In 2000, CEET undertook a pilot survey of students in two Victorian TAFE institutes, one in Melbourne and one in a regional area. The aims of the survey were:
- to investigate the contribution of TAFE to the training of volunteers;
- to investigate any differences in volunteering between students in the two institutes;
- to investigate differences in volunteering between students enrolled in different fields of study; and
- to investigate other factors that might be related to volunteering, such as gender, mode of attendance, or English as a first language.
Over 800 responses to the survey were analysed, of 1 700 questionnaires distributed, giving a response rate of 53%. Analysis of the survey data identified three groups of students: those currently engaged in voluntary activity (volunteers), those not currently engaged but who would like to become volunteers (would-be volunteers) and students who did not want to work as volunteers (non-volunteers). Some differences were noted in thecharacteristics of students within each group:
- the proportion of volunteers and would-be volunteers was much higher at the regional institute than at the metropolitan institute;
- females were more likely to be volunteers or would-be volunteers than males;
- full-time students were more likely to be volunteers and would-be volunteers than part-time students;
- the overwhelming majority of students who were volunteers had English as a first language (89% in the metropolitan instutute and 93% in the regional institute). However, the proportion was much lower for would-be volunteers in the metropolitan institute (61%); and
- there were some differences in field of study. At the metropolitan institute the proportion of volunteers was higher in Social and Community Services and Health (16%), VCE (11%) and Art and Design (13%) than in Hospitality and Tourism (5%), Engineering (8%) and Business (9%). But the proportion of would-be volunteers was particularly high in Business (39%) and Arts and Design (25%). In the regional institute, 46% of students in Art and Design, 36% in Social and Community Services and Health, 27% in Business and 26% in Natural Resource Management were volunteers, compared with only 3% in Engineering (Selby Smith and Hopkins 2001).
The data collected in this survey has now been re-examined. Additional responses not included in the original survey were included in the analysis to bring the total number of responses analysed to 1 219, of which 652 were from females (53.4%). 172 (14.1%) students indicated that they currently do some volunteering but another 250 (20.5%) indicated that they would "like to", indicating that about 35% of all respondents have positive attitudes to voluntary work.
The re-analysis has focused on two things:
- differences in the responses of students according to age-group; and
- the responses to four open-ended questions about participation in voluntary activity and the links between volunteering and TAFE.
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Age-groups
The survey data identifies students aged under 20 as a separate group, allowing the responses of the youngest group of respondents to be examined separately. However the survey also groups students aged 20–39 into the one category, which is unfortunate given that this project also is concerned with young people aged 20–24 years. Nevertheless, some interesting patterns by age group are discernible.
Table 1 indicates volunteers, would-be volunteers and not volunteers by age group. It shows clearly that volunteering increases with age. While 10% of respondents aged under 20 are volunteers, the proportion rises to 12% for those aged 20–39, 27% of those aged 40–59 and 42% of those aged 60 and over (though care should be taken because there are very few respondents in this last category).
Table 1: Voluntary status all age groups
| Age |
Would be volunteers |
Not volunteers |
Volunteers |
No response |
Total |
| under 20 |
70 (16.8%) |
245 (58.8%) |
43 (10.3%) |
58 |
416 |
| 20–39 |
133 (23.0%) |
266 (46.0%) |
69 (11.9%) |
110 |
578 |
| 40–59 |
42 (20.6%) |
56 (27.5%) |
55 (27.0%) |
50 |
203 |
| 60+ |
1 (8.3%) |
4 (33.3%) |
5 (41.6%) |
2 |
12 |
| no response |
4 |
4 |
|
2 |
10 |
| Total |
250 |
575 |
172 |
222 |
1,219 |
In Table 2 the results for volunteers and would-be volunteers are added together to indicate the proportion of respondents with a positive attitude toward volunteering. Results for the 60+ group are omitted because of the low number of respondents in this category. Results indicate that positive attitudes to volunteering also increase with age. However, the proportion of young respondents with a positive attitude is considerable. A little more than a quarter of those aged under 20 have positive attitudes, rising to more than a third of those in the 20–39 year age group.
