helenwills | Careers and enterprise

My volunteering experience gave me the opportunity to understand systems and communities that I wouldn’t otherwise be aware of.

helenwills | 23 August 202323 August 2023

My volunteering experience has given me the opportunity to understand systems and communities that I wouldn’t otherwise be aware of – getting a fuller picture of how society works is very important to my training towards being an architect
Yin Kue Constance Hui MArch Architecture

How would you describe your volunteering experience?

My volunteering experience has been truly rewarding. It has given me an insight into and the opportunity to understand systems and communities that I wouldn’t otherwise be aware of – getting a fuller picture of how society works is very important to my training towards being an architect and helps me reflect on how building can help empower different community groups. It has also given me the chance to fit an activity completely different into my weekly routine, allowing me to take my mind off my stressful coursework while feeling a sense of satisfaction from doing something meaningful for society. The organisations and charities have always been very understanding when I’ve had to prioritise my studies near deadlines and happy for me to take breaks, which has made it a lot less stressful for me at desperate times.

What skills have you learnt through volunteering?

Working with Sight Support West opened my eyes to the different sight conditions present in our community and the importance of visual contrast for them to use their residual sight. As an architecture student we had not been taught to design for visual accessibility, so this experience has prompted me to apply the principles to spatial design, as well as to raise awareness within our academy and profession. I have designed or redesigned and produced over 10 documents or graphics since volunteering with them which have all been used / in use. Graphic design has always been an area that I do on the side of architecture, and I will carry on, while keeping the principles of visual accessibility in mind in both fields of design.

My work with Fareshare was completely new to me and gave me real insight and awareness of the social issue of food insecurity as well as the food system in Bristol. My contribution has been physical work rather than ideas so far. If after graduation my work schedule still allows, I will carry on volunteering.

With both experiences, I have developed communication and organisation skills and a sense of responsibility; my graphic design skills specifically for a visually impaired audience; learnt how to work in a warehouse and the associated health & safety measures; learnt about the food supply chain and local centres which help redistribute food to deprived communities.

Would you recommend volunteering to other students?

Without a doubt! It helps broaden our horizons, and improve our time management, diplomatic skills and ability to work within a team – all essential skills for your future career. Not to mention that for many of these charities, each one of us count. All in all, you get to meet a lot of kind-hearted people from all walks of life and feel good about yourself!

How my placement year helped my graduate career

helenwills | 28 June 202328 June 2023

When I first joined UWE to study Business Management, I knew I had a passion for the subject, but I wasn’t sure which career path I wanted to take. With the support of Careers and Enterprise and browsing the Placement job portal Infohub, I found a role as a Recruitment Coordinator at Bristol based PeopleScout. After a great placement year, they offered me flexible part-time work around my final year studies as well as a graduate job offer!
Dan Bearman, BA (Hons) Business Management and Leadership

‘Not only is it a great chance to start building your network, but you will also have the chance to make lots of new friends.’

These relationships help to open so many doors for you both inside and outside of work, and I guarantee you will have a lot of fun with team night outs and company social events too.

‘With such a great support team at UWE Bristol, you are never alone whilst on placement. ‘

You can reach out for a check-in meeting or advice at any time, and someone will be there to help. Completing the placement module coursework also helps to expand your classroom knowledge and piece the theory that you have studied into your day-to-day work, further enhancing your learning.

A placement year doesn’t have to define who you will become in the future, any experience is better than none.

It’s not only the chance to find something you love, but you may also discover areas of work that you are not so fond of, and being able to learn this early on in your career will help prevent you from making similar mishap decisions in your early career once you have graduated.

‘Graduate employers will gladly hire people without relevant work experience if they have proven they can succeed in another role.’

 A lot of interviews involve situation-based questions where you are asked to describe an example of when you have achieved something. Mentioning working towards your degree is a great example that all students can use, but if you can also reference recent full-time work with real-life examples, you stand an even better chance of demonstrating your abilities having proven yourself previously, thus making you a much more justified hire for any graduate job role.

A sandwich year help gives you the mindset required to perform in a job after university, get a head start on your peers, and you will be able to exceed even your own expectations. I would recommend all students that are offered a placement year strongly consider all the good that will come from it.

Since graduating from UWE, Dan is employed by ForgeRock as People Operations Specialist.

My volunteering experience helped in giving me the skills I need for my future career in teaching.

helenwills | 9 February 202314 February 2023

“Our volunteering leaders were extremely helpful with things like transport and any concerns or questions we had. It showed that they were really looking out for us and making sure that we could feel confident and have as much fun with the volunteering as possible. It made me feel valued”.

Alexandra Fowler, BA Fine Art
How would you describe your experience volunteering with Book Explorers?

My experience volunteering with Book Explorers was great. I had so much fun getting to know the children in my group and finding out what their interests were whilst also being able to see how important the volunteering was for them. The books we were given to read with them were all exciting in their own way and we were able to see how the reading impacted them with our evaluations at the end of each session.

What expectations did you have? Were they met?

My expectations were definitely met and exceeded! The training was thorough and engaging. Our volunteering leaders were extremely helpful with things like transport and any concerns or questions we had. It showed that they were really looking out for us and making sure that we could feel confident and have as much fun with the volunteering as possible. It made me feel valued.

What skills have you learnt through your volunteering experience?

I have been able to improve on my confidence working within a school environment and working with children which is something I had never done before. This experience is so essential to me going forward with my PGCE and future teaching opportunities.

Would you recommend volunteering to other students?

I would definitely recommend Book Explorers – it is a fulfilling and fun thing to experience, and it has taught me a lot about how valuable we are to the learning environment and children. This experience gave me the confidence to apply for another opportunity and I am excited to share that I will be soon starting volunteering with Action Tutoring, a national education charity supporting pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds who are at risk of leaving primary or secondary school without reaching national standards in their exams.  