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| RECRUITMENT
CRISIS COULD BE EASED BY BETTER CAREERS ADVICE |
24/09/03 |
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The
NCVO has criticised careers advice groups for failing to promote charity
work as a viable career option to school leavers and graduates.
The organisation is concerned that poor information from careers officers,
schools, universities and parents are behind an alarming slump in the sector's
recruitment.
A report from the Voluntary Sector National Training Organisation (VSNTO)
shows that 70% of voluntary organisations suffer recruitment problems due
to a lack of interest in the positions they advertise.
Despite more graduates now expressing a desire to work in the public sector
than the private sector, just 6% plan to apply for jobs with charities according
to MORI figures.
NCVO claims young people are receiving misleading advice about the nature
of the modern UK voluntary sector due to careers advisers' and parents'
out of date perceptions.
"Undoubtedly, one of the reasons for the current recruitment difficulties
is the predominance of old fashioned perceptions of working for a charity,"
says Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO.
''The suspicion is that many people largely identify charities with unpaid
work, and are unaware of the career opportunities to be found in the voluntary
sector. Many of those who graduated this year may have no idea that UK charities
employ over half a million paid workers, and offer training and career development
opportunities."
"Many of the larger organisations are now able to offer competitive
remuneration packages. Whether their interest is in media relations, IT,
financial management, human resources, research or graphic design, poor
advice may be deterring many graduates from pursuing a career in the voluntary
sector."
Many voluntary organisations believe that recruitment is hampered by potential
candidates misperception of working in the sector.
The majority of organisations reporting difficulties in recruitment said
this was primarily because they get few or no applications, this problem
being closely followed by a lack of suitably experienced, skilled or qualified
candidates.
NCVO believes the sector itself, with support from the government, must
address this problem directly. Etherington continues: "UK charities
need a skilled workforce to be effective and unless more bright enthusiastic
people are willing to join the one in fifty of the paid workforce already
employed in the voluntary sector a full blown recruitment crisis may occur.
"The voluntary sector, with support from the government, must do more
to encourage careers officers and university tutors to inform their students
of the true nature of the modern charity sector, which can offer real career
opportunities in almost every imaginable field.
"However, funders must also be persuaded that only if they are willing
to adequately fund not-for-profit organisations to provide more competitive
salaries and more staff training and development, will the sector be able
to close skills gaps."
The Voluntary Sector National Training Organisation's (VSNTO) report, Futureskills
2003, recommends that further research be carried out on the perception
of the sector as a place of work amongst school leavers and university graduates.
For more information on careers in the voluntary sector: www.voluntarysectorskills.org.uk
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