Education Committee calls on Member States to introduce a European Skills Passport

MEPs at the Culture and Education Committee voted a report that calls on Member States for a "European Skills Passport" which could certify official recognition of skills, acquired or demonstrated through volunteering, both for professional and learning purposes. MEPs also ask Member States to create an appropriate legal framework and national strategies to this end.

According to the Culture and Education Committee in the European Parliament, volunteering is considered an important source of informal learning, young or elderly people of those from disadvantaged groups could officially use the skills thus acquired to seek a job, gain access to formal training or validate certain university courses. MEPs at this Committee therefore call on Member States to introduce a "European Skills Passport" that could certify official recognition of skills, acquired or demonstrated through volunteering, both for professional and learning purposes. The European Commission outlined this possibility in September 2011. The passport would be included on the Europass (on-line CV) model to ensure cross-border recognition of qualifications obtained through volunteering.

MEPs also stressed on the report adopted by the Culture and Education Committee that national authorities should provide teaching support and appropriate financial aid to young volunteers from disadvantaged backgrounds. Furthermore, they encourage to enable migrants and minorities to volunteer, as an essential factor in their social inclusion.

On the other hand, national and regional authorities are urged by MEPs to provide stable funding, including financial incentives for associations involved in cross-border volunteering activities, and especially small organisations with limited resources. They also highlights the need to create a European portal, centralised at EU level, to help to improve information, cooperation and the exchange of good practices among organisations active in the volunteering field.