A qualitative exploration of the value of volunteering to the employability of nutrition and dietetic graduates amongst employers

Background: Volunteering is widely considered to be beneficial to both, the volunteer and the community. It helps volunteers develop transferrable skills such as communication, collaboration, team working and general care towards the society. Whilst there is research that supports the value of volunteering, evidence gathered is largely from the area of education and there is a need for it to be further explored in the field of dietetics (Jones, 2013). The aim of this qualitative study was to understand and gather opinions from employers regarding volunteering of newly qualified dietetic graduates.