this experience and streamline the training that is being provided. The most prominent players are the County Associations of Local Councils, the Society of Local Council Clerks, Rural Community Councils and the University of Gloucestershire.

What are the benefits of being a trained clerk?

Benefits are being up to date and confident when it comes to advising your council, this will help it realise its potential. Training for clerks is a sound investment: it can help a council to save money by minimising auditing costs, avoiding mistakes and keeping up-to-date, and can help a council to find new sources of funding. Being trained will also help a clerk further their career, adding to their skills base and possibly even allowing them to take on clerking for more than one parish council.

Why should a clerk who has worked for 20 years bother with training?

It doesn't matter how long you have worked as a clerk training is something that all of us need, today learning is seen a lifelong skill which has no barriers. Training helps raise awareness in all areas of the sector, example maybe new pieces of legislation sector, and how these might affect a particular council. Even if a clerk has worked for 20 years, continuous professional development is beneficial both to clerks as individuals and for the councils that they work for.