Voluntary Action Sheffield (VAS) has developed a Volunteer to Career programme designed to support individuals from Sheffield’s diverse communities into employment through volunteering, working in partnership with local Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector organisations who are strengthening their communities and supporting people to move in to work.
Traditional volunteering models often expect long-term involvement from volunteers who enter the role already equipped with the required skills and experience to thrive. There are understandable practical reasons for this; many VCFSE organisations are doing important and demanding work with tight resources, and frontline staff do not always have the capacity to train large numbers of entry-level volunteers.
For people facing barriers to employment – such as mental health challenges, caring responsibilities, or a lack of experience or confidence in the workplace – these volunteer expectations can feel almost as unattainable as finding fulfilling employment. Structurally, this model of volunteer management can reinforce volunteering as another opportunity that is only accessible for people who already have work experience and confidence.
In an increasingly competitive labour market, we need volunteering roles to be available for more people to participate, widening the chances for personal and professional development and CV building that are available for people experiencing long-term barriers to employment. In this context, inclusive volunteering means designing roles that can be started by anyone, regardless of their existing skills, knowledge or self-belief, and proactively engaging with people whose circumstances may impact their ability to commit regularly and/or long-term.
Our inclusive volunteer progression model addresses this structural challenge by introducing a skills development framework to volunteer roles. This step-by-step method of building on existing skills and knowledge through gradual development is common in education frameworks and is regularly utilised in employment settings for professional development, but is strangely alien in many volunteering environments. By growing volunteers through a structured pathway, we create a pipeline of talent rather than relying on recruiting ‘job-ready’ volunteers from the outset.
When volunteers begin one of these roles, they self-evaluate their skill level and confidence on a list of a tasks that are mapped to person specifications from real job descriptions. The tasks are categorised into levels based on complexity, with lower levels containing entry-level tasks and advanced levels containing more intricate tasks. The model encourages volunteers to start and progress through the levels at their own pace, supporting and learning with each other.
The Volunteer to Career programme also includes a fully-funded training programme that will be co-designed and co-delivered with our partner organisations, and there are plans in place to facilitate the involvement of volunteers in the delivery and evaluation of the programme, creating more development opportunities for those looking for practical experience in these areas of work.
This inclusive volunteering model supports people to progress at their own pace into work, often unpredictably. We embrace this movement as a positive outcome. Each individual volunteer’s journey builds their confidence, skills, and CV while strengthening community capacity. The structure ensures continuity despite natural turnover, providing a steady supply of people who are developing towards employment, and we know people will move into jobs as a result.
Employment is a key expected outcome for volunteers who participate in this programme. However, this programme reflects VAS’s core values: empowering people, strengthening communities, and fostering inclusive growth. Volunteering is not simply a route to work, but also a way to build confidence, maintain skills, and contribute meaningfully to community resilience. Inclusive volunteering isn’t just about inclusion for its own sake. It is a practical, values-led route to greater equity, skills development, and employment opportunities.
