Student Volunteering Week
Student Volunteering Week
12 – 18 February 2024
Student Volunteering Week is a national awareness week, that takes place across the UK. Universities, training providers and schools across the country take part by organising opportunities or events to encourage their students to volunteer and help their local communities.
Volunteering can helps students in many ways such as:
1. Improves well-bring
2. Develops a student’s employability
3. Contributes to the community and wider society
As a Community Interest Company, Swarm Training encourages our apprentices to get involved in volunteering; not only to give back to society, but to add to their skill set, meet new friends and build their confidence.
We asked our team at Swarm Recruitment for their thoughts on volunteering:
From a recruiter's perspective does it help to have volunteer work on the CV?
“Volunteer work can be useful for your CV, especially if you volunteer in a relevant area for a role you are seeking. Hiring managers love to see evidence of previous effort and direction towards the desired role, as it shows they have been proactive.
Even volunteering in a non-relevant area, such as helping out with a local charity, shows drive, social responsibility, compassion and integrity.”
Paul Riddock, Swarm Recruitment
How does it support your apprenticeship?
“Apprentices can benefit from volunteer work as it helps to build skills and behaviours. It may even be possible to use it as evidence towards your course criteria or off the job training. It’s also an opportunity to build contacts within the industry and community.”
Paul Riddock, Swarm Recruitment
Sophie Duffy added “Volunteering gives you skills to use during the apprenticeship; opens you up to the world of work, and helps to show you different ways of working.
It always helps within an apprenticeship to have some experience of how to manage your time. By participating in voluntary work, you will have responsibilities which will need to be completed promptly. This will stand you in good stead when managing your apprenticeship training, as well as your role as an apprentice.”
Any tips for finding volunteering opportunities?
“Contact local charities and have a look online at job boards such as Indeed, Reed and specific company pages. Also, recruitment agencies may have volunteer roles on their websites.
Email charities and non-profit organisations with a cover letter and CV and specify your interest in volunteering opportunities, along with your motivations for volunteering. Most organisations will likely get back to the candidate, if they are unable to offer a position they may know others who can.” Sophie Duffy, Swarm Recruitment
Did you do any volunteering as a student?
“I didn’t have time for any volunteering as a student as I worked from the age of 12 in a hair salon on Saturdays which already gave me some work experience. The work I did within the salon helped to gain an apprenticeship as I had some previous knowledge of how to interact with customers and to have a professional manner.” Sophie Duffy
Student Volunteering Network lead SVW. They are a UK based, peer support network that support student volunteering. They offer a hub for resources and contacts to support anyone employed in higher or further education to raise the profile of student volunteering.
You can find out more here.
