QUEEN'S AWARD FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE

 

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. 

 

Over the 27 years that we have been in operation, we have worked with hundreds of thousands of young people to give them the skills, knowledge and confidence to be successful in the workplace and this has been made possible by the thousands of volunteers from local organisations who have supported these young people by giving up their time and sharing their experience. 

 

In previous years, this has always happened face to face through activities such as work experience, interview days, careers events and workshops. However, since the start of Coronavirus pandemic restrictions in March 2020, we have quickly had to adapt our activities to deliver them virtually through online platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Unsure about how our volunteers would react to this new challenge, we have been delighted by the overwhelmingly positive response they have received. Volunteers have embraced the digital challenge and have taken part in a whole range of online activities including Work Ready workshops, Q&A Panels, Virtual Work Experience placements, Business Insight sessions and practice interviews. 

 

Learning to Work is one of 241 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. The number of nominations remains high year on year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them. The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation. It is the MBE for volunteer groups and is awarded for life.