Volunteer service

When 27-year-old Garry Huang applied for a position as a project manager with an engineering firm, his prospective employers were impressed with his track record of volunteering.

As a volunteer with St John Ambulance NSW for the past nine years, Huang could demonstrate commitment and community mindedness, both desirable qualities in an employee. Huang has also gained qualifications including occupational first aid, advanced life support and a Certificate III in business (frontline management).

"With frontline management you're trained in workplace relations, teamwork, prioritising and maintaining workplace safety," Huang says.

Volunteering may be good for the soul but it's also very good for your CV. According to Sean Gavin, the chief executive officer of St John Ambulance NSW, even the humble first-aid certificate gives job applicants an edge.

NSW occupational health and safety legislation obliges employers to provide a safe working environment, which may include a first-aid kit and an on-site first-aid officer.

"We train as many as 75,000 people a year in first aid, with the majority sent to us by employers," Gavin says. "If you already have that skill you're a step ahead."

For those volunteering with the organisation, more advanced levels of training are provided, including industrial first aid, sports first aid and risk management for supervisors and managers.

"First-aid volunteers can demonstrate leadership, teamwork and dealing with stressful situations," Gavin says.

According to Volunteering Australia spokesman Peter Cocks, bigger volunteer organisations are increasingly providing nationally recognised qualifications.

"The old days of telling someone what they have to do over a cuppa are no longer acceptable," Cocks says. "It's the core responsibility of volunteering organisations to ensure all volunteers are adequately trained and supported. The better they do this, the better quality their volunteers."

As a volunteer for the State Emergency Service, Graeme Craig gained training and experience in management, which earned him a promotion in his former day job.

"I moved from being a credit officer into credit management because of the management experience I gained through the SES," Craig says.

Thanks to his service qualifications, he was given the additional roles of first-aid officer and chief fire warden of the building he worked in.

"I think in general employers take the view that people who volunteer in the SES have a very sound work ethic," Craig says.

"There's a lot more to our organisation than the orange overalls you see out in the field cutting trees. There are a whole raft of skills we train our people in, like operation communications, logistics and media liaison. People might come to us with an interest and where possible we provide skills in those areas."

Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons agrees: "The good thing about our qualification framework is that it provides skills in a range of areas from firefighting, pumps and pumping, radio and equipment maintenance, right through to writing, speaking and interpersonal communication skills."

For example, volunteers who complete a Certificate III in public safety complete core units in workplace communication, providing services to clients and working effectively in a public safety organisation.

"It isn't just fires," Fitzsimmons says. "We have an adaptable workforce with an incredible skills set, so our volunteers are sought after for big events, such as the Sydney Olympics, and major community events.

"Employers aren't just recognising the formal qualifications we offer but qualities these experiences foster like teamwork, responsibility, a sense of giving and community support."

Lifelines
State Emergency Service www.ses.nsw.gov.au
NSW Rural Fire Service www.bushfire.nsw.gov.au
St John Ambulance NSW www.stjohnnsw.com.au
Volunteering Australia www.volunteeringaustralia.org

Published: 24 November 2007