Qualifications for volunteer managers based on Standards

One way that National Occupational Standards can be used is to provide a nationally recognised framework for training and qualifications.

Using National Occupational Standards is a way of making sure that training and qualifications are based on what employers agree are the skills and knowledge that people need to do a particular job well. So National Occupational Standards-based training is practical and directly relevant to the job.

They can be used to inform, structure and develop unaccredited and accredited training, including that provided by professional bodies and Higher Education Institutions.

We encourage providers of training and qualifications for the management of volunteers to benchmark their courses to the standards and to tell us so that we can post the information on this website, on the listing national standards-based training and qualifications.

Qualification frameworks for National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and their equivalent in Scotland, Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs), have been developed at three levels for managers of volunteers.

Level 3 is for those who directly manage volunteers on a day-to-day basis.

Level 4 is targeted at those with overall responsibility for recruiting, managing and developing volunteers in their organisation or their part of the organisation.

Level 5 focuses on developing and implementing the strategy for involving volunteers in their organisation’s work.

We are currently working to encourage Awarding Bodies to develop and deliver these qualifications.

We will also investigate demand for smaller qualifications to meet the needs of workers for whom the management of volunteers is not a core role. We will, of course, take account of existing qualifications in the market.

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