The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) believes it is important that organisations encourage employees to volunteer and share their professional expertise with staff in the next generation of workers.

Speaking at the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition 2014, Katerina Rudiger, head of skills and policy campaigns at the CIPD, claimed that the employer’s voice was missing in the “education into work debate”.

At the event, spokespeople from the Department for Education (DfE), National Governors Association (NGA) and the Education and Employers Taskforce urged more professionals to move into school governor positions and enable organisations to “forge important links”.

She believes governor positions offer unique development opportunities and the possibility of obtaining skills in a strategic leadership role.

Employees are often looking for ways they can move up the career ladder, carry more responsibilities and develop their skills in a way that will make them more attractive to organisations.

For some industries, the only way to gain the necessary experience is to volunteer. This helps to broaden employees’ skills and prepare them for new roles.

To help workers be more prepared for accepting roles in schools, the CIPD has set up its Inspiring The Future initiative, enabling volunteers to sign up for career talks or interview advice sessions.

A report from the University of Bath and NGA found that schools were finding it hard to attract governors with adequate skills. It has called for better quality candidates to register for volunteer work.

Chris James, professor of educational leadership and management at the University of Bath, said: “To be honest, school governance is not in bad shape. But recruiting governors is hardest where you most need them and we would be in a much better place if recruitment was easier.”