Background and History

CTN was initially formed as part of LB Camden’s Voluntary Sector Unit with support from ESF Objective 3 Priority 4 (capacity building) funding. At its inception, CTN was an unconsituted partnership of 52 organisations that included CENTEC (the Central London Training & Enterprise Council, the predecessor of the London Central Learning & Skills Council) & the London Borough of Camden.

In 2001, CTN became independent of Camden Council by becoming both a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. The organisation is the financial & legal responsibility of its Board of Trustees who are drawn from member organisations.  The organisation employs a Chief Executive to manage the organisation on behalf of the trustees. The current Trustees are:

Nick Roxan (CTN Chair), Highgate Newtown Community Centre

Richard Jackson (CTN Vice Chair), Camden Jobtrain

Winston Castello (CTN Vice Chair), Camden IteC

Jo Barter, Communities Into Employment & Training (CITE)

Joseph Ho, Camden Chinese Community Centre

Emma Aynsley, Creative & Supportive Trust (CAST)

Sam Hopley, Holy Cross Centre Trust

Peter Moore, The City Lit

The Board is supplemented with Observers from LB Camden's Labour Market & Economy and Adult & Community Learning teams and Voluntary Action Camden.

Our shared history with Camden council gives us unparalleled access to regeneration activities across the borough.  In 2009-10 CTN is the only non-statutory organisation listed as a Partner on the borough's LAA action plans addressing worklessness in Camden  

Priority 4 funding established many training networks across London of which few have survived in a climate of decreasing funding for capacity building & support to organisations delivering front line services.  The other notable survivor is one of our key external partners, the Islington Training Network 

Approaching our tenth anniversary, we are proud to remain the strategic second tier  organisation for VCS-led learning & skills in Camden .