Employees taking on a two week international placement to take part in charity work

CVS has launched an initiative to encourage up to twelve of its staff to undertake voluntary work overseas every year.  The company already supports veterinary charity WVS which offers a variety of international placements for volunteers. 

CVS candidates wishing to volunteer are asked to provide a submission, specifying the charity they wish to support and what they hope to achieve during a two week placement.  They will take one week as holiday and be given one week as paid leave of absence. 

Commenting on the launch of the scheme, CVS Chief Executive Simon Innes said: "Many of our staff already undertake voluntary work in their own time or during holidays and they tell us what a rewarding experience it can be.  

"In addition to the obvious benefit that volunteers bring to the animals and people they help, working abroad and in a very different conditions can add greatly to their own personal development and life experience.  From this point of view, we see it as an investment in them and in their future career with us.  We look forward to hearing about the experiences of the first twelve volunteers who take up the scheme this year." 

James Florence, Managing Director of WVS, added:  "WVS is delighted to be working with CVS with this new initiative. Our volunteers are working all over the world, providing a vital veterinary lifeline to many charities that would otherwise go without. With extra volunteers, we can achieve so much more, so CVS staff will be making a real difference to improve animal welfare worldwide."