VOLUNTEER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Employer Handbook · VOLUNTEER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Employer Handbook Last revised: April 2014 ... P a g e S T U D E N T S U C C E S S C E N T R E – Y

VOLUNTEER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Employer Handbook Last revised: April 2014

The Volunteer Internship Program (VIP) is a program of:

University of Windsor – Student Success Centre

Room #111 Dillon Hall

Windsor, ON N9B 3P4

Phone: (519) 253-3000 x 3559

Fax: (519) 973-7046

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.uwindsor.ca/success

mailto:[email protected]

2 | P a g e S T U D E N T S U C C E S S C E N T R E – Y o u r S u c c e s s M a t t e r s !

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ...............................................................................................................................2

Student Success Centre Mission Statement .........................................................................................4

Program Information for Employers ...................................................................................................4

GENERAL OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................. 4

ADVANTAGES OF EMPLOYER PARTICIPATION .......................................................................................... 4

EDUCATIONAL GOALS OF VIP ................................................................................................................... 4

VIP LEARNING OUTCOMES ....................................................................................................................... 5

Your Role as a VIP Employer ...............................................................................................................5

JOB POSTING & MATCHING PROCESS....................................................................................................... 6

Posting a Job with myCareer ................................................................................................................. 6

Alternative Methods to Post a Job ........................................................................................................ 6

EMPLOYER EVALUATION OF THE STUDENT INTERN ................................................................................. 7

ADDITIONAL SCREENING........................................................................................................................... 7

Police Clearances .................................................................................................................................. 7

INSURANCE ............................................................................................................................................... 8

A Profile of VIP Students ....................................................................................................................8

WHO ARE OUR STUDENTS? ...................................................................................................................... 8

PRE-PLACEMENT SCREENING ................................................................................................................... 8

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR VIP STUDENTS ...................................................................................... 9

Recognition for Completion .................................................................................................................. 9

Reflection and Professional Development Activities ............................................................................ 9

Working With Your VIP Student ....................................................................................................... 10

ASSIGNING TASKS ................................................................................................................................... 10

SCHEDULING & TIMELINE ....................................................................................................................... 10

KEEPING TRACK OF HOURS ..................................................................................................................... 11

ATTENDANCE AND MISSED SHIFTS ......................................................................................................... 11

Managing Volunteer Interns ............................................................................................................. 11

HELPFUL TIPS FOR MANAGING VOLUNTEERS ........................................................................................ 11

ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT RESOURCES.......................................................................... 12

Frequently Asked Questions ............................................................................................................. 13

ELIGIBILE EMPLOYERS ............................................................................................................................. 13

I am from a for-profit organization – am I eligible to post? ............................................................... 13

My organization is from outside of Windsor-Essex County – am I eligible to post? .......................... 13


JOB POSTING AND MATCHING ............................................................................................................... 13

Can I post for more than one volunteer intern? ................................................................................. 13

Am I guaranteed a match? .................................................................................................................. 13

How do I know that the volunteer is right for my organization? ....................................................... 13

Can I post jobs to University of Windsor students and alumni outside of the VIP program? ............ 13

SCHEDULING AND COMMITMENT .......................................................................................................... 14

Do I need to have physical office space for my volunteer to work from? .......................................... 14

What if I need the volunteer for more than 40 hours or shorter/longer than 8-10 weeks? .............. 14

What happens if the 40 hours are not completed by the end of the academic term? ...................... 14

ISSUES AND DISCIPLINE ........................................................................................................................... 14

What happens if things are not working out with my volunteer intern? ........................................... 14

What should I do if there is a scheduling conflict or my student stops coming? ............................... 14

What if I want to terminate my volunteer intern? ............................................................................. 14

AFTER THE PROGRAM IS COMPLETE ...................................................................................................... 14

What if my intern wants to continue volunteering with my organization beyond VIP? .................... 14

I was really impressed with my VIP student – is there a way I can recognize them? ......................... 15

I was really impressed with my VIP student – can I hire them for a paid position? ........................... 15

Appendix & Forms ........................................................................................................................... 16


Student Success Centre Mission Statement

The Student Success Centre recognizes that each student’s idea of success is unique. We offer a variety of programs in an attempt to contribute to students’ academic and career success as well as their personal growth such as Orientation and Mentoring Programs, Academic and Career Advising, Study Skills and Writing Support, Experiential Learning and Co-operative Education, Leadership and Volunteer Experiences, Support for Students with Disabilities, Career and Employment Resources and Programs, and Job Postings and Employer Events.

