Gatsby Benchmarks
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Turning volunteering
into a vocation
HeadStart connects
young people to
volunteer opportunities
and provides a route
into paid work at
major employers.
very young person should
experience working life,
whether through a part-
time job, work experience
or shadowing. However, volunteering
is a route into work that is often
overlooked, despite its dual benefits of
providing employability skills plus an
opportunity to give something back.
Many voluntary programmes aimed
at young people now come with
the support of employers, who see the
value in working with their local
community and engaging future talent.
One such scheme is HeadStart, which
connects young people to local
voluntary opportunities and offers
those who complete more than 16
hours’ work a guaranteed job interview
with major employers such as Nando’s,
Lloyds and Starbucks.
E
“I learned a lot of skills around time
management, met some great people and was
kept busy looking after 40 children a day”
32 // EMPLOYABILITY