“Equality of opportunity is very good…”
CSV Inspection Report, ALI, December 2002

CSV was founded in 1962 by Dr Alec Dickson to provide opportunities for young people to give voluntary service to those worse off than themselves.

CSV has grown from those small beginnings into the leading UK volunteer agency providing support and guidance to thousands of people each year across a range of programmes.

Our skilled and experienced staff have a strong track record for the successful delivery of innovative and excellent training projects for:

• People with disabilities
• Homeless people
• People for whom English is a second language
• People with mental health difficulties
• People with learning disabilities
• People whom other training providers have rejected
• Young people ‘at risk’
• Vulnerable young people and adults

A devolved structure enables the local centres to be sensitive to the needs of local communities in offering a rich variety of training and educational programmes.

Funders

Our work is funded through The Learning and Skills Councils, ELWA and Scottish funding bodies, DfES, Jobcentre Plus, European Social Fund, local authorities, the NHS, private and charitable trusts and employers.

We have a strong commitment to equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion and are dedicated to training people who are most disadvantaged when seeking education, training or employment.

The Training and Enterprise Division was established in 1975 to bring the founding principles of CSV into the world of work based learning. Since then Training and Enterprise has grown and diversified and now runs 10 training operations from 46 sites across the country in London, the south west, the north east and the midlands and also in Scotland and Wales.