Program Information for Employers

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Welcome to the Volunteer Internship Program!

We are pleased to count you in as one of our volunteer employers for University of Windsor students! Becoming a VIP employer is a win-win situation. Students will gain valuable career related experience at local non-profit and publicly funded organizations, and organizations accepting students will receive dedicated and eager volunteer interns.

Working with the local community has been the mission of our program since 1994. We feel volunteers are the lifelines to local non-profit organizations and we are extremely proud of the accomplishments we have achieved over the years. We plan to contribute to the local community for years to come and it is your help and support that continues to make this possible!

VIP runs year-round, in the fall, winter and summer academic terms. VIP Students are dedicated to volunteering for forty or more hours while participating in professional development activities facilitated by the Student Success Centre during the academic term of their participation. These students also receive invaluable career-related experience, which allows them to build upon their existing resume, network with professionals in their field, and leave with a sense of pride knowing that they have given back to the local community.

ADVANTAGES OF EMPLOYER PARTICIPATION

No fees or cost associated with your participation

The intern’s progress is monitored by the Student Success Centre

Volunteers matched to meet the expectations of the job description provided by you

Students can provide a fresh perspective to your workplace

Interns can support your organization’s special projects and events or day to day work

Candidates are pre-screened for good academic standing and interviewed by our team to provide your organization with high quality volunteers

Access to highly motivated volunteers from a variety of educational backgrounds

EDUCATIONAL GOALS OF VIP

The Volunteer Internship Program is one of the many experiential learning opportunities offered to University of Windsor students. Based on the premise that people learn best from experience, experiential learning opportunities enhance the academic curriculum by helping students to connect


classroom theory to real-life situations through hands-on experiences, leading to broad and long-lasting learning outcomes.

VIP has been designed with the following educational goals in mind:

To provide students with access to experiences within the community.

To develop professional employment readiness skills in students such as accountability, communication, etc.

To help students develop a network of contacts in the community.

To assist students in the identification or clarification of career interests and expectations.

To develop an appreciation for the value of volunteerism among students.

To teach students how to learn from a variety of experiences.

VIP LEARNING OUTCOMES

In order to assist first and second time VIP students in achieving the educational goals described above, we have established specific learning outcomes for each program. All professional development activities, assignments, and program components are designed to contribute to one or more established learning outcomes.

After participating in VIP for the first time, students will be able to . . .

Compose an industry related resume and cover letter.

Articulate an understanding for the importance of community involvement.

Deliver a professional presentation

Describe the discovery or confirmation of personal preferences that will contribute to planning their career path

Articulate employability skills developed through the internship that can be transferred to multiple career options.

After participating in VIP for the second time, students will be able to . . .

Develop and demonstrate additional workplace skills and competencies

Articulate skills developed through VIP to potential employers in an interview situation

Construct a professional development portfolio

Formulate a career plan, identify a realistic career path, and alternative career paths

Your Role as a VIP Employer

Your role as a VIP employer allows you to contribute to professional development and personal growth of our students by;

Providing the student career-related work experience and assigning them tasks and/or projects to work on that will benefit your organization

Allowing the student to network with professionals in their areas of interest

Assisting the student with the determination of learning objectives for their placement

Participating in the educational process by providing guidance, supervision and feedback

Completing a final evaluation of your student’s performance


JOB POSTING & MATCHING PROCESS

The first step in the process is to post a job for semester of VIP you are interested in. All positions submitted by eligible VIP employers are posted on our internal web-based system called myCareer. Only students who have been admitted to the VIP program will have access to view your posting.

After orientation is complete, VIP students are given a deadline to review the active postings and select the ones that they are interested in pursuing. The Student Success Centre then matches the students to the positions based on the requirements outlined in the job posting and the student’s skill set as outlined in their resume.

