Junior Achievement Isle of Man has introduced the Island's first accredited qualification for volunteering.

The Community Volunteering Qualification (CVQ) was launched to audiences at the Isle of Man International Business School and the Claremont Hotel in Douglas, attracting more than 100 attendees, including the chief executive of Young Enterprise UK East of England region Paul Beeson.

Junior Achievement IOM chief executive Sue Cook explained the CVQ was a nationally recognised qualification awarded by the educational charity ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) - the UK's fourth largest awarding body - and had been made possible with support from Barclays Wealth in the Isle of Man.

She said the CVQ was not only a first for the Island, but also a first within Junior Achievement worldwide, and thanks to Barclays Wealth the qualification it would be made available to Junior Achievement volunteers at no cost.

Central to Sue's mission to reach all 12,000 students in full-time education on the Island, is the recruitment of more volunteers to help deliver Junior Achievement programmes across five secondary and 12 primary schools during the current academic year. Three hundred volunteers are needed to reach 4,000 students in more than 150 classrooms.

Volunteers will be provided with a study guide and are required to attend an induction course. On average the full CVQ certificate takes around nine months to complete, depending on how much time can be commited. However, a strength of the CVQ is the fact it's a flexible course designed to fit around the volunteer's timetable.

For more details about how to become an accredited Junior Achievement Isle of Man volunteer or volunteer assessor, you can ring 666266 or email contact Kirsty Coffey (kirstycoffey@jaiom.im) or Joy Spence (joy@jaiom.im).