Student Interviews

Interview with Bill Hoyles, SVM Graduate

Bill Hoyles has recently completed The School of Volunteer Management's Diploma of Volunteer Management.

What job do you do and for what organisation?

I am one of the Senior Managers of Barnardos responsible for several youth programs in the Inner West of Sydney. These include programs for youth who are recently homeless or at risk of homelessness, adolescents leaving detention centres, street frequenting young people at risk of drug and alcohol abuse and young people in residential care.

In my spare time I am the Volunteer Media Officer for my local Canada Bay unit of the NSW State Emergency Service.

Why did you choose to do the Diploma of Volunteer Management?

Initially I chose to do a volunteer management course because the opportunity was presented for a number of Barnardos country area staff to enrol with the support of the BHP Community Trust, and I wanted to be able to support, encourage and empathise with them in their studies.

However once I became engaged in the study I found the course modules were extremely relevant to my role as a Volunteer with the SES and so I began to relate the theory of the course to my role as an officer in that organisation.

What did you find valuable in the course?

The research project was valuable. I analysed media coverage of my local SES unit over a twelve year period, with particular reference to the impact on recognition and recruitment of volunteers. The resulting paper was widely circulated within the NSW SES.

What were the positives and challenges of distance education?

It allowed me to work at my own pace and fit study into both my paid work with Barnardos and my volunteering with the SES. It also allowed me to relate aspects of the theory to the actual practice as and when it occurred. For example, I completed one module while planning and implementing a community event, which was extremely relevant to the course content.

The major challenge for me was the turnaround time for modules to be assessed and returned. This was only a problem when I waited for a module to be returned before starting another module and was resolved when I worked on several modules concurrently.

Would you consider doing another SVM training course? Which one?

I would certainly consider doing further study with the School of Volunteer Management – but have to weigh this against the courses available at no charge to volunteers within the SES. I have not really looked at what is on offer at this time.

What is the most important thing you will take away from the course?

The importance of publicising the Volunteer agency to which one belongs, giving recognition to as many volunteers as possible through the media and the acknowledgment that volunteers provide a vital service to the community is critical to keeping current volunteers and to gaining new recruits.

Please note

We no longer offer the Diploma of Volunteer Management.