Impact starts here: explore the free volunteering skills course

The Lifelong Learning Centre and Digital Education have launched a new online course Essential Skills for Volunteers.  

This free, open-access e-course was co-created by the University of Leeds, Voluntary Action Leeds, voluntary and community organisations and volunteers. It offers an accessible introduction to the key skills for volunteering, including teamwork, communication, organisation and inclusion, to empower volunteers at all levels.

'Essential Skills for Volunteers' shows what we can deliver when Digital Education and the Lifelong Learning Centre work together, alongside our civic and community partners. By combining the Lifelong Learning Centre’s inclusive adult learning expertise with Digital Education’s learning design and production capability, we have created a course that is accessible, engaging and grounded in lived experience. We co-created the course with volunteers and organisations across Leeds to remove barriers to access and reflect real volunteering experiences. It is also a strong example of our widening access and participation commitments. 

- Phil Vincent, Head of Digital Education Enhancement and Design

Co-creation began in April 2024, when the Lifelong Learning Centre and Digital Education met with city partners and student volunteers to determine the project’s aims. A questionnaire was designed to map current volunteer induction and training practices, and to identify key topics to include in the course.  

Insights informed a series of learning design workshops involving local organisations and volunteers, colleagues from Digital Education, and content authors from the Lifelong Learning Centre. During summer 2025, the team focused on writing and editing the course materials, through stakeholder reviews, and prototyping workshops with volunteers.  

The e-course, created using the ‘Evolve’ learning design tool, is hosted on the Digital Education Short Courses platform, making it accessible to all without requiring a login. This is an essential feature for reaching a nationwide learner audience.  

The course has been developed to support some aims identified by the Leeds volunteering strategy around the transferability of volunteers. It aims to build Volunteer and Community sector (VCS) capacity by offering a single resource to train volunteers in the hope is that this will reduce the need for each organisation to develop and sustain separate volunteer training. It was also created in order to:

• Strengthen links between community organisations and the University of Leeds and expand the LLC’s partnerships and community engagement.
• Provide a free learning opportunity and a positive educational experience for adults in areas of low participation in higher education.
• Signpost to adult education provision and encourage progression to higher education.

Leeds City Council, Voluntary Action Leeds, and the University of Leeds have also worked in partnership with Navigatr to develop a framework of digital badges to recognise and support volunteers progressing through various levels of learning, skill development and leadership.

Learners who complete the e-course will receive two digital badges - Volunteer Explorer and Volunteer Skills Builder - which will be recognised by partners across the city. These badges are a step towards supporting the city’s aim to create a ‘volunteer passport’ and are accredited by Leeds City Council.

Watch the course trailer

Start the short course today and learn about the key skills for volunteering! Don't forget to share it with colleagues and students who already volunteer or are interested in starting volunteer work.