Volunteer Training: Induction

By the end of this training, you will have a better understanding of Career Ready and the programme, including the range of volunteering opportunities we offer as well as the variety of ways we support our volunteers.

Three people sit at a table talking and smiling
Firstly, about you



Who we are
eight

Career Ready is a national charity that links schools and colleges with employers – preparing young people for the world of work. 


Since 2002 we’ve worked in areas of need across the UK. 


We deliver a structured programme of mentoring, paid internships, masterclasses, and workplace visits. 


Our work is made possible by our employer partners who see lasting benefits in their business and the community where they work. 


Who we work with
Boxes containing various stats on the young people we support
The Career Ready Programme
A visual breakdown of our programme
Our Volunteering Opportunities
A breakdown of support provided by Career Ready per volunteering opportunity
The Role of a Mentor


A chart diagram with some brief points about mentoring


What am I signing up for?
  • 12-month commitment from January –December  
  • Your first meeting will be hosted in school 
  • Your mentor meetings will be face-to-face 
  • Support provided by a Regional Manager, School Coordinator, our mentoring handbook and the volunteering team
What support will I receive?
  • Help with joining the programme from our Volunteering Team
  • Live mentor briefings
  •  2 Training modules including Safeguarding
  • Access to the school/college coordinator 
  • Access to a Regional Manager 
  • Mentor Handbook
  • Mentor Drop-in sessions  
  • Monthly mentor bulletins 
  • Access to the volunteer portal & Career Ready Website
  • LinkedIn & X

Question One


Correct, the answer is 12 meetings. The first is your icebreaker and the last will be in December 2025

The correct answer is 12 meetings. The first is your icebreaker and the last will be in December 2025
The role of a Masterclass Facilitator
A chart diagram with some brief points about masterclasses
What am I committing to?
  • One-off volunteering opportunity 
  • 1-2 hours of your time 
  • Delivery will be face-to-face at a school or college or at your workplace as part of a workplace visit
  • Supported by a Regional Manager and the volunteering team 

What support will I receive? 

You will be provided with the presentation with full delivery notes before the session. 


Career Ready also provide live training sessions for each Masterclass, as well as the option of a recorded training session for each and live drop-in Q&A sessions.


Further to this you will have access to the regional manager responsible for the school or college you are delivering the session at. 

The Role of a Workplace Visit Facilitator
A chart diagram with some brief points about workplace visits
What am I committing to?
  • One-off volunteering opportunity 
  • 1-2 hour preparation time
  • 2-3 hours session
  • Delivery will be face-to-face within the workplace. 
  • Supported by a Regional Manager and the volunteering team

What support will I receive?

The Career Ready volunteering team will be available to support you with planning of your workplace visit.


We will provide you with examples of activities and content.


The volunteer team will work with you on ideas and can review presentations and ideas.


Further to this you will have access to the regional manager responsible for the school or college you are delivering the session to. 


The Role of an Internship Supervisor
A chart diagram with some brief points about internship supervision
What am I committing to?
  • Supporting a young person before and during their internship as their main point of contact
  • Inducting a young person into your workplace
  • Developing learning objectives and goals
  • Providing feedback and guidance
  • Delivery will be face-to-face within the workplace 
What support will I receive?
  • You will have the support of a Regional Manager at Career Ready as your main point of contact
  • You will have access to our dedicated internship website which provides a range of resources
  • You will be invited to a supervisor briefing session prior to internships starting
  • You will be provided with an internships handbook
  • You will receive a regular bulletin in the run up to the start of internships
Question Two


Internships are four weeks long.

Internships are four weeks long.

Internships are four weeks long.
Success story
Picture of volunteer at desk

“I do other volunteering work, but Career Ready is different because of the extended contact with one individual. Sometimes volunteering work can feel like it’s part of a very large whole, and you don’t always see first-hand what impact your time has had.

But with Career Ready – you can tell each month how someone has grown in confidence, so it feels more immediate and more personal.”


- Jenny Pelling, Kaplan Financial 

The volunteer portal
The image shows the Career Ready Website home page, with a magnifying glass drawing attention to a button that says 'Portal Log in'

As a volunteer with Career Ready you will have access to a portal, where you can apply for volunteering roles and find other resources you might need.


Before accessing your volunteer portal you will need to sign up as a volunteer on our website.

Volunteer Portal Overview
The volunteer portal home page, with the heading 'My Next Steps' on the right hand side, with several buttons underneath it

Once you complete your volunteer/mentor application and you have been accepted onto the 

programme, your home page will show more functions.


“My details” will let you see what you information you entered.

“My Mentee” information about your mentee such as email address and contact
number (only visible with a valid DBS)

“My Training” the training modules can be found here

“My Resources” you can find useful documents here such as; your mentor handbook,


“More” shows a drop-down box with “My Activities” where you can log your meetings,
and “My Surveys” where you can access your surveys
Question Three


More, then My Activities is the correct answer. My Mentee shows information about your mentee such as email address and contact number (only visible with a valid DBS). My Resources has links to useful documents such as your mentor handbook.

More, then My Activities is the correct answer. My Mentee shows information about your mentee such as email address and contact number (only visible with a valid DBS). My Resources has links to useful documents such as your mentor handbook.
Mentoring and DBS background check

All mentors on the Career Ready programme must have a DBS check issued by Career 

Ready less than 3 years ago or belong to the update service and be able to provide the 

information required to check against this.


Without a valid DBS check you must not contact or meet your mentee unless 

supervised by a member of school/college staff.


Only once your DBS be cleared will mentors/mentees be able to view each other's 

contact details.


If you have any general questions about a DBS check, please contact us:  

volunteersupport@careerready.org.uk


The DBS process is free for all our volunteers


If you have any questions about your actual DBS application being carried out via Know 

Your People, please contact Know Your People customer service/chat help.


For your DBS to be in process you must have fully completed your application and ID 

check with Know Your People. 

Question Four


Correct, it is valid for three years and if you are mentoring you must renew it by thee years from your certificate issue date.

Incorrect, it is valid for three years and if you are mentoring you must renew it by thee years from your certificate issue date.
So, what's next?

Once your application is complete you will be contacted by Career Ready to let you know 

if/when you have been allocated to a school/college (around December time). 


At this point you will also be notified of the date of the Icebreaker (mentoring launch event) 

which is held in January.


Soon afterwards you will be informed when you are matched to a student.  You will meet 

your student for the first time at the Icebreaker Event.


Please note that we cannot guarantee you will be matched to a student as there are 

a lot of factors to take into consideration.

Do not hesistate to contact us if you have any questions.

Thank you
Thank you for completing your Career Ready Induction, if you have not already done so, please complete the Safeguarding training.

Contact Information