Essential Skills for Volunteers
Essential Skills for Volunteers is a free, open access online course introducing the core skills needed for volunteering. Watch the trailer here.
Developed by the University of Leeds Lifelong Learning Centre and Digital Education Service in partnership with Voluntary Action Leeds (VAL), Leeds City Council and a wide range of voluntary and community organisations, the course provides a single, shared resource to support volunteer training across the sector.
Designed to reduce the need for organisations to create their own training, the course includes real-life case studies from community groups, workers, and volunteers. It also signposts learners to volunteering opportunities and further learning, focusing mainly on Leeds and West Yorkshire with links to national networks.
The resource is open to everyone, ideal for people who are new to volunteering, exploring opportunities, and experienced volunteers wanting to develop their skills. Learners can self-enrol and complete the 2.5 hour course at their own pace, or staff can use the materials to support group training in-person.
On completion, learners can download two digital badges—Volunteer Skills Builder and Volunteer Explorer—developed by Leeds City Council Employment and Skills, VAL, and the Lifelong Learning Centre to recognise volunteer learning and support volunteer passporting.
Access the course:
https://onlinecourses.leeds.ac.uk/cross-platform/esv/evolvePack/index.html
Read the University of Leeds launch article (February 2026):
https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/5931/partnership-boost-for-volunteers
For more information:
Contact Olivia Garvey, Lifelong Learning Centre – o.garvey@leeds.ac.uk
Toolkits, Tips and Best Practice for Volunteer Managers
There are many useful resources available to help people who coordinate volunteers and to share with your volunteers, some of these key documents are below.
Documents to Download
The Volunteering Handbook (PDF, 536 KB)
A handy booklet to use during the induction of a volunteer. It covers all the relevant best practice elements in the Leeds Volunteering Kitemark. Freely available for any organisation in Leeds to use with their volunteers.
DownloadRecruiting Volunteers with Criminal Convictions Toolkit (PDF, 3 MB)
This toolkit is designed as a first step for organisations to ensure their volunteering programme is accessible to the prison community. It provides guidelines about what to consider when assessing potential volunteers with criminal convictions so that recruitment and support processes can be made inclusive and safe for staff, volunteers and service users.
DownloadVolunteers and Mental Health (PDF, 68 KB)
Key points from the Volunteer Managers Network discussion about volunteers and mental health.
DownloadTop Tips: Volunteering from Home (PDF, 49 KB)
How to approach confidentiality and data protection.
DownloadTop Tips: Writing Volunteer Roles (PDF, 49 KB)
What to consider and include when you're looking to recruit a volunteer role.
DownloadTop Tips: How to create a culture of diversity and inclusion within you volunteering programme (PDF, 100 KB)
Ways to grow and diversify your volunteer pool.
DownloadTop Tips: What your Volunteers need to be happy (PDF, 102 KB)
A reminder of why people volunteer in the first place and how you can keep volunteers happy.
DownloadTop Tips: What Your Volunteers Need to Become Your Next Best Employee (PDF, 75 KB)
Volunteering for employability skills.
Download