VPL in the volunteer sector

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VPL in the volunteer sector

• Brussels 23 may 2007

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Introduction

• Saskia van Grinsven, Marjet van Houten
• Consultants MOVISIE
• Main issues participation of vulnerable groups,
  accesibililty of society, volunteer work
• Project leaders of the VPL project Recognition
  competences in volunteer work
• Ambassador of the knowledge centre of
  accreditation of prior learning since 2004

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Programme

• Introduction about starting points, conditions
  and goals of the VPL project for the volunteer
  sector
• Developed instruments and 12 competences
• Important decisions and progressing insight
• Problems and dilemmas related to VPL for
  volunteers
• Discussion in smaller groups
• Plenary end

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Project VPL for the volunteer sector

• Project was funded by the Ministery of Health
  care, Welfare and Sports. (VWS)
• Phase 1 Research into desirability and
  feasibility (2003-2004)
• Phase 2 Making VPL possible developing
  instruments and building an infrastructure
  (2005-2006)
• Phase 3 Implementing VPL on a larger scale,
  building bridges to other sectors (2007)

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Starting points VPL for volunteers

• The glass is half full en not half empty
• Nationally recognized
• Accessible to all volunteers
• Developing an instrument, but not in cooperation
  with the educational sector
• Participatory and demand driven approach
• VPL has to respect and keep intact the specific
  culture of volunteering

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Conditions specific to the volunteer sector

• Not too much bureaucracy
• Voluntary access, no obligations whatsoever
• Focussing on general competences, key skills
• No distinction between volunteers

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Main goals of our project

• Recognition of skills, competences, learned
  through volunteering to
• Encourage people (to continue) to partcipate
• To raise employability
• Personal development, raising self-esteem

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Developed instruments

• VPL pack for general volunteer competences it
  includes
• Portfolio for the volunteer
• Instructions for the volunteer coordinator
• Instructions for the assesor
• Organizations instruction
• (All 4 have been translated to English and are
  available for you)
• Specific procedures for specific jobs
• Activity coach in the care sector
• Volunteers in sport, regional organisor
• Public relations position

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12 general competences

• Working systematically
• Demonstrating reliability
• Dealing with Time and Pace
• Solving problems
• Compliance with Health Safety regulations
• Communication
• Presentation
• Contributing to good work relations
• Cooperation
• Accepting praise and criticism
• Application of Language and Maths skills
• Learning while doing

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Important decisions about the VPL instrument

• The VPL procedure is focussing on experiences in
  volunteer work
• Proofs of competences must be find mainly in
  volunteer work and will not be assessed
• We separated the roles of coach and assessor

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Progressing insight

• Main conclusions
• VPL needs an investment from organization and
  volunteer
• Small scale implementation increases the chance
  to succeed
• Cooperation between organizations is important
• Indeed VPL gives volunteers self-esteem and
  encourages further development

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Problems

• Lack of time to coach volunteers
• How is it possible to increase status
• Hard to keep the instrument general, it is soon
  focussed on jobfinding
• Structure to assure quality

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Dilemmas according VPL

• How can VPL be as accessible as possible on the
  one hand and assure quality on the other?
• How can you balance the cost and benefits for
  organizations and individuals?
• How can you build bridges to other sectors?

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Discussion questions

• How can we support the implementation of our VPL
  procedure/our product even more?
• How can we give our VPL procedure more formal
  status?

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Contact

• Movisie, PO Box 19129, 3501 DC Utrecht, the
  Netherlands
• t 31(0)30 789 2000
• www.movisie.nl
• Marjet van Houten, m.vanhouten_at_movisie.nl
• t (0)30 789 2074
• Saskia van Grinsven, s.vangrinsven_at_movisie.nl
• t (0)30 789 2102