If you're keen to develop your career, or if you just want to get some formal recognition for what you do, volunteering can be a route to a variety of qualifications.

Training

Any opportunity that involves some degree of responsibility should come with a proper induction and the training you need to do the work.

Sometimes - for example, if you are taking a role with a telephone advice service - this training can stretch over many sessions and will, in itself be a real asset for your CV. Indeed, some careers in social care more or less require you to have had experience and training as a volunteer.

If career development is one of your main priorities when volunteering, make sure you ask the organisation you apply to about the training on offer. Tell them the career you're interested in pursuing – they might well be able to offer you some good advice.

NVQs

National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) can be a way to formalise and extend what you learn as a volunteer.

NVQs are work-related, competence-based qualifications. They reflect the skills and knowledge needed to do a job effectively, and, when passed, show that you are competent in the area of work the NVQ represents. Based on national occupational standards, they are recognised by most employers and are actually required in some industries.

According to Volunteering England, while there isn't a specific NVQ for volunteers, many of the tasks that volunteers undertake would enable them to gain all or parts of an NVQ in different subjects, such as Advice and Counselling or Management.

A quick internet search reveals that volunteers in various organisations are taking NVQs in: cultural heritage and care and as environmental rangers.

If you'd like to do an NVQ through your volunteering, find out as much as you can from the sources listed in this article and then discuss it with the organisation where you are volunteering.

Distance learning

If you want to go beyond what is offered by the organisation you are volunteering with, distance learning can be a good option.

The University of Lampeter's entry level course is the Certificate in Interpersonal Skills. Aimed at volunteers and people doing caring work, it is designed to be accessible to people who might not have much or any experience of higher education.

"We want people to use their practical experience of volunteering or work," explains Clare Fisher, from Lampeter's Department of Voluntary Sector Studies. "That, rather than book learning, is where we put the emphasis for the Certificate. It is academically rigorous, but open to people who might not have thought that they could study with a University."

With distance learning, support is provided from tutors by phone and email. Best of all, subject to some conditions, the course is available free to UK residents.

Bernard Curtis was a volunteer with the MS Society in Eastbourne when he saw an advert for the Certificate. "The best things about the course," he says, "have been the variety of topics covered and the fact that the Certificate gives some academic dignity to the role of the volunteer. Understanding the quite complex worlds of both the voluntary and statutory sectors has been a challenge but distance learning totally suits my life-style as a volunteer."

Irene Kanareck heard about the Certificate at the hospice where she was volunteering. "I enjoyed working for the Certificate," she says, "and the idea of doing a degree appealed to me as my three children had all recently finished their degrees and it felt like my turn to do one."

She concedes that taking the course up to degree level has presented many challenges. "After so many years of not writing anything much more than a shopping list or note to the milkman the thought of writing the first essay was very daunting. But the way the course has been constructed means that one is asked to do just a little more at each stage."

Local colleges

If you prefer the idea of attending a course rather than distance learning, try the academic institutions in your area.

For example, ASDAN, offers a Community Volunteering Qualification (CVQ) at Level 1, 2 and 3 and now includes a 20-hour qualification for Volunteering at an Event. They provide a means to recognise and accredit voluntary and community activities and can aid the recruitment and retention of volunteers, as well as rewarding their contributions within particular organisations or projects. For more information contact Tim Leaman or call 0117 9411126.

The National Open College Network might also be an option. They have more than 3,000 centres, based at a variety of organistions such as further education colleges and trade unions, offering  almost 100 qualifications. Courses that might complement a volunteering role include:  Information, Advice and Guidance; Community Development; and Working With People Who Have Learning Disabilities.

Degree courses

If you're really serious about learning, you can take your volunteering experience all the way to degree level.

At The University of Central Lancashire the Centre for Volunteering has launched a BA (Hons) in Active Citizenship and Volunteer Development.

The degree has been developed to provide "a programme of professional development for people committed to volunteering, citizenship and cohesive communities". Students will have the opportunity to enrol on the four year programme from September 2006. The degree includes the possibility of a year long placement in the United States and encourages students to organise and implement community based programmes during their studies

"The BA (Hons) in Active Citizenship and Volunteer Development is an exciting new programme, offering students the opportunity to make a real and lasting impact on society as part of their studies," says Dr Ali Melling, Project Manager for the Centre for Volunteering and architect of the new degree. "This programme aims to be accessible and provide unique ways for students to explore policy and practice both in the UK and abroad. Students will be encouraged to develop and deliver their own projects."

With an emphasis primarily on social care settings, The Department of Voluntary Sector Studies at The University of Lampeter offers the chance for students to study up to degree level through distance learning.

Useful links

Education and training is a huge, diverse industry and finding the right course can be difficult. If the organisation you volunteer with can't help, your local council might be able to offer advice.

Other useful links include:

• The UK's official graduate careers website
•  Learndirect - operates a network of more than 2,000 online learning centres in England Wales and Northern Ireland
• School for Social Entrepeneurs

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