Further Education (FE) providers risk selling their students short if they do not commit more time and resources to developing their volunteering programmes, according to a new report launched today by Volunteering England to mark the start of Student Volunteering Week.
Assessing the Impact of Volunteering on the FE Sector, which is supported by the Learning and Skills Council and Phil Hope MP, Minister for the Third Sector, is the first ever study of existing volunteering provision and provides a series of recommendations to increase the effectiveness of volunteering for students, their FE institutions, the community and potential employers. It also demonstrates how volunteering can meet many government policy targets, including Every Child Matters, the Further Education and Training Act and the Leitch Review of Skills.
The research found that 100% of the student volunteers rated their experience as beneficial, claiming that it was a fun way to spend time, improved their skills and helped guide their career path. Just under half had found their opportunity through their FE institution, and the main roles students engaged in were mentoring, fundraising, working with the elderly, working in schools and environmental projects.
However, FE workers responsible for volunteering raised concerns about the level of support provided by the college: 55.6% felt their work in volunteering was supported by their organisation and just 27.8% strongly agreed that volunteering was a high priority for the college, compared with 100% of senior managers.
- The recommendations included:
- A dedicated funding stream for FE volunteering that institutions and learners can access
- Embedding volunteering into existing work, such as The Learner Voice, Citizenship Education and the International Baccalaureate, rather than launching new and costly initiatives
- Dialogue with between further education providers and employers to cement the understanding of the skills FE student volunteers bring to the workplace
- Creating a sector wide volunteering strategy designed by the sector
- Recognition of the skills via existing volunteering accreditation models
Justin Davis Smith, Chief Executive of Volunteering England, said:
“The FE sector has all too often been the poor relation of Higher Education institutions which enjoy a more established and funded infrastructure. However, it is vital that these learners have access to quality volunteering opportunities to enable them to fulfil their potential – and this requires support from the FE colleges and Government.”
Phil Hope MP, Minister for the Third Sector, said:
“The 42,000 students who already volunteer make a huge contribution to their local communities and supporting and promoting youth volunteering is very high on the Government’s agenda. The talents and energy that young people possess are a valuable resource to society that we must harness.
“I am particularly excited by the research on expanding volunteering in Further Education. I hope soon that FE students will have similar access to volunteering opportunities already enjoyed by higher education students. I wish Volunteering England, and those with whom they are working in partnership, the very best success in implementing the recommendations of their research.”
Rob Wye, Director, Strategy and Communications Group at the LSC, said:
“Volunteering is one of the key areas in the Learning and Skills Council’s strategy for sustainable development (From Here to Sustainability). We want to encourage more learners and providers to undertake volunteering activity as part of a community commitment to sustainable development, and we welcome the research carried out by Volunteering England which provides an excellent basis for moving forward”.
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Case study
Kayleigh Wilson, 20, Newcastle upon Tyne
I have been volunteering within my Students’ Union in Newcastle College for a year and a half –some of the activities I have got involved in have included running an anti-bullying campaign, doing a bag pack to raise money for Meningitis UK and promoting sexual health.
I enjoy meeting new people and creating new links with other colleges, as well as students and people within the community. Volunteering is great as it helps students become more independent and allows them to branch out with issues that really matter to them. It has also allowed me to become better at organising events and has helped me to become a more organised person in general! I’m able to balance college work with my other commitments - and if I am busy I try to find someone else to cover my volunteering so that nothing is lost.
There is always enough room for more volunteers and I think that you should volunteer as much as possible – you can have so much fun when meeting new friends and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Notes to editors
- For more information, interviews or a copy of Assessing the Impact of Volunteering on the FE Sector, please contact Cat Dean on 020 7520 8932 or email cat.dean@volunteeringengland.org. For out of hours enquiries call 07903 731 141.
- Now in its eighth year, Student Volunteering Week runs from 25 February to 2 March 2008. Over the course of the week, universities and colleges across the country will organise a range of activities, including taster volunteering events, recruitment drives, celebration events, one-off projects, and regional projects. For more information, contact Davina Pilkington on 020 7520 8924 or email davina.pilkington@volunteeringengland.org.
- 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 Volunteering England Convention Transforming Passion into Power: Volunteering at the heart of social change is being held on 23-25 April 2008For regular updates: www.volunteering.org.uk/convention