Once the matching is complete, you will receive a referral email and the resume(s) of the student(s) that have been matched with your posted position(s). The student will receive a similar letter and be directed to contact you to make arrangements to discuss commencing the placement. There is typically a two-week window between the time we refer the students to the organizations and when the students need to confirm with us whether or not they will be going through with the match that we made for them. We request that you make every effort to meet with the student(s) and finalize the details of the placement during this two-week period. You can also go over any additional application requirements (interview, references, police clearance, etc.) at this time.

The Student Success Centre attempts to ensure that all referrals are a good fit for the role posted by your organization. However, it is up to your discretion whether or not you feel that the student we have referred to you is a qualified candidate that you wish to take on as a volunteer. It is also up to the student to determine if the match is a good fit for them.

As always, the background, skill sets, and interests of the student participants vary widely, and therefore we cannot guarantee that we will be able to match a student to your organization.

Posting a Job with myCareer Our online volunteer job posting form can be found by logging in to your employer account of our myCareer web-site. The URL for myCareer is https://career.uwindsor.ca where you can click on the Employer button to reach the log in page. If you already have an account with us, you can log in with your email address and password (passwords can be retrieved with the Forgot Password link at the top). If you don’t already have an account, you can register for one.

Once you’re logged in, click on VIP in the blue bar at the top to access the VIP Job Postings tab from which you can click on one of the following buttons:

Post a New Job – You will be taken to the job posting form where you can fill in your answers to the questions to make up your posting.

Repost a Job – You can repost one of the jobs we already have on file for you.

My Job Postings – use this option to access a list of all the old job postings we have on file for you.

Alternative Methods to Post a Job Fax – A copy of the job posting form that can be printed and filled in has been included in the

Appendix & Forms section of this handbook. A copy of the job posting form that can be filled in and printed is also available at http://www.uwindsor.ca/cce/vip-employer-forms.

Email – A MS Word version that you can fill in, save and email to [email protected] is available at http://www.uwindsor.ca/cce/vip-employer-forms.

https://career.uwindsor.ca/

http://www.uwindsor.ca/cce/vip-employer-forms


http://www.uwindsor.ca/cce/vip-employer-forms


EMPLOYER EVALUATION OF THE STUDENT INTERN

At the end of the student’s placement, the VIP supervisor must complete an evaluation of the performance of each student. A student must receive at least a satisfactory overall evaluation from you in order to successfully complete the program. We request that you are honest with the student when completing the evaluation and that you take some time to sit down with your intern to discuss his/her evaluation together if time permits. The feedback and constructive criticism you can offer as a real world employer will be an invaluable professional development tool and is a critical component of the learning process.

We also encourage you to complete a copy of the evaluation at the half-way point of the program to give the student an indication of what they’ve done well and what they should work on improving in the latter half of the placement.

A copy of the evaluation form can be found in the Appendix & Forms section of this handbook.

ADDITIONAL SCREENING

We understand that your placement might require additional screening beyond what we require for students to participate in the VIP program. We’ll go ahead and make the match, but we leave it up to you whether or not you want to put additional screening mechanisms in place. In fairness to our students, please be sure to include details about what additional screening will be required in your job description. There is a question on the job posting form which asks about additional application requirements and gives you several options to choose from, including Interview, References, Criminal Record Check, Vulnerable Sector Police Clearance, and Health Screening.

Police Clearances Many placements require that students get a recent police clearance. Please note that there are two different types of clearances:

Criminal Record Check – Checks local police databases in the places student has lived for unpardoned criminal offences and outstanding charges.

Vulnerable Sector clearance – Performs a criminal record check (as described above) and checks the RCMP’s federal sex offender database for any sexual offences and convictions, even if a pardon was granted.

o The vulnerable sector is defined as “…minors (less than 18 years of age) and persons who, because of their age, a disability or other circumstances…are in a position of dependence on others; or are otherwise at a greater risk than the general population of being harmed by persons in a position of authority or trust relative to them.”

In your job posting, please be clear about which type of clearance that your organization requires as well as whether or not the student can commence the volunteer work while the clearance is in progress. Keep in mind that depending on the volume of requests for clearances, vulnerable sector clearances can sometimes take 4-6 weeks and should only be required if the position will entail working with or around vulnerable sector clients of your organization.

