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
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.
ENSA
There are plenty of ways that you can volunteer and enhance your employability through your students' association.
- Represent Edinburgh Napier students as part of the ENSA 50.
- Become part of the committee of your ENSA sports club or society or start your own!
- Become a Freshers Rep or help us run some of our events. Contact ensa@napier.ac.uk to ask about how you can get involved and keep an eye on our website for any new opportunities.
Student Futures
The Univesity'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.
Student Futures
Student Futures is a dedicated group of employability experts, here to support your professional development and prepare you for the world of work. The team is strongly connected to industry and are committed to forming partnerships with a wide range of local, national and international employers.
Underpinning all of their services is their digital platform, Student Futures Career Hub. Here you will find a range of digital placement support and interactive careers resources and tools (such as the CV builder and interview simulator).
You can access this on myFuture, where you can also book one-to-one meetings with a Career Development Consultant or your School Placement Coordinator, confirm your attendance at one of the many fantastic employer events or search for part-time and graduate vacancies.
The Career and Skills Development team offers a range of services such as one-to-one career guidance, a variety of professional development workshops and support with key recruitment skills, such as CV writing and perfecting your interview technique.
The Placements team can support you with finding a relevant work placement to enhance your degree experience. They look after all stages of this process - from help with your initial applications, to ensuring you are fully prepared for your placement.
The Graduate Recruitment team help make sure that you are seen as talent by employers, and there are a wide range of employment opportunities on the myFuture jobs board. These range from part-time roles whilst you are studying, to exciting graduate level roles.