V: Employers should encourage volunteer work

V: Employers should encourage volunteer work

12.9.2008

Employers should place more importance on volunteering experience when interviewing candidates, it has been claimed.

Youth volunteering group V has said that by doing this, employers can help bolster the image of volunteering as well as work toward enhancing job seekers' employment skills, reported Personnel Today.

Chief executive of V Terry Ryall said that as employers have been claiming that candidates lack skills such as efficient communication and networking, they should promote volunteering as "means of preparing new recruits for thee workplace."

Mr Ryall continued: "Volunteering can tap into young people's hidden talents and provide a gateway into education and employment."

A recent survey conducted by V discovered that one on four human resources departments said they were not concerned as to whether a job seeker had volunteering experience.

According to the organisation's website, V aims to improve the "quality, quantity and diversity" of volunteering for youngsters in the UK.

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