To expedite the police clearance process for students residing in Windsor, the VIP program does have memorandum of agreement in place with the Windsor Police and we do provide the necessary paperwork and recommend and that students seeking volunteer positions with the vulnerable sector get the clearance in progress as soon as possible, even if they don’t have their match yet. Students that reside outside of Windsor are advised to contact their local detachment.


INSURANCE

The Student Success Centre has purchased an Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance policy to ensure that VIP students have some coverage in the case of an accident while participating in a VIP placement.

The coverage is valid: o so long as the student is in or on work placement premises o while in attendance at or participating in any work placement activity

The Aggregate Limit is $500,000 any one accident.

A more comprehensive outline of the insurance policy is provided in the Appendix & Forms section of this handbook. Please note that this policy is not equivalent to WSIB coverage (which volunteers do not qualify for), not does it limit any liability of the employer or student in case of an accident.

A Profile of VIP Students

WHO ARE OUR STUDENTS?

Students participating in VIP are typically undergraduate students from one of the following six faculties of the University of Windsor; Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Odette School of Business, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Nursing, and Faculty of Science. We also see some Masters students participate each term. Roughly 40% of our participants tend to come from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, 20% typically come from the Sciences and another 20% is usually from the Odette School of Business. The remaining 20% are usually divided amongst the remaining faculties and graduate students.

We also see a lot of participants in the program who are planning on applying to post-graduate programs in the Faculty of Education or Faculty of Law, and are aiming to get first-hand experience in those fields to strengthen their application.

The University of Windsor has three pinnacle areas for special development; automotive studies, the environment and social justice.

The University has one of the largest groups of international students among Canadian Universities.

The University of Windsor also has a large number of mature students who have come back to school to advance their education after gaining significant work experience.

PRE-PLACEMENT SCREENING

Initially, students are required to submit a formal application to VIP. Each applicant is screened to ensure that they are in good academic standing before being invited to interview for a spot in the program. Each candidate must then submit a resume and pass an admission interview conducted by a selection board of VIP alumni before being accepted to the program. Successful candidates must then attend an orientation workshop to solidify their spot in the program before they get access to job postings and are matched with one of the positions posted by VIP employers.


PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR VIP STUDENTS

Recognition for Completion VIP students who successfully complete the program will receive recognition on their official University of Windsor academic transcript as well as a certificate of completion signed by the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Windsor.

Reflection and Professional Development Activities In conjunction with the volunteer work they are performing with your organization, VIP students are also working on reflection and professional development activities facilitated by the Student Success Centre.

All students who participate in VIP (first or second time) must complete the following components in order to complete the program:

Orientation Session

40+ hours volunteer work in 10 weeks (verified by supervisor)

Receive at least a satisfactory evaluation from VIP Employer.

First time VIP students must complete the following additional program components:

Assignment #1: Organization Profile – A one-page profile of your organization to show that they have researched how you serve the community

Assignment #2: Resume & Cover Letter

Completion of one Ongoing Reflection Workbook

Collection of activities and journals to assist students to reflect on their experiences

Participate in one Mid-Placement Roundtable Discussion - A one-hour reflective discussion mid way through the program

Attend one Marketing Your Internship Experience Workshop

Conduct a three to five minute presentation about their experience

Second time VIP students must complete the following additional program components:

Assignment #1: Informational Interviewing

Assignment #2: Career Planning Exercise

Assignment #3: Portfolio & Optimal Interview – students create a professional portfolio and participate in a mock-interview exercise

Pre and Post Placement Journal Activities


Working With Your VIP Student

ASSIGNING TASKS

The skills and knowledge that the interns come to you with will vary according to the student’s year level, prior experience, and educational background. That being said, the types of tasks that you assign them may vary greatly as well. Some VIP employers choose to assign their intern(s) to a special project, whereas others choose to incorporate them into the day-to-day operations and service-delivery of the organization, and some allow the students to get involved in a little bit of both.

VIP is an experiential learning program, and participants are looking for challenges and a chance to develop their skills. We’ve outlined some ideas below that you might consider when assigning tasks to your intern. These ideas are based on work that has been assigned to past VIP students:

Day to day tasks. Learning the daily routines of your organization is a great way for the student to contribute while developing an understanding of how things work in your field.

