Lifting training participation and outcomes in a volunteer environment

1. Lifting training participation and outcomes in a volunteer environment Volunteering New Zealand Conference 2009

2. Understanding volunteers’ motivations is vital to training (and service delivery) Need to be realistic about training for volunteers – don’t ask too much Training should complement other strategies Key messages

3. Project drivers Emergency services in New Zealand largely manned by volunteers Understand motivation to participate in and complete training Outcomes focused – impact of training on service delivery Why?

4. Approach Literature review Qualitative research Based on “natural experiments” across selected emergency services Conducted first half of 2008 How?

5. Wage rate is zero, so theoretically demand is infinite, but… Volunteers generate other costs Volunteers may be less productive than paid equivalents Management have few levers Theory – why use volunteers? Overall, managing volunteers can be challenging

6. We would expect volunteers to be used in roles… That contribute to the community Which require relatively easily acquired skills Where the demand for labour time is flexible or infrequent Theory – why use volunteers? But skill demands in emergency services are high

7. Theory – why do people volunteer? Training appeals most directly to “investment” motivation

8. Volunteersare not the same as paid workers! Theory – why do people volunteer?

9. Barriers to training

10. Engaging volunteers intraining is not easy Barriers to training

11. Volunteer training in emergency services Improvessafety Ensures minimum standards Increases likelihood of successful outcome/reduces “near misses” Improves currency of skills May be an attraction for joining/staying

12. Volunteer training in emergency services Low frequency of incidents discourages training Training may be seen as onerous In practice, take-up of training is patchy and service standards vary

13. Volunteer training in emergency services Need for training due to demanding/ dangerous roles Need to be realistic about how much training volunteers can do

14. “It’s a difficult balance. Volunteers have a family and a work life. At this brigade we attend a lot of incidents, but even so you need refresher training. Also, every now and then you’re thrown in the deep end. I’ve sometimes been the most senior person on the truck – you hope another truck will roll up!” (Volunteer senior fire fighter) Volunteer training in emergency services

15. Emergency services organisations face two stark choices Accept that service standards will vary 2. Accommodate volunteers’ training preferences, and adopt a range of other strategies Volunteer training in emergency services

16. General themes Tailor training to volunteers’ preferences and motivations Ensure qualifications are an enabler not a barrier Training as a complement to other interventions What are the implications as an ITO? Lifting training participation

17. Minimum standard required – volunteer vs paid personnel Training for the situation vs training for all eventualities Timetabling of training Reduce the cost of training Tailor training

18. Volunteers who participate in more than one agency Completion requirements Assessment not to be a barrier Role of qualification

19. Management of volunteers Understand where training occurs Closer relationships with other ITOs Training to complement other strategies

20. Relationship with TEC and NZQA Recognise tensions within our own industry Implications as a SSB

21. Next Approaches Strengthening volunteer training support The role of mentoring identify current practices within the workplace within the community Learning approaches Delivery Feasibility of meeting different learning styles