2 Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
The Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) was established as an NCVO project with two staff in 1991 (BTEG's definition of black includes African, Caribbean, South Asian and South East Asian). It acts as a national body for the black voluntary sector (BVS). It is an umbrella organisation with around 200 representatives of black organisations working in the field of training, enterprise and regeneration.
A) ORGANISATION AND PHILOSOPHY
In 1996 BTEG became an independent organisation and is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. It is supported by the NCVO, the National Lotteries Board, London Borough Grants, and a number of charitable Trusts. It is based in Islington with 5 fulltime and annual income of 230,000 in 1996/97.
BTEG's philosophy is to ensure fair access and outcomes for black communities in employment, training and enterprise initiatives and to act as a catalyst for enabling black organisations to play an active role in economic regeneration through active partnership with mainstream agencies.
B) ACTIVITIES
1 Business Planning & Development Training
BTEG has established a London Network to undertake business planning and project development training with 40 black training organisations/projects per year. Other projects include originating and producing a Business Planning Workbook for the BVS.
2 Black Youth Collaboration
In consultation with local agencies it has developed a Black Youth Centre "New Start Youth Business Centre" as a purpose build centre for those black youth who are excluded from conventional training and education routes. The centre provides training, personal development, entrepreneurial skills, and support from black business mentors for black youth.
3 Bidding Resource
An important strand of its work is to act as a bidding resource for black voluntary sector agencies seeking SRB funding. In 1996/7 for example, BTEG assisted the black voluntary sector in the West Midlands to get and use SRB funds to set up a BVS Regional Regeneration Network. This network provides capacity building training, and research and policy work to develop its advocacy role.
4 Influence/Capacity Building
BTEG provides a strong clear voice for the BVS to develop their capacities - both individually and collectively - to influence local TECs and other mainstream partners to improve job outcomes for unemployed blacks and black trainees (black unemployment is twice that of white unemployment and is extremely high in parts of Islington and Hackney). It organises conferences, regional seminars, and serves on a number of national advisory fora to exercise this crucial advocacy and advisory role.
5 Advocacy
Its advocacy role is forwarded through originating and publishing pamphlets targeting unemployed black youth and black trainees to empower them to successfully negotiate getting onto quality training and job opportunities from training providers and companies providing training. 20,000 copies of its pamphlet "If You're Young and Black Ask the Right Questions About Your Future" have been distributed.
6 Good Practice Publishing and Dissemination
BTEG is the leading agency in providing examples of good practice for involving black communities in social and economic regeneration, and in influencing key partnership players to change practices that exclude, limit or disempower black community involvement in training, employment and regeneration initiatives. Its conferences and regional seminars where black training providers, black community organisations exchange views, perspectives and examples of good/bad practice with key mainstream agencies, lead to strategy and good practice guidance reports which are disseminated widely. Such reports include "Growth for All:TECs and Black People" (1994); "Invisible Partners : the Impact of SRB on Black Communities" (1995); Regenerating Black Communities through Networking" (1996) and "New Deal : Ensuring Black Communities Benefit" (1998) and give a flavour of the issues BTEG seek to address.
C) SUMMARY
BTEG has a unique role as black national agency in the field of education, training, employment and regeneration.It provides support for local BVS and representing black communities through advocacy, lobbying, campaigning, advising and researching in order to give shape to a strong, coherent vision for proactive black involvement in regeneration. It success in achieving this is especially remarkable given its shoestring budget.