Table 2: Respondents with positive attitudes to volunteering by age group
| Age |
Would be volunteers |
Volunteers |
Total positive |
| under 20 |
70 (16.8%) |
43 (10.3%) |
27.1% |
| 20–39 |
133 (23.0%) |
69 (11.9%) |
34.9% |
| 40–59 |
42 (20.6%) |
55 (27.0%) |
47.6% |
Table 3 shows results by gender. In all age-groups a larger proportion of women than men indicate positive attitudes to volunteering. The difference is substantial between men and women aged under 20, with about 17% more women than men indicating a positive attitude, but is even greater in the 20–39 year age category where the proportion of women with positive attitudes is 20% more than the proportion of men. However, the difference is very much smaller between men and women aged 40–59, the proportion of women indicating positive attitudes being less than 6% more than the proportion of men.
Given these results it might be expected that the proportion of women currently engaged in volunteering would be higher than the proportion of men. While this is the case for respondents aged 20–39 and 40–59 it is not true for the group aged under 20, where the proportion of males who are volunteers (10.7%) is very similar to the proportion of females (9.9%).
There could be a number of reasons for this difference between the youngest and older age groups. For instance, a larger proportion of males in the older age groups could be engaged in full-time work and have little time to devote to volunteering. A larger proportion of younger than older males, or of females, could be engaged in sports-related voluntary activities. A further possibility is that young women do not necessarily consider the activities they are engaged in as "volunteering". Further investigation of this issue would be necessary to explain the pattern observed.
While the difference between the proportions of men and women indicating that they are volunteers is quite small in all age groups, the difference between those indicating that they are "would be" volunteers is substantial for the two youngest age groups. While more than a quarter of females aged under 20 are "would be volunteers", fewer than 10% of men indicate a similar attitude. The difference is only very slightly smaller among respondents aged 20–39 but almost disappears among those aged 40–59. This difference is not easily accounted for and also requires further investigation.
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Table 3: Voluntary status by age group and gender
| Age |
Gender |
Would be volunteers |
Volunteers |
Not volunteers |
Total positive |
Number* |
| under 20 |
female |
26.10% |
9.90% |
49.70% |
36.00% |
191 |
| male |
8.9% |
10.70% |
66.50% |
19.60% |
224 |
| 20–39 |
female |
30.80% |
13.70% |
36.50% |
44.50% |
298 |
| male |
14.60% |
10.00% |
56.20% |
24.60% |
279 |
| 40–59 |
female |
21.00% |
28.00% |
25.40% |
49.00% |
157 |
| male |
19.50% |
23.90% |
34.70% |
43.40% |
46 |
* Percentages do not add across rows because “no response” results have been omitted.
The ability to engage in volunteering could be affected by participation in the paid workforce. Table 4 indicates that the proportion of respondents engaged in paid work declines with age, from 71% of those aged under 20 to 59% of those aged 40–59. As volunteering tends to rise with age, increased participation could thus reflect more free time among older age groups.
However, the table also shows that almost a third of those aged 40–59 are seeking paid work. Thus another possibility is that higher levels of volunteering by respondents in this age group reflect a view that voluntary work will lead to paid work.
Table 4: Paid work status by age group
| Age |
Total in paid work |
Not in paid work and do not want |
Not in work, want |
No response |
Total |
| under 20 |
297 (71.3%) |
5 (1.2%) |
100 (24.0%) |
14 |
416 |
| 20–39 |
399 (69.0%) |
22 (3.8%) |
129 (22.3%) |
28 |
578 |
| 40–59 |
119 (58.6%) |
12 (5.9%) |
65 (32.0%) |
7 |
203 |
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Responses to open-ended questions4
Survey participants were asked four open-ended questions about voluntary work:
- What sorts of voluntary work do you do? Please name the organisation you work with and indicate what sort of tasks you do.
- What sorts of voluntary work would you like to do?
- If you see TAFE as helping you do voluntary work, please tell us a bit about the way you feel it is helping or will help?
- If you are working as a volunteer while not in paid employment, but you WANT to get paid employment, do you think that your voluntary work, together with your paid study, will help?
In total, 192 students offered more than single word responses to at least one of these questions.
A large variety of organisations were named in response to question 1 but roles within those organisations seemed fairly similar. Fundraising was a common task for well-known charities, teaching in schools and community groups was also common but management and administration were indicated across all types of organisations.
Among young people aged under 20 "community organisations" were most frequently mentioned, followed by the Fire Brigade, Red Cross, the SES, sports clubs and the Salvation Army. Others mentioned by more than one respondent were the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Church/temple or an Elderly club/centre. There were gender differences with males more likely to indicate the Fire Brigade, the SES and sports clubs.
