Are you currently studying with the OU and would like to develop transferable skills whilst representing the OU Students Association? Join fellow #OUstudents to help celebrate each important graduation ceremony by applying for the role of Graduation Stall Volunteer at locations throughout the UK and Eire.
Please note you will need to be logged into oustudents.com to apply for this opportunity. If you don't have a website account, please register for an account first: www.oustudents.com/registration/
The Open University's degree ceremonies are the culmination of many years' hard work for graduates. You can take part and play an important role in these exciting and moving events as a Graduation Stall Volunteer.
Working with a small team of volunteers and led by your Graduation Stall Coordinator, you'll be engaging with graduates, their families and guests promoting the work of the Students Association and selling OU branded merchandise to raise funds for our charity, the Open University Students Educational Trust (OUSET). The Trust’s purpose is to provide study-related grants to support current OU students in financial hardship where other sources of funding are not available, to help them to continue their studies.
In the lead-up to the ceremony, as a volunteer Graduation Stall Volunteer, you'll take part in training, including an online self-learning module and a live MS Teams webinar and we use a dedicated online Slack channel to stay connected and share information leading up to your ceremony,
On the day, you'll help set up the shop stall, process payments, ensure that the relevant paperwork is complete and process manual orders.
As a Graduation Stall Volunteer, you may like to take part and process at the ceremony for which you're volunteering. If you do, please complete the application form and let us know as soon as p[possible so we and the OU can make the arrangements for the day.
Be part of the graduation experience and help graduates celebrate their special day!
Volunteering for OU Ceremonies 2025 is available at:
Friday, 11 April in Manchester, Bridgewater Hall (morning and afternoon ceremonies) Applications close 12/03/2025 at noon
Friday, 9 May in Poole, Lighthouse (one afternoon ceremony) Applications close 02/04/2025 at noon
Friday, 13 June in Dublin, Croke Park (one afternoon ceremony) Applications close 07/05/2025 at noon
You can apply to volunteer for one or more graduation ceremonies if you meet the criteria (see Eligibility below).
Commitment and recognition
Training is mandatory and starts two to four weeks before the date of the ceremony you're volunteering at.
For the online MS Teams training session, we're offering a choice of morning, afternoon and evening at times we hope will suit you.
Please note - you only have to attend one of the training sessions for your ceremony:
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Manchester
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Monday, 17 March
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10:00
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Or
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Wednesday, 19 March
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14:00
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Or
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Thursday, 20 March
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19:00
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Poole
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Monday, 14 April
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10:00
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Or
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Wednesday, 16 April
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14:00
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Or
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Thursday, 17 April
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19:00
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Dublin
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Monday, 12 May
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10:00
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Or
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Wednesday, 14 May
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14:00
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Or
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Thursday, 15 May
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19:00
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You will also be asked to complete online self-learning essential reading that takes up to an hour. This includes the core training module for all our volunteers which covers:
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GDPR (keeping personal data secure).
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Safeguarding (keeping young people and vulnerable adults safe).
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PREVENT (our duty to prevent extremist radicalisation).
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Equality Duty (Why it is important and who it protects).
It also includes a training module for both Graduation Stall Coordinators and Graduation Stall Volunteers.
You will then attend a 90-minute MS Teams training session and meet your team (there is a choice of morning, afternoon or evening) a few weeks before the day.
You will be sent a link and sign up to our online volunteer Slack channel and app so that venue details can be communicated to you and the Graduation Stall Coordinators, and to keep in touch.
Please note: Only fully trained and onboarded Coordinators and Volunteers are selected for each venue’s Graduation Stall team.
After the ceremony, you will be asked for your feedback and to complete your expenses form for travel and subsistence for the day and remind your team to do likewise. You will receive a goody bag by post, and you can also request a digital certificate of volunteering after volunteering.
Eligibility for this volunteer opportunity
To apply we recommend you live within 50 miles from the graduation venue as you can claim up to £70 in travel and £20 for subsistence expenses.
Please note that no overnight accommodation is paid.
You need to be a member of the Students Association.
Members of the Students Association are defined in Section 11 of the Students Association Articles of Association*
Applications are open now
Please note you will need to be logged into oustudents.com or if you don't have a website account, register for a website account to apply for this opportunity.
Applications close as indicated next to each graduation ceremony above.
Please click on the 'Request an application form' button below which will allow you to complete your application form, and you must complete this by the closing date and time to be considered for this opportunity.
All volunteers sign an OU Students Association Volunteer Policy and volunteer within the OU Students Association Volunteer Agreement. If you have any queries or require the application form in an alternative format, please contact oustudents-volunteer@open.ac.uk.