People1st International Volunteer Ambassador programme
Summary
Creating bespoke training programmes through private sector partnerships, delivering customer service training for hundreds of volunteers at major international events.
The Skills Show is delivered by WorldSkills UK and is a major international skills and careers exhibition held annually, showcasing the new generation and attracting more than 80,000 visitors. Practical hands-on experience inspires young people to explore a wide range of careers and motivates them to find out about the world of work.
The Skills Show is staffed mainly by volunteers, for many this will be their first experience at volunteering. Creating a great ‘customer experience’ is at the heart of the Skills Show and creating Ambassadors who provide a great welcome is crucial for the reputation of the event.
Our role was to deliver volunteer training to WorldSkills UK with an ongoing commitment to the UK Skills Show annually through our Volunteer Ambassador programme.
This is a bespoke implementation, working with trainers to develop our Team Leaders, giving them the confidence to coach their teams to perform to the highest standards.
The training was delivered through classroom sessions, practical hands-on learning and through flexible on-line ELearning. We contextualise the Ambassador Workshops particularly focusing on the volunteer’s role as an Ambassador for the UK Skills Show.
The clients were very pleased with the skill levels of the Ambassadors and the show was an unqualified success. Over 200 volunteers were trained as Ambassadors for WorldSkills UK and a further 50 trained in supervisory and health and safety roles. Building on this, over 1000 volunteers have been trained for UK Skills to date.
Our ‘Ambassador Workshop’ gives staff and volunteers the skills to deliver a warm and friendly welcome to customers and visitors, and is particularly focused on their role as an Ambassador for their local area or a specific event.
Ambassador training helps young people to learn soft skills, like team work and negotiating, this in turn helps their career path. The programme has also earned recognition with WorldSkills UK winning the Investing in Volunteers award. This is the only standard for businesses that focuses on volunteers. Achieving the award is based on four areas of volunteer management: planning for volunteer involvement, recruiting volunteers, selecting and matching volunteers and supporting and retaining volunteers.
“We work closely with all our volunteers to ensure they have a positive, rewarding experience that will give them a step up in the world of work, developing the skills and confidence they need to make a difference in the workplace. People 1st have done a fantastic job of successfully training our Volunteer Ambassadors to deliver yet another successful Skills Show”
Clare Baars
Volunteering & Employability Manager. WorldSkills UK
