Volunteering
A great way to boost your CV, get work experience and improve your employability is through volunteering. There are a variety of reasons why you might choose to become a volunteer.
- to give something back to the community
- to support a cause you feel passionate about
- to make connections and build networks
- to experience new and unique opportunities
- to develop your skills and abilities
- to identify further learning opportunities
- to explore what might be a new career path
- to be challenged and rewarded
Where to find volunteering opportunities
ENSA
There are plenty of ways that you can volunteer and enhance your employability through your students' association.
Student Futures
The University's Student Futures team has links to various volunteering organisations and resources.
Volunteering as part of your course
Most courses at Edinburgh Napier provide the opportunity for you to engage in an external placement of some sort. This might also be called an employability or volunteering module, or professional practice. These terms all cover the same type of experience though - it is about giving you the opportunity to apply and develop your skills in a real-world environment, make contacts and network, and experience working in a professional environment.
Ask your Programme Leader for more information.
Doing your placement with a charity will often have a greater impact than doing it in business environments, as charities are often under-resourced and struggling to cover all that needs to be done. You can be an incredibly valuable resource for them, and make a large difference in the local community and to people's lives.
Volunteer Edinburgh
Volunteer Edinburgh is a volunteering agency that supports and prepares people to volunteer in Edinburgh. Their website compiles all the volunteering opportunities available in the area. You can browse the options here.
Volunteer Scotland
You can search for volunteering opportunities across the country at Volunteer Scotland. You can search their opportunities by location and key words.