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In order to embed volunteering and all of the benefits it brings deep into the Napier University culture,our partnership with Napier University focuses on enhancing learning, employability as well as personal and social development. A range of resources and services to promote and support student volunteering have been created. Students are actively encouraged to record personal development derived from volunteering. Students are also encouraged to record their hobbies and interests, membership of clubs and societies using a specially designed self assessment tool which is given additional support from the University PDP team. 

Promoting development beyond the classroom bucks the trend of previous years where the focus was very much on academic development only. Through building the capacity and understanding of staff ,it is now widely recognised that students engaging in volunteering are likely to have a more rewarding experience and be better equipped to gain meaningful employment.

The transferable skills and attributes students can gain mean that employers and the wider community can benefit from having access to more confident and well rounded graduates.

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Press release

Participants in volunteering come from all walks of life. Traditionally, not all Jobcentre Plus priority customers engage in volunteering in significant numbers however volunteering can help individuals develop confidence and skills. Jobcentre Plus is supporting Volunteer Development Scotland to deliver the Volunteering Options project which aims to place individuals who have been on Jobseekers Allowance for over 6 months into volunteering opportunities. There is no limit to the amount of hours that an individual can volunteer provided that they are still available for work and can attend interviews. For more information please read a guide published by Jobcentre Plus  a Guide to volunteering whilst on benefits

The Scottish Council Foundation develops leading edge thinking and world class practice to address the strategic challenges facing Scotland and other modern economies and societies in an age of complexity and rapid change. The Foundation has been working with Volunteer Development Scotland to inform thinking on policy developments.
Volunteer Development Scotland’s Research Team and the University of Dundee have worked collaboratively via a previous ESRC Case studentship undertaking detailed research into volunteering. The current research being undertaken will explore informal volunteering.

There are over 150,000 volunteers involved in sport in Scotland and since 2005 sportscotland has funded 6 Regional Development Officers for Sport who are housed within 6 Volunteer Centres to develop and support volunteers in sport.

 Reaching Higher Building on the Success of Sport21


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