Volunteering Case Studies

A boost in confiedence for volunteer Paul

Paul has been volunteering as a gardener for WCDT since November 2009.  Paul volunteers three times a week for five hours a day.  When Paul first stated to volunteer for WCDT he was very quite and did not feel comfortable approaching other members of staff other than myself for queries. 

Over the past six months myself and other members of staff at WCDT have seen Paul’s confidence grow as well as his communication skills.  Paul will chat will all members of staff and has an excellent relationship with the Maintenance Manager, Caretaker and all other volunteers in the centre.

Paul works well with all other garden volunteers within the centre and works very well within a team and also works well on his own.  Over the last couple months Paul has helped me settle new volunteers into their roles and  helping them get used to the site layout and other staff by budding up with them for the their first week.  This has been a great help to the centre and proves how much more confidence Paul has since volunteering for WCDT.

Paul has been an asset to WCDT and had been nominated for a volunteer award with City Sunderland Council for his commitment to volunteering.  We look forward to working along side Paul while he continues to volunteer for WCDT.

Donna Knight

Project Support Officer

Mark Steele has found out about the benefits of volunteering with ETEC.

Mark volunteered as a tutor in ETEC’s construction trades’ centre for five months.  His hard work and persistence were rewarded with a full-time job.  Mark, 41, of Roker, Sunderland, came to ETEC to develop his skills and gain experience, teaching young people construction skills.

Supporting the work of ETEC’s full-time co-ordinators, Mark gained a reputation as a capable and enthusiastic volunteer, who wanted to pass on his skills on to a new generation of workers.  Now Mark is employed as a Construction Routeway Tutor on ETEC’s busiest training programme – Entry to Employment (E2E.) 

Mark said: “I am delighted to have got the job as Construction Routeway Tutor.

“Teaching young adults is something, which I have always wanted to do, and volunteering at ETEC has given me the opportunity to do this.” 

Mark worked as a bricklayer prior to studying towards his A1 trowel trades’ assessor qualification. 

Neil Gibbon, ETEC’s Community Construction Manager, said: “Mark’s progression from volunteer to full-time member of staff shows that experience gained in the voluntary sector is never wasted when candidates are applying for paid employment.

“ETEC will now help Mark to develop his teaching skills further and support him in his chosen career.”

ETEC’s Construction Routeway is part of the development trust’s E2E programme. It enables learners to gain practical skills and experience in a wide range of construction areas including painting and decorating, joinery, bricklaying, plastering, tiling and plumbing.

VOLUNTEERING with ETEC has given a new resident to Sunderland the chance to earn while he learns!  Jacek Gontarewicz, 35, came to Sunderland from Poland three years ago.

He wanted to use the skills, which he honed over a numb

er of years as a truck driver, to become a bus driver in the city.

His first contact with ETEC was when he studied towards literacy and numeracy qualifications as part of the charity’s Learndirect programme.  As his confidence grew, he asked staff about volunteering at ETEC to enable him to study towards an NVQ Level 2 qualification in customer service.

Jacek had been advised to take the qualification when he was interviewed for a job as a bus driver by one of the region’s biggest transport companies.  Since April 2009, Jacek has been volunteering as a receptionist at ETEC’s Hudson House premises. He has also been assisting staff with a number of administrative duties.

Now Jacek, who lives in the East End of Sunderland, has been employed by ETEC as a receptionist/administrative assistant as part of the Government’s Future Jobs Fund programme.  He’s considering taking another qualification during his contract and the future looks rosy!

Jacek said: “Volunteering has certainly helped me get this contract and it’s far better than being unemployed!”

Volunteer Centre Sunderland, 4 Toward Road,, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR1 2QF,
Tel (0191) 5678902, fax (0191) 5678906, sunderlandvc@aol.com