Many employers now require some relevant work experience as well as qualifications. Helping with Groundwork Thames Valley's varied project programme has enabled many people break the 'no experience = no job = no experience' cycle in recent years.
Some people would like to broaden their horizons and take a secondment from their current jobs. Groundwork Thames Valley has the flexibility to allow secondee's to develop their skills, knowledge and experience in a variety of settings.
Volunteering with Groundwork also enables us to carry out projects which otherwise we would not have been able to.
For an organisation of our size, we employ staff from a surprisingly wide range of disciplines. By working with different people, you will get the chance to see what working in different fields actually involves on a day to day basis.
Absolutely not ! We will ensure that you have at least one, self-contained piece of work which you can say was yours. As well as project work, you will also have the opportunity to 'shadow' staff on site visits or at relevant meetings, if you wish. We will do our best to match the projects which you work on with your skills and interests, subject to availability.
We understand that a volunteer's availability varies from person to person and we can usually arrange times and days of the week to suit both parties, based around standard office hours. Some past volunteers have worked several days per week for a relatively short period of time, whereas others have worked one day per week or less over a longer period of time.