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Students from Okehampton College Post-16 have been getting stuck into a range of volunteering and work experience placements as part of their Year 12 study programmes. Volunteering takes a range of formats, with some students doing regular sessions to fulfil the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme criteria and others doing one-off placements to support the community and develop their own skills.
This year has included a number of students volunteering at The Museum of Dartmoor Life in Okehampton, with support from the South West Museum Development Programme. The museum is developing its social media presence, particularly through Instagram, as well as Twitter and Facebook, and is also looking to digitise its top ten objects through a new project with Devon Museums.net.The students have brought a new perspective on the museum’s collections and stories, while developing transferable skills to help them with their next steps in education, training or work. It’s a win-win situation - for the museum and its visitors - and for the students!
They settled in as part of a multi-generational team of volunteers. The museum benefits from their viewpoints, supports them in enjoying a worthwhile experience and is building closer links with Okehampton College. It is hoped the project will continue next year with more students volunteering at the museum.
Many students in Post-16 also undertake ‘in-school volunteering’ - some examples from include manning the library, working with Year 7 English pupils to develop reading, meeting and greeting visitors at Parents’ Evening, running Sports’ Day and supporting local primary schools with various events.
Work experience occurs at the end of Year 12 and this year’s students managed to secure an impressive range of placements in which to develop their skills and understanding of the world of work. These included organisations such as The Met Office, University of Surrey, LAS Aerospace Ltd, South West Archeaology Ltd, Mott MacDonald, Rothemsted Research, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Exeter Cathedral, Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital and The University of Birmingham.
Neil Sproats, Post-16 Leader at Okehampton College, said: ‘The huge sense of satisfaction, the skills gained and the ability to give back to the community are all the reasons why we encourage our students to partake in volunteering. It really does help to develop young people and I am very pleased that we have a culture where most of our students are willing to give up their time to support volunteering projects.
‘As well as the altruistic reasons, anyone who volunteers can also improve their CV and this is becoming a greater focus for employers during recruitment.’