Supporting Communities offers accredited and non-accredited training to help community groups develop their skills, knowledge and confidence. We can help you identify the training that best suits your group's needs.

Our accredited Community Development courses provide a strong foundation in community development and are accredited by Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCN NI). They offer a progression route to the Community Development degree at Ulster University, with different exit qualifications available along the way.

Our training is available exclusively to Housing Community Network (HCN) member groups through funding provided by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE).

For further information, please contact Karla Turner, Training and Development Lead.

OCN Level 1 Introduction to Community Development

The OCN Level 1 Community Development covers a range of topics to build a strong foundation on which to grow your community development skills. The course includes:

• Committee development to include forming effective teams, planning and conducting meetings, and people skills

• Fundraising to include planning a fundraising project, managing funds, monitoring and evaluation

• Communication to include improving communication skills, dealing with the media, and communicating your message effectively

• Influencing to include how to approach decision-makers, effective lobbying

• Conflict Management to include conflict resolution, dealing with Anti-Social Behaviour, negotiation skills

OCN Level 2 Community Development

(OCN Unit Title: Understanding Community Development)

This course supports learners to develop a community project idea while exploring the importance of effective teamwork, communication, planning and evaluation.

Learners will work together to:

• Understand how effective teams and communication methods support community development projects.

• Develop a community project idea and design a press release.

• Explore why evaluation is important and how different evaluation methods are used in community projects.

OCN Level 3 Community Development

(OCN Unit Title: Community Capacity Building)

The Level 3 course looks at community groups from a more strategic level. Participants who successfully complete this course can progress to an Ulster University degree course if they choose, even if they don’t have any previous qualifications.

This course will enable participants to:

• Understand what is required to maintain and renew an organisation’s volunteer resources

• Understand the process of strategic planning

• Understand what is necessary for a governing body to meet its responsibilities

• Know what is required to maintain and report on key financial documents

• Understand the process of developing beneficiary-led programmes

• Know what is needed to complete an effective funding application

• Understand the importance of impact measurement within the Third Sector

• Understand the purpose and function of a social enterprise