Special events and fundraisers. VIP students can help fill in the gap during fundraisers, special events and other particularly busy times. If the student is placed with you during a slower time, perhaps they can help you follow up on an event that already took place or assist with the early stages of planning your next big event.

‘Backburner’ projects. While your paid staff is kept busy with their day-to-day work, a VIP student can be a valuable asset in helping you reignite those projects that have been sitting on the backburner.

Interaction with your clients. VIP Students can act as an extra set of eyes and ears, or even facilitate an activity during your group based programming. Students can also make great one-on-one tutors or mentors for your clients.

Outreach. Whether you want to educate the community about the services you offer or touch base with potential donors, VIP students can put their communication and interpersonal skills to work and assist with outreaching to the community on behalf of your organization.

Research and proposal writing. Students can put their research and analytical skills to work to conduct a research study, summarize survey results, or put together a grant proposal for your organization.

Policy and procedure manuals. VIP can provide an excellent opportunity for your organization to have its policies and procedures reviewed, revised, or implemented by someone with a fresh perspective.

Create/update a database. Your organization undoubtedly has several clients, and perhaps you’ve not had the time, money or people power to organize all of these clients into categories of who needs what and when. A VIP student could go through old files, and update your existing database, or perhaps help you get a new one started from scratch.

Volunteer management tools. If your organization’s volunteer programs could use some formalizing, a volunteer can help plan and put together recruitment or orientation materials.

SCHEDULING & TIMELINE

Ideally, students will start their placement as soon as possible and wrap up their 40 hours within 8-10 weeks. Of course, extensions are always possible as long as both you and the student agree to the proposed end date. Generally, the program is administered and deadlines are established according to the following schedule:


Academic Term

Orientation & Job postings

Matches/ Referrals Made

Matches Confirmed

Volunteering Commences

Volunteering Completed

Fall Mid-September End of September Mid-October October Mid-December

Winter Mid-January End of January Mid-February February Mid-April

Summer Mid-May End of May Mid-June June Mid-August

In your job posting you will be asked to provide details about when the intern will be expected to schedule their shifts – this will help to ensure that only students that are available during the times you specify will apply to your position. Once you’ve been matched with one of our interns, we leave the scheduling of the volunteer hours up to you and the student to work out. Once your student match gets in touch with you and you confirm that you will take them on as a volunteer, you can work with the student to outline a mutually agreed upon schedule. We suggest to students that they try to maintain a consistent weekly schedule of one or two shifts per week.

KEEPING TRACK OF HOURS

The students matched with your organization will have been provided with a form to use to keep track of the time they spend volunteering with your organization. A copy of the form, reflecting at least 40 hours of volunteer work must be signed by the placement supervisor and submitted to our office by the student at the end of the placement.

ATTENDANCE AND MISSED SHIFTS

VIP students have been instructed to contact their supervisor as far in advance as possible if for some unforeseen reason they will not be able to volunteer during a previously agreed upon scheduled time. In the unlikely event that your VIP student misses a shift without warning or has poor attendance, please contact the Student Success Centre (519-253-3000 ext. 3559 or [email protected]) so that appropriate measures to correct the situation can be taken.

Managing Volunteer Interns

There’s no doubt that the way you manage VIP students will be different from the way you manage your paid staff. We’ve outlined some tips to think about and consider implementing when working with students. Some suggested additional resources regarding volunteer management are also included.

HELPFUL TIPS FOR MANAGING VOLUNTEERS

Give clear direction. Throughout the placement, communicate instructions and expectations to the intern clearly and explicitly – a written job description and/or access to a copy of your Policies & Procedures manual is a good start.

Appeal to the volunteer’s interests. Interns are looking to build on their skill set and enhance their resume with career related experience. When possible, provide an opportunity for your intern to work on a project they are interested in or that is related to their field of study.



Present a challenge. If the intern is doing well with the tasks they’ve been assigned, consider increasing the level of challenge. The opportunity to rise to a challenge can play a key role in the student’s development and learning experience.

Help them see the ‘big picture’. When assigning tasks to the intern, explain how the work they are doing fits into the larger goals of the organization. The level of motivation can increase significantly when work has a clear purpose and meaning.

