Are you interested in improving your employability through volunteering?

 

This project developed from collaborative research between the University of Glasgow and RCS Haven, who wanted to investigate the benefits of volunteering and to explore some of the problems associated with finding voluntary work. The project involved speaking to both Russian-speakers who had volunteered, as well as staff from charitable organisations and public sector bodies who engage volunteers.

 

The majority of Russian-speakers that were interviewed had found volunteering to be a positive experience, which helped them to improve their language skills, integrate into the community and increase their employability. However, they also discussed some of the problems that they had experienced, which included knowing where to go to volunteer, understanding the relationship between volunteering and paid work, and completing the paperwork associated with volunteering.

 

The volunteer coordinators that were interviewed were very open about what they looked for when recruiting volunteers and what they expected from the volunteers that they engaged with. They also discussed the way in which volunteers could use the skills they acquired through volunteering to apply for paid work, sometimes by applying for an internal vacancy, or by moving to another organisation. Additionally, the coordinators offered lots of practical advice about applying for a volunteering position, and the paperwork required during this process.

 

The seminar presentation will therefore be divided into two main sections. The first will explore the way in which volunteering can improve your employability and will show how voluntary work can equip you with transferable skills, experience and knowledge. The second section of the presentation will engage with the practical aspects of volunteering.  We will discuss the kinds of organisations that you could volunteer for and will demonstrate how online resources can be used to find volunteering work. This section of the presentation will also discuss what employers look for in a volunteer and we will talk about what you should expect at a volunteering interview. Finally, we will discuss the paperwork associated with volunteering, for example references and a clear PVG check.

 

If you have any questions about the presentation, or would like more information about the project, please email [email protected]

 

The presentation will take place on Saturday 17^th November at 1pm at The Adelphi Centre, 12 Commercial Road, Glasgow, G5 0PQ. (Map)