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SKILLS IN THE NEWS
Two of the beliefs behind InterVol are that volunteering overseas is a great way to build the kind of skills that employers are looking for, and that supporting local communities with the skills that they need can make a real difference. Now it seems that everyone from the government and HR managers to the not-for-profit sector are realising it too.
The Department for Education and Skills has just released a “Review of Gap Year Provision”, with their view of a gap year being “a period of time between 3 and 24 months which an individual takes ‘out’ of formal education, training or the workplace where that time sits in the context of a longer term career trajectory”. It makes for interesting reading, concluding that “Participants gain a wide range of life skills and other more specialised skills” and that benefits include improved ‘employability’ and career opportunities. It also notes benefits for the future employers of the participants. For more details, click here. |
The ‘Personnel Today’ website quotes from Challenges Worldwide's CEO, Eoghan Mackie, in an article talking about the benefits to business of sending staff to volunteer overseas. They also note that skills development can be a very positive outcome both for the volunteers and for their employers.
Third Sector magazine and website, the charity sector’s ‘trade journal’, notes that global volunteer agencies are rebranding with a skills focus. The article highlights the way volunteering charities are shifting towards being more like development agencies and are working in partnership with local communities overseas. To see the article, click here. |
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