Looking for a new challenge this year?

If you’re looking to develop your career with leadership experience outside of work, City of York Council has a number of volunteering opportunities available that will also enable you to support your local community.

Schools across York and the surrounding area are looking for governors from a broad range of professional and personal backgrounds to join their boards.

The role provides an excellent opportunity for people to gain real world experience in senior level roles in order to help progress their own careers. There is no requirement for governors to have a formal understanding of the educational system and some employers even provide ‘reasonable time off’ to allow employees to complete their governor duties.

Full training and support is available and individuals with experience in the following areas would be particularly welcome:

• Leadership roles
• Human resources
• Legal
• Finance
• Building maintenance
• Education and
• Corporate governance

As part of a new campaign, launching this month, the council is sharing experiences from existing governors to highlight the many benefits of being a school governor.

Councillor Bob Webb, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:

“School Governors and trustees play a hugely important role in our local communities. They help shape the educational experiences of young people across the city, influencing how they develop into adulthood.

“Along with offering a great way for anyone to get involved in their local community, the leadership and board-level experience these roles offer is a great way to build your professional expertise too. I would strongly encourage anyone thinking about developing their careers to think about what a great opportunity these roles could be.”

Governors are required to attend board meetings which are usually held on an evening, to make important decisions about the development of their school. They also need to get to know their school or academy well, which may involve visiting the school during the day and attending events to meet staff and parents.

Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a school governor can visit www.york.gov.uk/SchoolGovernor, email governance.service@york.gov.uk or call 01904 554210.