One of the key objectives of the V team this year is to look at developing accredited volunteering as part of its long term strategy.  It is a recognised fact that students are entering a competitive and fast moving job market.  Employers demand more that academic knowledge and expect a high level of skill, ability and experience.  The vteam offers opportunities for students to interact with the wider community through volunteering.  Volunteering has long been acknowledged as a key vehicle for the development of transferable skills; thus accreditation greatly supports the vteam’s operational strategy.  Also the current external environment, such as existing best practice guidelines, suggests that external accreditation should be part of any effective volunteer management strategy.  The vteam will be looking to make the accreditation programme simple, user-friendly and practical.  It is hoped that by enabling students to gain credit for volunteering it will significantly raise the profile and increase the credibility of this activity as a vital aspect of the student employability agenda.
Volunteering is relevant to most disciplines, including sociology, social policy, social work, politics, anthropology, cultural studies, environmental science, geography, management and law.  Through volunteering students learn to work within an organisation, form relationships, take responsibility, and develop skills.  It is hoped that one of the best ways to engage students interest in volunteering and to provide continuity is to embed voluntary service in the curriculum where it can feed back into core learning