The Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development Learning (ESB) was set up in 1997 and aims to provide a robust system of endorsement of quality for all types of training and learning in Community Development.

Our role is to ensure quality standards in training and learning for community development practitioners. ESB contributes to a proficient community development workforce accessing high quality learning through the endorsement of different learning opportunities. 

ESB is an independent company ltd by guarantee and has chosen not to seek public funding; it generates income through its endorsement processes and its paid for consultancies with universities and other organisations who wish to develop new community development programmes.

ESB has engaged with the wider field of community development learning through its involvement in:

• The development and updating of the existing Community Development National Occupation Standards
• The creation of CD qualifications  and short taster/ bite sized  sessions
• Contributing to the QAA benchmarks for Youth and Community Work and engaging in consultations
• Establishing the criteria for endorsemnt of taught and Recognition programmes
• The ETS committee of NYA. ESB is recognised by NYA as an equal endorsement/ validation partner; ESB has a seat on the ETS and together ESB and the ETS undertake joint validations of youth and community programmes
• Having a seat on the PALYCW strategic development group and is involved with PALYCW projects
• Working in partnership with other bodies, sometimes running workshops at their conferences for example
• International work
• Commissioning research into relevant aspects of community development practice and learning

The first Community Work skills manual was published in 1979 as a way for community workers to share their work and ideas with other community workers; since then there have been another 3 community work skills manuals produced, each one bigger than the last as people were very willing to share their practice and learning and so assist with the development of the skills and knowledge of community work. The last two skills manuals can be found here on skillsmanual.org

ESB recognises the phenomenal amount of energy and work that has been undertaken at grass roots / community level during the Covid-19 crisis and before it all gets lost we would like to create a new version of the Skills Manual of many of the ideas and actions that sprung up and to learn from the many different initiatives that were set up. It would give us an opportunity to celebrate all the usually invisible activities that happen at grass roots that are rarely recognised or acknowledged.

If you are or were involved in any community initiative(s) during the past few months and would be willing to share what happened and what was learned we would love to hear your stories. It seems unlikely that this will be the last pandemic or substantial crisis that affects all communities and hearing about what ideas were tried this time can help us prepare for the next crisis.

The manual will be published on line and will grow as more examples are contributed. Please get involved and share your practice with us! Visit the Skills Manual website to find out more or contact us here at ESB.