New Government plan to expand volunteering for the unemployed

UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE will be able to access thousands of new volunteering and training opportunities to help them take their first steps back into work - under new plans unveiled by Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith.

Under the scheme advisers from youth charity The Prince’s Trust and other local government voluntary organisations will be located in Jobcentre Plus (JCP) offices to signpost jobseekers of all ages to volunteering and training opportunities in their area. The new initiative will particularly benefit young people as they will be able to get more support to help them into jobs, education and training.

In a press release Iain Duncan Smith said:

"I am delighted that this partnership with The Prince’s Trust and local voluntary sector organisations across the country will mean thousands of volunteering opportunities for jobseekers – for some it will be a chance to get some valuable experience and gain skills after years without work.

"I have long been a vocal advocate of empowering grass roots organisations, as I believe they have the dedication, experience and specialist knowledge to get Britain working again."

Prince’s Trust advisers and local volunteering centres will start to appear in Jobcentres in the next few weeks, with a national roll out of the new volunteering promotion from April where possible.

This new partnership approach will undoubtedly offer some unique opportunities for unemployed people to learn new skills to help them back into work, but critics will point to agreements between voluntary sector organisations and the trade union movement that state clearly that volunteering opportunities cannot directly substitute for paid jobs. 

The move will also cause disdain amongst those voluntary organisations experiencing funding cuts. Hull CVS have reported that funding cuts there will mean they will have no dedicated resources to promote and support young people into volunteering. Two staff have been issued with redundancy notices.