A spotlight on Carol Marsh, Chair of the IET’s Volunteer Engagement Board

To support volunteers in their work, we must know what they need. How does the VEB do this?

At the moment, we’re looking at how the VEB can have greater oversight of what our volunteers need and where the IET requires more volunteers with the right skills.

We’re trying to create a dashboard that highlights what our volunteers do, where are the volunteers and what skills do they have.

We also want to hear directly from our volunteers about their experiences - both good and not-so-good.

The Young Professionals Summit took place last year and we were there listening to them. We had sessions on, ‘What could we do better?’ and ‘What do you feel needs to be done to help you going forward?

When did your connection with us start?

I went back to university quite late in life to do an Engineering Doctorate in system level integration. My thesis was on detecting stolen intellectual property in electronic circuits using thermal communication channels.

When I started at university, I was given membership of the IET, with the idea that because it was a four-year programme, with industry and academia, you could apply for your chartership.

I applied for my chartership and applied for Fellowship because I had 25 years industrial experience behind me before university.

What roles have you held across 11 years volunteering for us?

I was on the Scotland South East Local Network Board and I became the chair of that.

I’ve volunteered for IET Scotland and chaired that board too. I am now a Vice President, Trustee, Chair of the Engineering Policy Group Scotland as well as the Chair of the VEB, a Professional Registration advisor and interviewer, and a Fellow assessor.

So, I’ve had lots of roles and to me, it’s good knowing that there’s someone there that’s looking after the volunteers.

What’s one thing that the VEB is aiming to do for our volunteers?

At the board levels, and if you’re involved in the IET Council, you know what’s going on because you’re getting feedback. At every meeting, we are all given a summary of what’s happened.

I don’t think that’s always the case in the Local Networks - they don’t quite know what’s going on.

My aim is to make it a bit more known, a bit more noticed, that there is a board that’s there to look after the volunteers and without them, the IET would not run.

So, I just want to get out there and say, ‘look, I’m here, I’m here to listen, I’m here to help’.

We want to make our volunteers’ journey as good as possible.

Especially as there’s over 4,000 volunteers and without them, the IET would not run. I see my role, and the role of the VEB, as making volunteering as easy as possible.