Press release: FE sector urged to give evidence of volunteer impact

4 October 2007
For immediate release

Volunteering England, in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), is calling on the Further Education (FE) sector to contribute to a groundbreaking research project which will assess the impact of volunteering.

The study is part of the Going Further initiative and will look at the difference volunteering makes to a student and their college/learning provider and make recommendations to ensure the FE sector is maximising the opportunities available.

Going Further, which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, has enabled the Student Volunteering Team at Volunteering England to work with six FE colleges, helping them establish and develop sustainable volunteering programmes for their students. Their work has demonstrated the huge potential that volunteering has to complement and enhance the experiences of FE students, and this research project will enable the wider sector to benefit from their learning.

The research and its conclusions and recommendations will be published in February 2008 as part of Student Volunteering Week.

Lizzie Cole, Head of Student Volunteering at Volunteering England said:

“We are extremely pleased that we are able to undertake this valuable piece of research which will enable the sector to gain a real insight into the potential of FE volunteering.”

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Notes to editors:

• The research project staff will be touring the country to find out about the volunteering experiences of students and staff, and hearing from FE Sector experts. If you would be interested in participating in the research or sharing your experiences please contact Eleanor Wallace on 020 7520 8925or emailEleanor@studentvolunteering.org.uk
• Volunteering England aims to improve the quality, quantity, impact and accessibility of volunteering throughout England. For more information please visit www.volunteering.org.uk
• The Going Further project is funded by the Big Lottery Young People’s Fund until January 2009 and the findings from the project will be published in the autumn of 2008.