Policy framework

Montenegro currently lacks a unified national policy that systematically enables the transferability and formal recognition of skills and competences acquired through volunteering, particularly in the context of education or employment. However, certain recognition mechanisms are regulated under the Law on Voluntary Work (“Official Gazette of Montenegro”, Nos. 26/10, 31/14, 42/17).

Key Recognition Mechanisms in the Legal Framework

• Volunteer Booklet (Article 29)
  Every volunteer is issued a volunteer booklet by the competent local authority. The organiser of volunteering is required to record the following:

  • the duration of the volunteer engagement,
  • the type of tasks performed,
  • the skills and knowledge acquired, including both formal and non-formal training.

  This document serves as official proof of engagement and skill development and may be used as a reference when applying for jobs or youth support programmes.

• Volunteering Recognised as Work Experience (Article 12a)

  
  If a volunteering agreement is signed with a person seeking to gain professional qualifications, knowledge, or skills in a specific occupation, the law provides that such engagement may be formally recognised as work experience. This applies especially to young people undertaking preparatory or trainee volunteer positions.

• Legal Obligations of Volunteer Organisers
  Organisers are legally required to:
• keep records for each volunteer,
• provide feedback on results and skill acquisition,
• issue a certificate of volunteering upon completion of the engagement.

This certificate can be valuable for scholarship applications, employment, or participation in international exchange programmes.

While the legal framework offers an institutional basis for recognition, systematic validation and standardisation of volunteering-related skills remain underdeveloped in practice. A lack of alignment with educational standards and labour market requirements limits the full potential of volunteering as a youth employability tool.

Additionally:

• There is no centralised register of volunteers.
• There is no mechanism to link the volunteer booklet with the National Qualifications Framework or a digital skills portfolio.

Volunteering experiences that involve teamwork, communication, leadership, intercultural exchange, and community engagement hold significant value in building soft and professional skills. However, without a clear institutional recognition mechanism, their practical value remains constrained.

Existing arrangements

The Youth Strategy 2023–2027 recognises the pressing need to establish a robust validation system for non-formal and informal learning—volunteering included—to formally acknowledge young people's contributions to their communities and personal development. The Strategy recommends revising the legislative framework and investing in digital tools, such as an e‑volunteer booklet, to improve documentation and recognition of volunteer‑acquired skills.

Currently, Montenegro lacks a unified mechanism that systematically recognises and validates volunteering-based competences in educational systems and the labour market. Although volunteering is partially acknowledged under the Law on Voluntary Work—through the issuance of volunteer booklets and, in certain cases, recognition as work experience—there is no comprehensive national framework to formalise these competencies.

The Examination Centre of Montenegro offers the only formal pathway for validating skills gained through non-formal learning, including volunteering, but this mechanism is limited to specific professional qualifications and is not inherently connected to volunteer experiences unless tied to vocational goals (Guide through the System of Non‑Formal Education in Montenegro, Link: https://crnvo.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Vodic-kroz-sistem-neformalnog-obrazovanja-u-Crnoj-Gori.pdf).

The Youth Strategy emphasises removing procedural barriers and improving access to recognise skills earned through non-formal education and volunteering. It also highlights the importance of clear, tailored information tailored for young people, educational institutions, employers, and NGOs.

While Youthpass, an EU-developed tool for documenting learning in Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects, has occasionally been used in Montenegro, its adoption remains very limited. The Youth Strategy notes that it lacks formal recognition from both educational institutions and employers—diminishing its effectiveness for young jobseekers.

In practice, recognition of volunteer skills in Montenegro mostly relies on personal initiative—such as CVs, NGO-issued recommendation letters, and personal networking. Without an institutionalised validation pathway, the potential of volunteering to foster youth employability and lifelong learning is significantly underutilised.

To address these gaps, intersectoral cooperation is essential. This would involve the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the Ministry of Education, employment authorities, employers’ associations, and civil society working together to develop a clear national model. Such a model should align with EU frameworks such as Youthpass (Erasmus+), Europass, and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) to ensure transparency, coherence and recognition across educational and professional domains.