Volunteer to Professional

Since May 2004 Grwp Gwalia in partnership with other Welsh Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) - Charter, Rhondda and Hafod Housing Associations - has recruited two trainee neighbourhood community development workers who were to be involved in an innovative training and development programme.

The Welsh partnership 'Volunteer to Professional' has worked together to provide a total of 8 traineeships in community development over two years. Each organisation has taken one trainee each year on a 12-month contract.

The project provides opportunities and training to tenants and residents who have a track record of being active in their community, and are interested in a career in community development, hence the name 'Volunteer to Professional'. It is part of a wider UK project developed by the PEP Trust, a charitable organisation that provides training for tenants.

The project aims:

To address the shortage of community development workers.
To build a bridge from community volunteering to paid community development work.
To pilot and develop an accredited training and support programme for tenants and residents involved in their communities.
To give people the skills and encouragement to develop from working in their own communities to using their skills across communities.
To provide experience and employment opportunities in the community development field.
To strengthen the links between communities and social landlords.

The funding for the UK project came from the Housing Corporation and the ODPM via the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Welsh Assembly Government. In addition, the Welsh participants had funding from the Lloyds TSB Foundation. Grwp Gwalia and the other associations have also contributed to the cost.

The four RSL's in Wales got involved as they have a shared commitment to community investment. They were aware that many of their tenants and other residents of their housing are very active in their communities and the landlords believed that these residents have the potential, if given support and encouragement, to be paid for what they currently do on a voluntary basis.

They could also see that recruiting people into the community development field from the communities in which the housing associations have customers would provide an opportunity to break down barriers and expunge some of the negative preconceptions that both staff and customers can have of each other.

There is also, currently, a shortage of qualified and experienced people in the community development field in Wales and it was considered that this project would add to the pool.

The roles of different partners

There were three main sets of partners: PEP Trust, the landlords and a number of mentors.

The PEP Trust led and managed the UK project, coordinating and delivering the training modules, recruiting the landlord participants and mentors. PEP also provided guidance and support for the employers on the processes of recruitment and on the job training.
The landlords come from across the UK. The majority are RSLs but do include some local authorities. They are responsible for the recruitment, day to day training and management of the trainees.
A key feature of the project has been the allocation of mentors from the community development field to each trainee and their role has been to provide independent support, experience and advice to the trainees.

What work has taken place to date?

The trainees' role has been to work with other residents, voluntary and community groups, statutory and other organisations to promote activities that bring benefits to the community and its environment. They have been asked to carry out a number of different tasks, from organising and running events to arranging and attending community group meetings.

They each worked as a member of the community development teams and attended regular supervision and staff meetings. They also participated in a variety of training sessions, identified by the employer, which catered for their individual needs and complemented the core training provided by the PEP Trust course.

Over the two years the trainees were involved in a range of activities. They:

supported youth projects
worked with individual communities to ascertain needs
acted as advocates for individuals
set up and supported tenants' groups and tenants' forums
worked with a group of lone parents on skills building
supported toy and book libraries
supported literacy projects
supported credit unions
helped residents to set up and manage a community house
worked with tenants on individual Neighbourhood Compacts
helped organise a carnival and a festival
ran a summer party
organised trips, Easter bonnet and lantern parades in local schools
ran a computer project
worked with other partners on a whole range of projects with local people, young and old.

In each programme the participants were required to attend seven two-day residential training events throughout the year with all the other Trainee Neighbourhood Workers on the programme. Accommodation, travel and childcare/carer's allowance costs were covered by the project.

Course work was set, but although trainees were expected to produce some written work, this was only one of the ways that was used to assess progress. What they were shown at the training events was intended to be practical, and able to be used when they were working in the community.

The training programme is accredited by the Open College Network.

Achievements to date

In Wales, eight trainees have been recruited and although one was unable to finish the course, the other seven completed it and received their OCN qualification.

The benefits to the trainees is clear. They are reported to have:

Increased confidence and self- esteem
Gained new knowledge and skills in relation to community development work
Developed higher future aspirations - both personal and professional

One of the landlords said: "The end of the year's training saw them barely recognisable as the people who had started the course".

The benefits to other tenants and residents has also been recognised. Having seen what can be achieved by someone like themselves, the applications for the second year traineeships increased considerably.

One clear benefit was that the trainees were able to engage with tenants much more quickly and in a ways that the landlords had not been able to do.

Successes and challenges/failures

Like many innovative projects the first years have been very challenging, unpredictable and, ultimately, immensely rewarding. "We could not have predicted what a huge step this would be for the trainees involved. Our learning as employers has therefore been considerable".

Three of the first year trainees were lone parents, one of them had a young son and additional caring responsibilities for her mother, another a disabled child and another with teenagers. This combination of factors meant that they needed more support than other employees might; they have taken on a major life change whilst grappling with long training sessions in England and the demands of a new job. This they have achieved and all trainees have said that the project has changed their lives.

The project has helped to increase the capacity of the landlords' community development teams. The trainees' focus has been seen to be very useful within team discussions. The project itself has helped the housing associations understand much better the barriers to employment and maintaining employment and also strengthened their resolve to focus on appropriate skills and training routes for their beneficiaries.

"The greatest joy has been to watch the trainee gain in confidence and ability to become an assured public speaker and valued member of the department".

Other issues emerging

The housing associations reported that they learned a lot during the first year both within the Wales group and the UK partnership. They learned how the pace of the training needs to be carefully linked to the experience and circumstances of the trainees and how the day to day work links with the training.

They also learned that there is a huge amount of talent out there which needs tapping and that housing associations can play a part in providing opportunities for people who aren't aware of the skills and the capacity for achievement that they possess.

Another aspect of the project that emerged both in England and in Wales was the tremendous camaraderie that developed between the trainees and, growing from this, the support that the trainees gave to each other.

Where next?

The pilot project ends in May 2006.

Ways are currently being explored by which the project can continue. PEP is seeking funding in England and the Volunteer to Professional partnership is looking at Wales. There are complications in trying to fund a project that covers the UK because of the restrictions in cross-border government funding, but it is hoped that these can be overcome as they have been in funding the pilot.

The participating housing associations feel that they have achieved a lot and hope for even greater successes in the future. As one association put it: "This has been such as resounding success and having had to turn away at least a dozen other potential trainees in Wales alone, it would be a real disappointment if we had to cease at the end of this year".

For further information contact:
Vince Millband, Community Initiatives Co-ordinator

This article is adapted from a People for Action Briefing