Navigation trail

• Enrichment team leader: Alison Cottenham

Enrichment team leader: Alison Cottenham

This Case Study belongs to Volunteer work organiser.

Alison is an enrichment team leader at Liverpool Community College, a further education (FE) college. A drama and theatre studies with art graduate, Alison has a Higher Education Diploma in youth and community work and a postgraduate certificate in educational management.

As an enrichment team leader for a further education college, my role heavily involves the coordination of student volunteering provision at the institution, and requires strategic and operational duties. My role involves: planning and facilitating projects and activities; recruitment, management and development of students and staff; event organisation and management; budget management; designing and delivering training, including risk assessing; liaising with students, staff (including senior managers within the college) and corporate board members; managing 260 student volunteers; strategic management of enrichment provision; developing partnerships, and facilitating and delivering inter-agency work; supporting the ‘student voice’; and developing and supporting the Students’ Union and committee;

I have worked at the college for five years and as an enrichment team leader for four of these. What I enjoy most about my job is the diversity and autonomy of the role, working directly with young people, and directing the development of a growth area. I also find the diversity of the job, along with the FE sector challenging and interesting. As a growth area, student volunteering activity within the FE sector requires more staff and resources to meet ever-growing demand. My future career aims ideally involve promotion that enables me to work within a similar field of youth development, such as volunteer management or a senior role within FE.

Case Study sourced by Andrea Rannard of AGCAS, 08 June 2009.