An initiative of in association with Nick Ockenden A gateway to work? Volunteering as a route to employment

Introduction Why now? IVR research: A Gateway to Work (2009) Current work on the employability agenda The link between volunteering and employability Principles of good practice Conclusions

Why now? The recession and rising unemployment -An opportunity or a threat for the third sector? Government-interest -DWP Volunteer Brokerage Scheme Career-related benefits as a motivator for volunteers Volunteers (all)Volunteers (16-24 yrs) ‘To learn new skills’19%46% ‘To help get on in my career’7%27% Helping Out (2007) A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving

A Gateway to Work To explore the link between volunteering and employability, specifically in relation to the work being done in this area by Volunteer Centres Funded by Capacity Builders Eight ‘good practice’ Volunteer Centres as case studies -Interviews with staff from Volunteer Centres, employment agencies and host organisations -Focus groups with volunteers Telephone survey of 220 Volunteer Centres

The work of Volunteer Centres Numerous Volunteer Centres doing work in this area -63% had carried out work around volunteering and employability (up from 37% in March 2009) -76% said interest from volunteers in this area was ‘high’ or ‘very high’ Core partner was Jobcentre Plus (63% of cases) Variety of support provided -Brokerage as the main role -Ongoing support Majority felt that their work had been successful

The link between volunteering and employability

The evidence for… As a direct route to employment -Especially amongst job seekers -Benefits most pronounced in full-time volunteering Improving someone’s employability -Gaining new skills (‘hard’ and ‘soft’) -Key motivator for volunteers (61% to gain new skills) As an alternative to employment -For people unable to work (e.g. positive benefit on mental and physical health, reduces social isolation)

…and against The link to employment can be unclear -Hard to isolate the role / impact of volunteering -Impact rarely seen quickly (e.g. long-term strategy) -Soft outcomes not immediately obvious Unemployed people volunteer less -Barriers to participation (e.g. real and perceived impact on benefits; out-of-pocket expenses; lack of information; lack of transport)

Principles of good practice

Protecting the organisational remit The challenge… -Being pushed into new areas of work – ‘mission drift’ -Risk of being seen as catering to one part of the community -Risk of delivering government employability agendas Ensure it complements the core mission (e.g. the six core functions of Volunteer Centres)

Recording soft outcomes The challenge… -Funders / contractors may have an instrumental, target-driven view -Can force organisations to focus on rapidly moving people into jobs (cherry-picking) -Can be difficult to record ‘hard’ outcomes Recognise ‘soft’ outcomes Recognise the wider, holistic benefits to volunteering (e.g. non employability-related)

Good dialogue and relationships The challenge… -Evidence of some dismissive attitudes towards volunteering -Some jobseekers ‘told’ to volunteer Good relationships evident and possible -Effective and sustained communication with frontline staff -Ensure a positive message about volunteering ‘Don’t ever sell yourself short. Don’t ever think that volunteering is demeaning or second-best.’ -Ensure understanding of the principles of volunteering (e.g. freewill and unpaid)

Ongoing and comprehensive support The challenge… -Job seekers often have multiple and complex support needs -Many are not ‘job ready’ Comprehensive support frequently seen -Volunteering as a flexible and supportive environment -Tailored to the individual -Part of a long-term strategy

Conclusions Volunteering can help someone progress towards employment – becoming ‘job ready’ The flexibility and support to volunteering is a key strength Key challenges for many volunteer-involving organisations – asked to do more for less Volunteering should not become the servant of government agendas Need to recognise the wider, holistic benefits to involvement

‘A Gateway to Work. The role of Volunteer Centres in supporting the link between volunteering and employability’ Rochester, C. (2009) IVR: London Download free PDF from Nick Ockenden

Discussion Why have you, or why have you not, worked on projects around volunteering and employability? What do you see as the benefits of volunteering to someone’s employability? What has been your experience of engaging in projects around volunteering and employability? -successes / benefits -challenges / drawbacks How does work around employability relate to your wider work on volunteering?