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1. Policy Framework

2. Existing arrangements

Policy Framework

The Volunteering Law, in force since 2014, regulates the recognition of skills developed by volunteers. The mechanism of skills recognition is based only on the evaluation of the host organisation and the self-evaluation of the volunteer (similar to the Youthpass). This is a form of certifying volunteering and can include validation of skills and competences and a formal certificate proving the volunteering is issued by the host organisation according to the Volunteering Law.

However, no public official authority is responsible for the validation and recognition of skills. Moreover, no top level regulation/policy is using/valuing the competences validation (there are no transferable credits or anything similar).

The Law on adult education (Government Ordinance no. 129/2000 on the professional training of adults) regulate the official (state endorsed) recognition of knowledge, skills and competences acquired outside training programmes. The recognition is based on an evaluation procedure, organised by a certified training provider on the same way the training provider evaluate its trainees. Skills and competences acquired through volunteering can be certified in this way as a result of a test presented and evaluated by a committee of trainers and experts in the field, during an exam organised by a Certified Competences Recognition Centre. The framework for skills and competences certification is not specific for volunteering (most often, skills and competences acquired informally through paid work experience are certified in this way). The certification is available for persons of all ages, it is not youth specific.

Existing arrangements

Young people having participated in voluntary activities can validate the knowledge, skills and competences acquired based on a certificate endorsed by the host organisation (similar to the Youthpass) and/or based on an exam and formal evaluation organised by a certified training provider, being able to get a certificate endorsed by the Ministry of Labour through the National Authority on Qualifications.

The recognition of knowledge, skills and competences acquired by volunteers is useful on the labour market, but is not used systematically within the system of formal education.

There is no special regulation of the possibility for young volunteers to obtain ECTS and/or ECVET credits. For the Vocational Education, the Law of preuniversity learning (Law no. 198/2023) does not provide the legal framework necessary for the synergies between national validation arrangements available to young volunteers and European credit system. For the university level, the Law of higher education (Law no. 199/2023) stipulates that universities are free to regulate their system of European credits for voluntary activities of student. 

The quality assurance of the system of validation of skills acquired in different (informal) contexts, verifications are made on a randomly selected sample of exams by the National Authority on Qualifications.