Andrew Birchall - Volunteering Case Study

Second year Events Management student Andrew Birchall tells us about his voluntary role at The City of Liverpool College as a Volunteer Students’ Union Assistant.

Tell me a bit about your current voluntary role and what it involves:

• I assist in the planning and delivery of events that the Students’ Union put on.
• I help with the day to day running of the sports clubs at lunchtimes as well as attending any meetings with the Students’ Union parliament and their officers to gain insight into what work is being done for students.
• I also assist in the creation of marketing materials for any upcoming events.
• Finally, I liaise with the different departments of the college to help deliver my event.

Tell me three things you like about your role:

• Good team to work with.
• Sense of pride knowing students are getting involved with the many things the Union provides.
• Meeting new people from the college, not just students but fellow staff members too.

What did the application or selection process involve, and how did you prepare for each stage?

During the application process, I was invited into the college and was asked directly if I would be interested in undertaking a voluntary placement for the year with the Students’ Union. I already knew the team from my time at the college, it was then up to me if I wanted to take the position. Once I had decided to join the college, I was then emailed to complete a DBS check as well as meeting with HR with my birth certificate and passport.

After my DBS was carried out, I was invited back into the college with my placement manager to arrange my start date and get my staff ID card.

What help and support did you access from the Student Futures Team?

The Student Futures team checked over my CV and cover letters for any future work opportunities as these were not a requirement for my placement.

What relevant skills and experiences helped you during the selection process?

I planned and delivered a live event on my course during the last academic year so knew what was needed to deliver an event. Other skills my degree helped me develop that I am using on my placement include communication (both in person and by email), working independently, IT and teamwork.

What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability?

Focus on building essential workplace skills, such as good communication, teamwork, and time management and show that you are hard-working and able to use your initiative.

Would you do anything differently if you were a first-year student again?

I would not let the group work aspect stress me out as much as it did. I would also reach out to the relevant people and talk about the struggles I was having. Finally, I would also communicate more with the rest of the class.

Support from the Student Futures team 

If you want to talk about potential careers options with your degree, need help finding opportunities or want support with your CV, application forms or preparing for an interview, you can get advice and guidance by booking a 30-minute 1-2-1 careers meeting with a Careers and Employability Adviser from the LJMU Student Futures Team.  You can also come along to a Careers drop-in or CV Café which take place weekly at the Careers Zones for quick careers queries.

If you are thinking about starting a business, freelancing, pursuing a side-hustle or have an idea that you want to explore further, email the Start-up Hub and a member of the team will be back in touch, or visit the Start-up Hub website.

For help finding part-time, temporary or casual you can fit around your studies, email the Unitemps team or visit their website.