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Skills shortage in voluntary sector
News Article Published:
Monday, 05 November 2007 Category:
Charities
The UK voluntary sector is suffering from a skills shortage, according to a new report, with specialist areas including youth work reporting particular difficulties when trying to fill positions.
According to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations' (NCVO) 2007 survey, nearly a quarter of employers in the voluntary sector have experienced hard-to-fill vacancies in their organisation.
The report identified youth care, social work and health care as the occupational areas experiencing the worst difficulties, highlighting a lack of experience and a lack of clarity in the recruitment process as well as factors contributing to the problem alongside a skills shortage.
"Many of the reasons for hard to fill vacancies point toward something lacking in the applicant. It is possible though that the fault lies with the employer," the report stated.
"A combination of poor job descriptions and inadequate recruitment practices mean that potential applicants choose not to apply and the ones that do apply do not have the opportunity to shine during the interview," it added.
Separate figures published by the NCVO recently revealed a 26 per cent growth in the voluntary sector workforce between 1996 and 2005, offering up increased potential for graduate recruitment.