Responses to question 2 were affected by different interpretations of the question. Some respondents listed all the types of volunteer work of interest to them while others restricted their answer to what they felt able to do at the time of the survey.In line with the importance it is given in the literature on volunteering, altruism, the desire to help others, appeared to be a motivating factor for many respondents.
For instance:
Enriching, self empowering activities that benefit and help impart skills and confidence to people who've had little opportunities (male 20–39 in full-time paid work).
Working in areas to help people more unfortunate than I am (female 20–39, not in paid work and not seeking it).
Doesn't really matter (what kind of voluntary work) if the cause is genuine (female 40–59 in full-time paid work).
Some respondents listed specific charitable organisations that they would like to volunteer for, such as World Vision. Others indicated particular interests:
Working with people or people-oriented organisations, working with environmental groups or politically active groups whose aims are humanitarian (female, 20–39 in part-time work).
I would like some [voluntary work] in the Royal Botanical Gardens, in any horticulture area (male under 20 seeking paid work).
Working in third-world, countries for aid or development organisations, working for charity or community groups in Australia (male 20–39 in part-time paid work).
I would like to help the elderly people at home or nursing home (female, age and work status not given).
Work involving helping people with disabilities, elderly and supporting students (female 20–39 in part-time work).
However the majority responding to this question (mainly females in the two youngest age groups) focused on voluntary work that would increase their chances of obtaining paid employment:
Help people as a voluntary basis in clothing design to learn and get experience (female 40–59 not in paid work).
If only for a short period of time I wouldn't mind doing some charity work. Or for a longer period of time I would work in the field of design for experience or career reasons (female under 20 in part-time work).
Work in natural resource management, that is going to lead or help get PAID work (male 20–39 seeking paid work).
Something connected to my industry as it will provide me training (female under 20 seeking paid work).
Promo work for radio, TV, anything to get my foot in the door of entertainment industry as I want to get into acting (female 20–39 in part-time paid work).
The most common reason given for answering "none" to this question was that the respondents were too busy, but there was also a small group indicating that they were already actively engaged in volunteer work and could do "no more". These were usually women in the older age groups:
I am too busy to do any more (female 40–59, not in paid work and not seeking it).
There was also a small number, mainly males aged 20–39, who indicated negative attitudes toward volunteering that primarily reflected their preference for paid work:
Nothing, why bother if you don't get paid (male, 20–39 in full-time paid work).
None!! I wouldn't want to ever do voluntary work!! (male, 20–39 in full-time paid work).
I don't want voluntary work but if it has possibilities to lead to full time work, okay (males, 20–39 seeking full-time work).
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Many respondents found question 3 confusing. However, among clearer responses, work skills and general skills were mentioned frequently, with students looking to develop skills and attitudes that would make them useful in paid or voluntary work:
TAFE enables me to develop my skills further and enables me to broaden my scope for jobs in my chosen career (female 20–39 in paid work).
It's giving me skills to help on the job, it's extended the learning environment (female under 20 in part-time paid work).
It will help with voluntary work by helping us to be organised and get along with others better and acceptance (female under 20 in part-time paid work).
Many respondents saw TAFE as helping them in both paid and unpaid positions. Some mentioned that they were assisted to do voluntary work by their TAFE tutors:
In my block at TAFE my teacher puts up work related jobs, both volunteer and paid. It's really helpful (female 20–39 seeking paid work).
A common theme in responses to question 4 was that volunteering enabled valuable experience to be gained:
… my work with … tourist railway has taught me a huge amount of things and increased my experiences to someone who is a lot older (male under 20 full-time student).
Training is essential to get the right job. Hands-on experience that you receive doing voluntary work would increase your chance of getting that right job (male 20–39 seeking paid work).
I have gained experience dealing with people and handling difficult situations (female 20–39 seeking paid work).
Another common theme concerned the potential for voluntary work to lead to paid work. Respondents indicated that this could occur indirectly, for instance by leading to a reference:
Voluntary work will help because I can put it on my resume and get a reference (male 20–39 seeking paid work).
Voluntary work shows initiative and the will to work. Voluntary work will look good on resume (female under 20 in part-time paid work).
Or by helping to build networks of contacts in the industry:
I meet people who work in the industry and make contacts into the industry (male under 20 in part-time paid work).
It's a way of getting yourself known and your abilities shown to those who may be in a position to employ you (female 20–39 in part-time paid work).
