Student Guide to the Volunteering Module

The University of Winchester's Volunteering Module will enable you to gain a valuable real-world experience, help you make a difference, receive credits for your achievements and stand out from the crowd when you're applying for that graduate job. It is also an excellent way to make a contribution to your community, develop your confidence and meet like-minded people.

How will the Volunteering Module benefit you?

Our previous Volunteering Module students report that their communication, organisational, decision-making, and team-working skills have improved as a result of volunteering. They are also more willing to try new things and most feel that their employability skills have increased. Most students find that their general wellbeing is boosted by volunteering, and they are able to broaden their range of friendships as well as feel more part of the community here at Winchester.

Volunteering will enable you to:

■ make your CV stand out

■ try out different career options

■ develop your thinking based on the real world

■ make contacts to boost your chances post University

■ gain confidence of your abilities

■ put your knowledge and skills into practice

■ work with new people in new settings

■ gain new skills and experiences

What’s in it for the employers?

You will need to do your volunteering with a not-for-profit organisation or charity. We hope that you will be able to secure an opportunity that interests you and links to your future career plans. This could be in any area within the not-for-profit sector: supporting a charity with fundraising and marketing or befriending and mentoring vulnerable people, for example. You could even choose to do your volunteering remotely. Whatever you choose to do, your support will be gratefully received and it's a chance to develop some real-world skills alongside your studies whilst making a valuable contribution to your community.

What are my Volunteering Module options at Winchester?

The volunteering available to you will depend on which programme you are studying: Please find an opportunity within the not-for-profit sector that can accommodate you for at least 24 hours (or more if advised by your Module Leader. More details about the minimum required duration for your volunteering can be found on our Canvas page). You may also have to commit for a longer time period if required by the organisation. The Volunteering Module runs on a semestral basis and your module leader will advise you on whether you can do your volunteering in semester 1 or 2.

Whichever volunteering route you have the option of taking, you must have prior agreement with the module leader and voluntary organisation before the volunteering can commence. How does it work?

It is your responsibility to secure your volunteering, but our friendly and professional team is absolutely dedicated to helping you plan your future, find and apply for volunteering, and build your connections. We have several links with potential hosts across Winchester and Hampshire and we are always looking for new organisations for our students to apply to.

We will also help you develop your skills and create some great self-marketing tools.

Remember - we are partners in your success!

We are here to help you with:

■ volunteering preparation sessions and events featuring voluntary organisations

■ your options, your motivation, values, and achievements

■ developing professional online applications, profiles, and statements

■ directing you to the latest volunteering opportunities

■ applying for the Winchester Employability Fund

■ tailoring and updating your CV

10 top tips to finding a voluntary opportunity

■ ■Book a Volunteering Module advice appointment through CareerConnect to speak to one of the Placements Team.

■ ■Get your CV into shape using our CV Guide, which can be found on the Volunteering Module Canvas page and CareerConnect

■ ■Attend the in-module sessions with our Placements Team.

■ ■Use CareerConnect to search and apply for volunteering opportunities and set your alert choices to receive relevant volunteering to you

■ ■Approach contacts, friends, family, guest speakers. Let them know you are looking for a voluntary role.

■ ■Find out what previous volunteering has been successful – utilise the Volunteering Module Canvas page as well as your alumni and course network

■ ■Attend our annual volunteering fair in May – if there is an organisation there that you’d like to work with, bring your CV and get chatting!

■ ■Make social media work for you - Update your LinkedIn profile, follow organisations and make connections

■ ■Investigate financial help options such as the Winchester Employability Fund

■ ■Come visit us and the Careers Team! We can be found daily in SAB303 between 09:30 and 15:00

Useful websites to start your search

■ Career Connect: winchester.jobteaser.com

■ Charity Job: www.charityjob.co.uk/volunteer-jobs?workingfromhome=true

■ Do It Org: do-it.org/opportunities/search?working_from_home

■ The Media Trust: mediatrust.org/volunteer/view-current-opportunities

■ Reach Volunteering: reachvolunteering.org.uk/opportunities-solr

■ Volunteer First: www.volunteerfirst.co.uk

■ Hampshire County Council: www.hants.gov.uk/jobs/volunteering

■ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

■ Get Volunteering: getvolunteering.co.uk

■ Studenteer: studenteer.co.uk

Regional websites

■ Hive Portsmouth: volunteer.hiveportsmouth.com/opportunities

■ Basingstoke Voluntary Action: www.bvaction.org.uk/bva-projects-and-groups/the-volunteer-centre/

■ Reading Voluntary Action: rva.org.uk/volunteering

■ Southampton Volunteering: www.solinked.org.uk/service_area/volunteer

What else can I do?

Many volunteering opportunities are not advertised, especially in smaller organisations. Make a shortlist of some organisations you would like to work for which don’t have advertised volunteering. Be proactive by sending them a speculative application; the Placements Team can help you with this. Make sure you search the organisation’s website to identify a suitable contact within the company.

Next Step/Action(s)

Searching for a volunteering opportunity can be a lengthy process. The Placements Team is here to support you, but you will need to source your own volunteering. It may seem early to start applying for volunteering, but there are a few things that you should be doing to boost your chances of finding a really useful and exciting opportunity for yourself:

■ Get your CV looking as good as it can be. We have a really useful guide on our canvas page and on CareerConnect but we also have paper copies in SAB303. There are some excellent example CVs in there, which will help you know exactly what to write and how to lay things out. Once you’re happy with your CV, send it to the Placements Team to check over if you like.

■ Do a skills assessment: knowing what skills you have, what skills you need to work on and what you can tell employers about yourself is helpful for you going forward. Start thinking about this early, so you don’t have to rush this when you need to apply.

■ Follow the organisations you are interested in. It is especially useful for you to understand an organisation’s culture before you apply to them, this will help with tailoring your applications and CV to mirror the language and terminology that they use. You can start to do this by following organisations on LinkedIn or by signing up to blogs available on their websites.

Get in touch

Want more help?

Contact us on volunteering@winchester.ac.uk and we would be happy to provide advice and support.

Join our Canvas page for lots more help, advice, and resources https://winchester.instructure.com/enroll/XJT8GY

Come visit us in the Careers & Opportunities Hub, SAB303 between 09:30 and 16:30 Mon -Fri.

Once you have secured your volunteering

You will need to download the Volunteering Learning Agreement from the Volunteering Module Canvas Page (in the Useful Resources section) and complete it, ensuring that your supervisor signs the agreement too.

This can be sent electronically as you will need to upload this to our online system - InPlace and instructions for this are overleaf.

You will be unable to start your volunteering until your position has been approved through InPlace.