Volunteer Centre Shetland (VCS) has welcomed the results of a recent survey that reveals Shetlanders top the Scottish league table of good Samaritans.

Scottish Home and Health commissioned the research, which shows 55 per cent of the population participate in voluntary work, and VCS has responded to the result by organising more training courses to cater for the large number of volunteers.

VCS, formerly Shetland Volunteer Development Agency, was established to promote and develop volunteering in Shetland with the overall aim of strengthening communities through fostering community leadership and confidence.  They recruit and match volunteers to local organisations and believe training is an effective way of developing community skills, as Julie Mackie, Manager of VCS, explains: 

"Our volunteers need support and encouragement, and appropriate training is essential for them to develop their skills.  This set of courses has been arranged in response to a demand identified by the local voluntary sector, the North Mainland Community Learning Plan and also through meetings with the Community Halls Forum.

"We have already held 30 courses in the last year with over 420 attendees and we have started advertising for the next round of Committee Skills training which aims to explain the duties and responsibilities of each of the office bearers' roles within a voluntary organisation's committee. Courses for volunteer managers will be run in October and these are particularly useful as they can help managers to motivate and retain volunteers within their organisation.   We have also held short courses aimed at volunteers working in the social and welfare sphere of voluntary activity, including disability awareness, autism awareness, children's rights, child protection and safer people handling."

The courses are held throughout Shetland according to demand and the tutors come from Shetland College, the local police force, and the community as well as the mainland.  They have been extremely popular but rather than resting on their laurels, VCS are now researching what training the voluntary sector would like to see in the future.

The Volunteer Managers course costs £30 but all other courses are delivered free of charge thanks to financial support from Shetland Enterprise and the Community Economic Development partnership.  They awarded a total of £3,216 to the training programme.  The group also received funding from Shetland Islands Council Community Services Department worth £1500.

Jane Thomas, community development manager with Shetland Enterprise was pleased to offer support for the project:  "These courses fill an identified gap in training provision for volunteers as well as supporting our aim to increase skills and develop community strengths, leadership and confidence."