7,000 vacancies waiting to be filled right now!

Volunteering can be a great option, whatever your age. Take young people. Often they can’t find work because they haven’t got the experience. And they haven’t got experience because they can’t find work. Well, voluntary work is a great way to break the cycle. You’ll learn new skills, get your foot in the door, gain valuable experience and you’ll be doing something really worthwhile.

Gain the skills employers are looking for

Volunteering is a great way of getting the skills and experience employers are looking for. In fact, when asked, no less than 75% of employers agreed they would prefer to recruit someone with volunteering experience.

Volunteer first to see if you like it

Volunteering isn’t just about helping others. It’s also about helping you. Volunteering work gets your foot in the door, helps you to gain vital experience and learn new skills. It also gives you the opportunity to get to know more about the sector you are working in, develop an understanding of what the job entails and decide whether you want to pursue a long term career in that particular field.

A little older? Share your lifetime’s experience of work

If you’ve reached the stage in your life when you have worked for twenty, maybe thirty years, you may be looking for a new challenge; a change of direction. Volunteering is a great way of taking the first steps back into learning. It will give you the opportunity to use your experience, and get new skills. You could discover work that’s fulfilling and challenging, which sets you on the path to a new career.

Over 7,000 volunteering opportunities waiting to be filled

Did you know that the voluntary sector employs over 46,000 people in Wales? Volunteering can be a positive and valuable option if you are job hunting and looking for a chance to prove yourself in the world of work.

www.volunteering-wales.net is a great website that advertises volunteering vacancies in Wales and provides anyone interested in volunteering with all the facts they need. Right now there are over 7,000 vacancies waiting to be filled.

Volunteering helped Zara get back on track

In 2004 Adult Learner of the Year Zara Roberts’s life changed forever when she was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. ‘I suffered traumatic brain injury, five broken ribs, punctured lung, fractured pelvis, elbow and ankle and tore the descending aorta from my heart.’ Says Zara ‘I had to learn to talk, walk and do everything from scratch like a baby.’

Before her accident Zara was on her way to university to become a teacher, specializing in special needs. Although faced with enormous difficulties, Zara fought to achieve her NVQ in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools Level 2.

Whilst working on the course in a primary school, Zara’s tutor arranged a visit to a special school. Following a meeting with the Head Teacher, Zara was offered voluntary work for three days a week. Zara was delighted and has been working there ever since. In September 2009 Zara returned to the school on a full time basis.

 

Changing faces could mean a dramatic career for Becky

A Blackwood teenager whose work could be captured for posterity on the silver screen has made sure that she gets the experience necessary to get her foot in the door.

Eighteen-year-old Rebecca Jenkins from Blackwood, who is training for a Level 3 Diploma in Theatrical and Media Make up, at Coleg Gwent is looking forward to completing her studies in 2010.

Becki’s goal is to then be accepted for a 12-month apprenticeship with the BBC, working on television programmes and films – something she has already had a taste of.

During a work placement earlier this term, she was given the opportunity to work with the BBC on three short films to be broadcasted across Wales. “I’d love to go down this path in the industry,” she said. “Even with the long days, it’s an amazing feeling watching your name on the credits at the end.”

Yet Becki’s dream career might never have got off the ground had it not been for her parents’ belief in her ability.

“I’d always been interested in make-up from a young age, but never dreamt of studying it at college,” she said. “I was always under the impression that A Levels or apprenticeships were the only options.

“But my parents encouraged me to apply for this, and I’ve never looked back – I love it! It’s such a lovely course and I’d recommend it to anyone. My dream of working with the BBC may come true this time next year because of my studying at Crosskeys.”