2.9 Skills recognition
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Policy Framework
The Department Social Support (in Dutch: Dienst Maatschappelijke Ondersteuning) of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has no special policy concerning voluntary work among young people. Volunteers policy is decentralized. Skills recognition for (young) volunteers is one of the activities of the Dutch Voluntary Organization (Vereniging Nederlandse Organisaties Vrijwilligerswerk, NOV). Their work on commissioned by the Ministry.
Existing arrangements
Youthpass is a European tool that is used in European programmes for the recognition of non-formal learning in the youth field and is developed on the European level. The Dutch government has given approval on the European level to use the tool and the programme connected to it in the Netherlands.
By decision of the European Commission, Youthpass became valid as of 1 January 2007. Sinces then. Youthpass Certificates can be issued to participants in projects funded by the 'Youth in Action' programme (2007-2013) and Erasmus+ Youth programme (2014-2020 and 2021-2027).
The National Agency of Erasmus+ Youth in the Netherlands promotes the use of the tool for all young people that participate in Erasmus+ mobility project, including the volunteering activities.
The Dutch national programme for youth volunteering, Social Service Time (Maatschappelijke Diensttijd) does not have any recognition instruments in place for young people who participated.
Since the civic internship was no longer obligatory in vocational and secondary education in 2015, see paragraph 2.1 on General principles, there is no recognition mechanism in place for voluntary activities in formal education.
There is also no overarching quality assurance for monitoring the skills recognition on a national level.