14
Student Development Why Volunteer? How volunteering can enhance your employability Vanessa Harris Volunteer Development Manager University of Leicester

How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

 

Citation preview

Page 1: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

Student Development

Why Volunteer? How volunteering can enhance your

employability

Vanessa Harris

Volunteer Development Manager

University of Leicester

Page 2: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

Outcomes for this session

• Discover the benefits of volunteering for both personal development and employability

• Understand the University of Leicester student volunteering programme

• Explore the volunteering opportunities available

• Find out how you can get involved.

Page 3: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

Why volunteer?• Have fun

• Make new friends

• Help others

• Do something you’re passionate about

• Learn and develop new skills

• Gain work experience

• Try out a career

• Improve CV

• Break from studies

• Gain experience & skills to enhance your employability

Page 4: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

How can volunteering make you more employable?

• Employers look for transferable skills such leadership, team working, problem solving, communication & initiative.

• Volunteering provides an arena for developing and evidencing transferable skills for the workplace.

Page 5: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

Don’t just take our word for it…

80% of employers said they value volunteering on a CV when recruiting.

(TimeBank Survey 2009)

Page 6: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

What employers say….

“Volunteering provides graduates with an invaluable set of skills and competencies which cannot be rivalled by other experiences, even in the commercial sector” Rebecca Martin, Co-operative Group

“We’re always on the look out for applicants who can display a range of qualities including leadership skills and initiative. One of the best ways graduates can show these skills is through volunteering “Leigh Lafever-Ayer, Enterprise-rent-a-car

“Volunteering enables individuals to demonstrate their skills in a wider context and gives them greater

worldliness and maturity” Roger Hammett, BBC

Page 7: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

Case Study

Jane volunteers with SCAMP: a Sunday playgroup for children with disabilities. Parents bring their children along each week to take part in games and activities organised by the student volunteers. Jane volunteers regularly for 2 hrs each week and often helps organise the games. She had never worked with children with disabilities before, and sometimes they can be challenging, but she loves it. Jane is studying History and is in her 2nd year.

What skills is Jane developing through her volunteering?

Page 8: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

What skills has Jane gained?

• Teamworking (works in a team with other volunteers)

• Communication (with team members, parents and children)

• Reliability & commitment (turns up every week and on time)

• Leadership (regularly organises games and leads the team)

• Initiative (comes up with ideas for new games and activities)

• Organisational skills (organising games, the club and her own time)

• Time management (juggling her volunteering with other commitments)

• Interpersonal skills (liaising with other volunteers, parents and children with disabilities)

• Problem solving (dealing with challenging behaviour)

Page 9: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

Page 10: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

University Volunteering Team

• Enable students to volunteer in local community

• Work in partnership with Students’ Union

• Liaise with local charities & voluntary groups

• Support student-led projects

• Help students to develop their skills & enhance their employability

Page 11: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

Contact Student Volunteers

• One of the largest Student Associations

• Over 1400 student members

• Student Executive Committee, supported by Volunteering Team

Page 12: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

What could you offer?

• Time

• Enthusiasm

• Specialist skills - e.g. languages, IT, music

• No experience needed!

• All necessary training & support provided.

Page 13: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

Types of projects you could get involved in…

• Teaching/Education

• Mentoring/Befriending

• Welfare/Health

• People with Disabilities

• Elderly people

• Criminal Justice

• Environmental

See handbook and website for more details.

Page 14: How volunteering can enhance your employabilit

www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment

What next…

• Join Contact Student Volunteers - register online

• www.le.ac.uk/volunteering

• Browse opportunities & events

• Questions? Email: [email protected]

• Confused? Make an appointment with a member of the team at the SDZ helpdesk.