Rising youth unemployment is forcing more young people to turn to voluntary work to boost their skills.

Increased unemployment among the young is largely down to the recession, coupled with competition for university places, but young people are being urged to spend their time productively while looking for work.

This month, taster sessions are being held across the Bradford district to persuade more young people to take up volunteering.

Encouraging volunteering and involvement in social action is part of the coalition Government’s Big Society drive.

Introducing a National Citizen Service – a flagship project providing a programme for 16-year-olds to give them the opportunity to develop skills needed to be active and responsible citizens, mix with people from different backgrounds and get involved in their communities – is also on the agenda.

Dave Forrest, director of Volunteering Bradford, which runs ‘Vinvolved’, a voluntary service for 16 to 25-year-olds, welcomes the move to encourage volunteering, which he says can help young people seeking a career.

“Over the last 18 months, we have worked with about 1,500 volunteers between 16 and 25. Of those, 399 have received a qualification for volunteering called the National V50 award – they volunteer for 50 hours or more and are given an accredited award,” he says.

Volunteering Bradford works closely with the JobCentre to find volunteering opportunities for young people who have been unemployed for six months or more.

According to Dave, out of the 400 young people interviewed through the JobCentre scheme who did volunteer taster sessions, 50 are now back in employment.

“Our own research found that 18 per cent are helped back into work through volunteering,” says Dave.

Boosting employment chances is a major benefit of volunteering. Twenty per cent achieved qualifications through volunteering, and 80 per cent of those who are working said it had increased their vocational skills.

Dave says the feedback from many young people is that volunteering also improves their confidence.

Working with 400 different charities, Volunteering Bradford provides a “broad brush” of volunteering opportunities, with more than 1,000 different choices, says Dave.

Among the voluntary opportunities on offer are Crank It Up, a voluntary project providing cycling for people of all abilities, based in Little Germany, which is seeking volunteers to build a wooden bicycle.

Next month, Volunteering Bradford re-locates from Shipley to a new volunteering centre in Sunbridge Road, resulting in Volunteering Bradford and Bradford CVS sharing the same office.

The move reflects a commitment to volunteering in Bradford. “There is a strong tradition of volunteering and our role is to engage more volunteers, recruit more organisations and take on more volunteers,” says Dave. “Next year is the European Union Year of the Volunteer. With a local strategic partnership, we have adopted the year to make it a civic year here in Bradford.”

Taster sessions for people to learn more about volunteering are being held in the city and district. Today, a Small World Arts workshop takes place from 11am until 3pm in Keighley, and on August 31 there is an opportunity to become a DJ at Bradford’s community radio station BCB.

The Youth Action Team from Hull, which co-ordinates Youth Volunteering, is helping to launch the activities, aimed at introducing young people to the volunteering and its benefits.

Linda Wilson, volunteers manager with Bradford Council’s Volunteering Unit, says there has been a surge in interest over the past 12 months, which she believes is partly down to the economic climate.

“People are looking to gain new skills and experience, or people who have gained qualifications are looking for practical experience,” says Linda.

Volunteering in health and social care or helping with children’s summer holiday schemes are some of the volunteering opportunities the unit provides.

Linda says people who have more time can put it to good use helping others or contributing to the community.

* For more information about volunteering, call Dave Forrest on (01274) 588233 or e-mail Jen@volunteeringbradford.org, or contact Bradford Volunteering Unit on (01274) 437970, e-mail volunteering.unit @bradford.gov.uk or visit bradford.gov.uk.