Assist students in establishing and meeting VIP learning objectives. One of the student’s journal assignments is to establish three learning goals to work on. Take some time to help them identify what skills the opportunity you provide will allow them to hone. This also helps to set realistic goals and expectations. Try to keep their goals in mind when assigning tasks.

Create opportunities to allow them to work with others. Many students look forward to an opportunity to build on their communication and team work skills as well as to network with professionals in their field of interest – the more people they get a chance to meet, the better!

Communicate consistently. Ensure that you are available to answer questions. Since volunteers are often removed from the daily operations of the organization they may need extra attention to get brought up to speed. Take a moment to check in, even if they haven’t asked questions.

Establish time lines. Even if the work assigned is not time sensitive, break it into sections with beginning and ending dates. Short time lines help to create many small successes that the student can build on throughout the placement period.

Provide training as necessary. Interns may have limited prior working experience. Seize opportunities to educate students on ways to work more efficiently or with a more professional demeanor. Be patient and allow the student time to implement your suggestions.

Be flexible with scheduling. Students participating in this program are dedicated and conscientious but will sometimes have scheduling conflicts. Please keep in mind that students will likely have less time available to volunteer during holidays, reading week, and exams.

Give feedback. Inform the intern when they are doing well or when they need to improve.

Confirm that the volunteer is on the right track. Don’t simply ask the student “how’s it going?” -- explore the answer further and find out what questions they have, challenges they may be encountering, and parts of the tasks they are excelling at.

Recognize accomplishments. Recognition for work well done can motivate and inspire almost anyone, and is an essential inclusion in a volunteers management program.

ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT RESOURCES

Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating – overview of the contributions of time and money Canadians make to nonprofit and charitable organizations and to each other.00

CharityVillage.com – A site dedicated to supporting and serving Canada’s registered charities and nonprofit organizations and those that support this sector.

Energizeinc.com – Energize, Inc. is a Philadelphia-based international training, consulting and publishing firm specializing in volunteerism. Their web-site has links to several related book excerpts and articles of interest to leaders of volunteers.

Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI) – A site containing links to documents created during the VSI, a unique undertaking between the Government of Canada and the voluntary sector to enhance their relationship and strengthen the sector's capacity.

Volunteer.ca – The national leader on volunteerism. This site includes many helpful resources including The Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement, which outlines the values, principles, and standards for effective volunteer practices within organizations.

http://www.givingandvolunteering.ca/

http://www.charityvillage.com/

http://www.energizeinc.com/

http://www.vsi-isbc.org/

http://www.volunteer.ca/

http://volunteer.ca/files/CodeEngJune2006.pdf


Frequently Asked Questions

ELIGIBILE EMPLOYERS

I am from a for-profit organization – am I eligible to post? VIP is only open to non-profit and publicly funded organizations. Because one of our learning outcomes revolves around VIP students being able to "articulate the importance of community involvement", it is important that the placement being offered has an element of community involvement and giving back. In rare cases, we make exceptions to our “non-profit or publicly funded” rule if the position really focuses on community driven tasks within a for-profit organization. Please contact the Volunteer Internship Program staff if you need help determining whether or not your organization is eligible to post a VIP position. If you are not eligible for VIP, we do have other methods of getting the word about your opportunity out to our general student population.

My organization is from outside of Windsor-Essex County – am I eligible to post? Because VIP is a part-time program that students participate in while also taking academic courses, the work of placements must take place within a commutable distance from the campus. Organizations from outside of Windsor-Essex County are welcome to post positions, but only if the actual work can take place locally. That being said, we do have other methods of getting the word about your volunteer opportunities that will not take place in Windsor out to our general student population.

JOB POSTING AND MATCHING

Can I post for more than one volunteer intern? Of course! You are welcome to ask for multiple volunteers for each job posting you submit and you can also post more than one position for your organization.

Am I guaranteed a match? The background, skill sets, and interests of the student participants vary widely, and therefore we cannot guarantee that we will be able to match a student to your organization. The students participating in the program changes each term and with each group being so large and diverse, it’s always worth posting the position, even if it didn’t get filled in the past.

