about us
PrimeTimers had led the development of the idea of a Civil Society University since 2005. It has invested time, energy and financial resource in nurturing the project in the knowledge that once established, the CSU will be an independent entity. www.primetimers.org.uk
Since its formation in 2002 PrimeTimers has found successful business solutions for more than 500 not for profit organisations, by working with people from all sectors who want to make a difference.
Our role is to pre-select people, carefully team them up with the right opportunities and then offer a choice to the client organisation. This is not philanthropy but a match of skills between equal partners - our individual members and organisations from the third sector. Selection and quality control are key to our activities.
Thought leadership is also an essential PrimeTimers component. It enables us to share our knowledge and influence opinion and policy. We believe that there is a hidden pool of highly talented and experienced people whose private sector skills can and should be put to dynamic and effective use by the not for profit sector. The civil society university is a new and exciting idea that should be of enormous benefit to third sector organisations and therefore has received our wholehearted support.
The
history of PrimeTimers involvement in the idea of a Civil Society
University so far:
- The idea
first came to light in a debate at a PrimeTimers Conference in
2005 on Leveraging Business Skills in the Third Sector.
- PrimeTimers
articulated the idea in Agenda for Change in the Third Sector,
the record of the discussions at the conference.
- Structured
interviews were held in 2006 with a selection of 15 prominent
leaders in the third sector to test out their reaction to the
idea. Their anonymous responses were compiled into a short document
The Case for a Civil Society University - a PrimeTimers Inquiry.
- Meetings
were held with Government officials in 2006 and it was brought
to the attention of Ed Milliband, Minister for the Third Sector
who encouraged a further meeting with his officials in 2007.
- Barclays
and CfAppointments agree to sponsor a series of five debates starting
in December 2007 on Lifelong Learning and the Third Sector
which culminated in a debate at the London School of Economics
on 14th April 2008 on The Case for a Civil Society University.
- An embryonic Faculty of the Civil Society University was formed in May 2008. .
- The Civil
Society University website went live in August 2008.
Meet the CSU team....more
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