It could also occur directly. For instance, demonstrating appropriate skills and aptitudes in voluntary work might lead to a paid position with the same organisation:
By showing enthusiasm, punctuality etc. as well as course commendations whilst volunteering – may lead to paid work (female 20–39 seeking paid work).
It gives the student an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and may thus lead to paid employment (male 20–39 in part-time paid work).
However, not everyone agreed that voluntary work would be helpful in competing for paid work. One respondent was concerned that employers might substitute volunteers for paid staff:
It may help by gaining exposure to industry and having your name circulated around appropriate places. It may not help if it stops employers giving people jobs if they get volunteers during busy periods (male 20–39 seeking paid work).
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Another did not believe that employers took notice of volunteer work:
The voluntary work does not count in any way. If you go for an employment, the employer will see your skills but not the voluntary work you have done (male 20–39, full-time student, not seeking paid work).
This last respondent was one of two who reported previous bad experiences of volunteering. He explained:
I would not get involved in any type of voluntary work because once I involved myself in voluntary work and the blame for other's mistake came on me.
The other respondent, an older woman, reported that she felt exploited:
I was a volunteer in early intervention work. This contributed to my interest in how children learn and develop. After 2.5 years as a volunteer I felt exploited (female, 40–59 in part-time paid work).
More positively, a few respondents detailed personal experiences where voluntary work had already led them to paid employment:
By doing volunteer work (as a requirement of this course) at … I have been put on their books for relieving work with a view to permanent work (female 40–59 seeking paid work).
The skills I've learnt in voluntary work have helped get employment at Coles (female under 20 in part-time paid work).
Another respondent had not been successful in a job application but commented that the interview panel viewed voluntary work favourably:
I went for a job this year at … and although I was unsuccessful the inter-view panel commented on the fact that I was proving my interest and skills by doing volunteer work (female 40–59 seeking paid work).
Many of the respondents answering the open-ended questions indicated that some voluntary work placements were a compulsory, or non-compulsory but promoted, part of their TAFE course. Most also indicated a positive attitude towards this work and a view that the experience would lead to positive outcomes including paid employment and skill development:
Has helped as I have got part time employment through doing this course and my relief work as well (female under 20 in part-time paid work).
Doing work placements will hopefully get my foot in the door (female 20–39 seeking paid work).
Provides a network base through doing work experience as part of our assessment (female 20–39 in part-time paid work).
We do placements (unpaid) in hospitals and nursing homes, which are our prospective employers. So the TAFE study combined with placement will lead to work (male 40–59 seeking paid work).
Work placement eight weeks – wonderful opportunity and chance to consolidate … skills (female 20–39 in part-time paid work).
Links between religious commitment and voluntary work, that are noted and discussed in the literature on volunteering, were evident among the respondents, with at least seven indicating that their voluntary activities were connected with a church or other type of religious organisation. However, the vast majority of respondents indicating these religious links were in the older age groups. The tasks they indicated included preparing a parish newsletter, involvement in a parish care group, religious education, administrative work, pastoral assistance and cleaning.
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Summary and discussion
The findings of this survey of TAFE students align with those of other studies of volunteering in indicating that participation varies according to geographic location, gender and age, is motivated by a range of factors including altruism, personal development and skill development and leads to benefits and positive outcomes.
In addition though, the survey provides considerable evidence that voluntary work is seen as a pathway to paid work and that this view, alone, or in combination with other factors such as altruism, influences a positive attitude to volunteering. In turn this attitude results in participation in volunteering in the present, or a desire to participate in the future.
Results also indicate that the voluntary work placements that are a component of some TAFE programs are viewed positively. They too are seen as a way of gaining skills, improving experience, building useful networks and demonstrating capabilities that will lead to paid work.
Though the links to paid work are clear, some questions are left unanswered and these deserve further exploration. Are the links particularly important to young people entering the workforce or setting out on a career? How might the pathways from voluntary to paid work be strengthened to improve outcomes for young people? How might the volunteer experience for young people be improved so that they have greater opportunities to gain the skills and experience that will be useful to them in paid work?
Less positively, the survey results indicate that some experiences of volunteering are poor ones and that this can affect subsequent attitudes to voluntary activity. They also point to the existence of some negative attitudes to volunteering, particularly among young males. These are both issues that require considerable further exploration. Do negative attitudes merely reflect lack of knowledge of the benefits that can be derived from volunteering? Do they show a misunderstanding of the nature of volunteering? To what extent are they the result of a poor volunteering experience? How might poor experiences be prevented and negative attitudes overcome?