The voluntary sector operates mainly in areas of social care, housing, health care and education. Employment in the sector has grown since the beginning of the 1990 and further growth is expected. Sector information

About a third of all charities are based in London and the South East. Regional dimension

Occupational roles in the sector include advice and community worker, information officer and personnel officer. Occupations

Employment in the sector is predominantly female. The voluntary sector has a large proportion of disabled workers. Equal opportunity issues

There is no established career path for getting into the voluntary sector. About a third of paid workers are educated to degree level. Education and training

Sector information

This contains an overview of the sector as a whole, details future trends in employment together with skill gaps and workforce development issues.

Data and charts

Links to the charts contained within this sector are listed together with links to data and charts from Skills in England (2003) and Working Futures (2004).

Regional / national dimension

Information on regional trends and differences.

Occupations

Information and trends on sectoral occupations.

Equal opportunities

Key information on equal opportunity issues specific to the sector.

Education and training

Education and training information and issues including work-based learning, apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, and further and higher education courses.

Research

A list of recent research publications which is intended to be a starting for those wishing for more detail on the sector.

Discussion points

Thought-provoking and challenging questions to start discussions.

Sector summary: voluntary

This summary gives a brief overview of the key trends in the sector.

Links and sources

This contains direct links to all the materials used to compile this sector. More in-depth and detailed information can be found in the source materials as only key points have been extracted. In addition, websites and further sources which may be of interest have been included.