How do I know that the volunteer is right for my organization? Through the completion of your job description, you have the freedom to indicate the skills and requirements necessary for your volunteers to perform well. The Student Success Centre will only match you with students who are interested in your position and whose resumes indicate that they meet the requirements outlined in your job posting. Once your student match contacts you, you are encouraged to meet with them to determine if they are a good fit for the role you posted by implementing any additional screening techniques your organization requires, most commonly an interview. If you decide they are not a good fit, you can decline the placement and we will work with the student to find a suitable match at another organization.

Can I post jobs to University of Windsor students and alumni outside of the VIP program? Absolutely! The myCareer web site that we use to manage our VIP job postings also has a Career module that we use to post opportunities to the general student population and recent alumni. Please log in to your myCareer employer account or contact the Student Success Centre for more information.


SCHEDULING AND COMMITMENT

Do I need to have physical office space for my volunteer to work from? Our job posting form will ask you to specify where the majority of the intern's work will be performed and while the answer is usually “at the organization site”, we also accept postings where the student will be asked to work on their own from home or at third-party locations.

What if I need the volunteer for more than 40 hours or shorter/longer than 8-10 weeks? In your job posting you will have the opportunity to make a request that the student be able to commit to more than the minimum forty hours or to completing the forty hours in a time frame that is longer or shorter than the standard 8-10 weeks. This way, the student will know what to expect before they consider applying to the position you are offering and only students who can commit to the alternate arrangement will indicate interest in your posting.

What happens if the 40 hours are not completed by the end of the academic term? Ideally, all placements will be completed within the 8-10 week time frame, but extensions are possible as long as both you and the student agree to the proposed end date. This allows us to be flexible with our interns and with meeting our employers needs.

ISSUES AND DISCIPLINE

What happens if things are not working out with my volunteer intern? We request that if you are encountering any difficulties with your intern that you first approach them to talk about it. This will allow students to learn where they need to improve directly from you. If the problem reoccurs or is not something you feel comfortable addressing, please contact the Volunteer Internship Program staff to discuss. Where appropriate, we will intervene and address the issues with the student on your behalf.

What should I do if there is a scheduling conflict or my student stops coming? If a student ceases to come to work, or isn’t showing up for their schedule shifts, please contact the Volunteer Internship Program staff to discuss so that appropriate measures can be taken.

What if I want to terminate my volunteer intern? Although we are confident in the abilities of our interns and we hope that by taking a proactive approach any small issues that arise can be resolved, we do want you to understand that you have the right to terminate an intern at any time during the placement. If he/she has demonstrated unprofessional conduct or isn’t completing assigned tasks, please contact the VIP staff to discuss next steps and what appropriate measures can be taken.

AFTER THE PROGRAM IS COMPLETE

What if my intern wants to continue volunteering with my organization beyond VIP? Many students use the VIP program as a launching pad for volunteer activities and request the opportunity to continue volunteering after their VIP placement is over, especially if their first forty hours with were enjoyable. Once the student has fulfilled their obligations and requirements for the Volunteer Internship Program, you are welcome to retain them as a volunteer, however, any further volunteering that takes place will not be under the auspices of the Volunteer Internship Program and the supporting role that the Student Success Centre plays in the relationship will cease.


I was really impressed with my VIP student – is there a way I can recognize them? Each calendar year, we call for nominations for our annual Employer's Choice: Outstanding VIP Student Award. If your VIP student has impressed you by going above and beyond, we encourage you to nominate them for this award. You can access our online nomination form by visiting: http://uwindsor.fluidsurveys.com/s/EmployerChoiceVIPAward/

I was really impressed with my VIP student – can I hire them for a paid position? Absolutely! Once the student has fulfilled their obligations and requirements for the Volunteer Internship Program, you are welcome to offer them a paid position within your organization. Any employment relationship that is created will not be under the auspices of the Volunteer Internship Program and the supporting role that the Student Success Centre played during VIP will cease.

http://uwindsor.fluidsurveys.com/s/EmployerChoiceVIPAward/


Appendix & Forms

Documents

VOLUNTEER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Employer Handbook · VOLUNTEER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Employer Handbook Last revised: April 2014 ... P a g e S T U D E N T S U C C E S S C E N T R E – Y