Voluntary Sector Studies. Distance learning from the University of Wales, Lampeter

Certificate in Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers

This course is no longer available

Course Code: 1VOL0140
University Level: One (40 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Delivery Method: Distance learning, paper and/or online
Start Date: - Not recruiting
Course Duration: Average 30 weeks
Course Fees: £220 but currently free for most new students
Further Study: Core part of the Degree in Voluntary Sector Studies

Our entry-level course is not just for volunteers but for anybody involved, or intersted in becoming involved in the voluntary or not-for-profit sectors.

Course Description:

Interpersonal communication lies at the heart of all human social behaviour, but not everyone has the ability to communicate effectively. Volunteers and paid workers require a range of communication skills to deal with a variety of situations. The skills that enable people to cope with interpersonal events successfully, so that all involved feel respected and valued, can easily be learned.

"As a person with very few formal qualifications, I was not sure of my capabilities. I found this course very easy to understand, written in good simple terms. I felt very comfortable doing the course (gaining a distinction!). Communications from Lampeter were always on an equal basis, accommodating, encouraging and friendly."
J.D. - Ely, Cambridgeshire

The Certificate in Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers aims to facilitate students' learning of these skills, whilst they simultaneously acquire the knowledge to recognise and develop their existing communication skills. The Course employs an experiential approach to learning, which means that students use experiences from their volunteering role to aid their learning, rather than background reading, which is the more traditional approach. Volunteers world-wide use a range of interpersonal skills in their work, sometimes without recognition. This Course offers the opportunity to gain recognition by formal validation through a series of written assignments which encourage students to reflect on their role in the voluntary sector.

The Course begins by considering the different approaches that volunteers use in a helping environment and provides an opportunity to explore your own role within a particular organisation. Subsequent Units consider issues pertinent to all volunteers, such as confidentiality, working alongside professionals and communicating in group contexts. Several interpersonal skills are explored including verbal and non-verbal communication and an introduction to the use of counselling skills is provided.

A number of Units are integrated to explain how assertive behaviour can be used effectively to negotiate, make decisions and solve problems. The Course shows how difficult situations, such as dealing with aggression, can result in positive outcomes when appropriate language is used. One Module focuses on communication at meetings and describes the ways in which presentations can be made more effective. The concept of Equal Opportunities is addressed alongside the issues of personal empowerment and personal development. The Certificate comprises eight modules. Modules 1-7 are each divided into three units. There is an assignment at the end of each Module. The final Module provides an opportunity for students to reflect back over the course as a whole and to examine how their interpersonal skills have developed.

"The course has been very instructive and thoroughly enjoyable. Whenever I had to speak with anyone at the University they were always most helpful and friendly. Not only has my voluntary work benefited but it makes me see things differently on a day-to-day basis too."
H.T. - Huddersfield