Policy framework 

Serbia does not have a unique top-level policy that enables the transferability and recognition of skills and competences acquired through volunteering. However, the Law on Volunteering specifies that the organiser of volunteering is obligated to provide the volunteers with a written confirmation of their voluntary work, upon their request. This confirmation consists of

• a volunteer’s personal information, 
• volunteering organiser’s information,
• a brief description of volunteering services and activities, 
• period of volunteering and
• information on preparatory trainings for conducting volunteering services and activities.

Additionally, the National Employment Service of Serbia included the questions regarding volunteering in two documents that unemployed persons provide to the Service in order to be registered. Mentioned documents are: 

• Registration Form (Obrazac za prijavljivanje na evidenciju) and 
• Information on Professional Experience (Informacije o profesionalnom iskustvu). 

There is a common view at the state level that these aspects of the voluntary work should be further elaborated and formally supported from the state authorities. Step in that direction was already taken in January 2019 by making the youth work a profession, i.e. by including the youth worker as a profession in the new Classification Register (Šifarnik zanimanja). 

Although there is no top-level responsible authority for validation and recognition of skills gained through volunteering, currently, the mechanisms for recognition of competencies acquired informally are being discussed and defined. 

Existing arrangements 

The arrangements and mechanisms for skills recognition at the state level are yet to be developed.



Some higher-education institutions (HEI) do validate the knowledge, skills and competences acquired in voluntary work through diploma supplement, or, rarely, though ECTS points, but this depends only on the decision of HEI’s itself.