The Voluntary Sector Option offers high quality work experience for participants to help them improve their own employability, while helping others. A chance to develop capabilities such as team working.

Organisations wishing to offer work experience placements under the scheme are called Placement Providers. If you wish to offer a placement, it would last for 13 weeks, and clients are expected to spend 26 hours per week volunteering. They also undertake supervised job search for 4 hours each week, here at the Volunteer Centre, or arrange to do this in their own time.

The continuity of having a New Deal participant within a work placement has been highly beneficial, allowing organisations to help the community, enhance the services and develop projects. Some have used New Deal creatively, making optimum use of an individual’s skill to enhance their projects.

The Co-ordinator at the Volunteer Centre can help you identify and set up placements under the scheme as well as helping identify suitable placements for your project based on the organisations needs and what the participant can offer. Not only is advice given but also training and you will be provided with job search elements of the option for you. This will also mean the smooth running of the programme and being offered assistance where required.

No, the service is absolutely free. Participants on the Option receive an allowance from the Jobcentre equal to their Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), plus just over £15 per week.

If you would like further information on the ViSA project and the Voluntary Sector Option of New Deal, please contact Sharon Wilson, New Deal Co-ordinator, or Andy Richardson, New Deal Officer at Kensington & Chelsea Volunteer Bureau on 020 8960 3722. Alternatively, you can email us at sharon.wilson@voluntarywork.org.uk or andrew.richardson@voluntarywork.org.uk

FEEDBACK:

“I am writing to express my appreciation for your expertise in successfully identifying right candidates for New Deal placements in our organisation. That ‘extra reliable hand’ has greatly contributed to an improvement in the quality of services we offer to our community. We are also pleased to be part of empowering young people with employment skills. We have always been happy to learn that young people who have worked with us have found paid employment.”
Patience Arinaitwe ­ Finance Officer, Pepper Pot Club

“The Venture Community Association and the Notting Hill Adventure Playground have benefited enormously from the New Deal. We have had 6 young people on training programmes with us and they have all contributed to the work within the Playground and within the administration department of the organisation. We always had a very good relationship with the Volunteer Bureau - although this relationship is even stronger with the excellent help and support that we receive. We have also had a success story with one of the New Deal participants who applied for a job with us and was successful in gaining a Community Development Position with Venture! We look forward to many more placements in the future.”
Angela Watson ­ Director, VCA

“the fact that a voluntary organisation like the Youth Enterprise Scheme can make use of a resource like New Deal is an enormous help to us. Human resources are always an issue in the voluntary sector and there is a wealth of talent in the community which the Volunteer Bureau has helped us access. We know that we are going to get a professional service from the VB who will also go a step further to achieve a successful outcome.”
James Butler ­ Senior Worker, Y.E.S.