Introduction and background to SPAT-C

•  Sheffield Positive Action Training Consortium (SPAT-C) is a pioneering voluntary sector organisation. The main motivation behind SPAT-C's creation has been a desire to combat the social exclusion of Sheffield 's Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities.

•  Its remit has now expanded to include the local white community, those of mixed heritage, as well as refugees, who are experiencing labour market exclusion and other forms of disadvantage.

SPAT-C's Mission, Values, Aims & Objectives

•  The Agency's mission is to combat social, economic and cultural disadvantage through the provision of high value vocational training and to influence positive change within employment practice, mainstream service delivery and the wider policy making field.

•  A key policy objective is to design and deliver a range of accredited and non-accredited learning programmes so that beneficiaries can build their vocational skills at the same time as enhancing their confidence and self-esteem

SPAT-C's broad priorities in terms of business strategy are:

•  Diversify the curriculum offer in order to widen choice and enlarge the range of benefits to learners

•  Expand into new markets, developing new client bases within, for example, the corporate and third sectors

•  Diversify our funding and income generation in a concerted way so as to create financial sustainability (for instance, through contracting opportunities and consultancy work)

•  Continue to improve our quality assurance, Continuous Professional Development systems, in line with the Common Inspection Framework (CIF)

•  We are committed to ensuring total and unconditional accountability through improved Management Information Systems.

•  We will develop stronger and more effective ways of identifying and judging the organisation's wider socio-economic impact