Valuing my experience
You have acquired knowledge and know-how through your voluntary activities. You have the opportunity to have your skills and commitment officially recognised. In this section you will find the different ways to have your voluntary involvement recognised.
- CERTIFICATE, A TOOL FOR ORGANISATIONS AND VOLUNTEERS
What is CERTIFICATE?
CERTIFICATE enables organisations to issue certificates to participants in their projects and training courses or to their volunteer employees listing the skills they have developed.
The certificates are completed using a list of competences that has been established with the CERTIFICATE partners to develop a coherent vocabulary of competences.
Participants can consult their competences and certificates on CERTIFICATE and use it in combination with ePortfolio to build a complete application and to document their (professional or other) career pathway.
Who can use CERTIFICATE?
CERTIFICATE is intended for all those interested in or involved in training offers, non-formal education activities or voluntary work.
Any association, institution or service active in this field and issuing certificates of competence for their participants or volunteers on a regular or occasional basis can register as an organisation. CERTIFICATE is suitable for writing certificates for groups as well as for individuals. In addition, CERTIFICATE facilitates the management of participant lists and certificates.
Registered participants can view their competences and certificates online. Competences can be included individually and in accordance with Europass-CV in the CV established with ePortfolio.
What is the purpose of CERTIFICATE?
Many things can be learned outside of work or school, be it through targeted training, volunteer work or collaboration in extracurricular projects. CERTIFICATE serves to document the competences developed during such activities and thus to highlight them.
The common competence vocabulary simplifies communication within the extracurricular and voluntary sectors and conveys a consistent message to the outside world. The shared language and visual appearance increases the recognition value with potential employers and for university applications.
CERTIFICATE is a tool for valuing the experiences of young people and adults who commit themselves to a community in their free time or who willingly accept additional challenges.
- CERTIFICATION OF COMMITMENT
During a voluntary service, the volunteer gains practical experience and develops skills such as working in a team or how to plan and implement a project. The certificate of commitment is an official document issued by the National Youth Service recognising young people's voluntary experience and attesting to the competences that the young person has acquired during their voluntary work or as a volunteer.
The certificate describes the young person's general mission, the tasks carried out during their voluntary work and the skills they have acquired during their activities.
The attestation of commitment can be used as additional information, for example when looking for a job, and is part of the more general framework of lifelong learning and the validation of acquired experience.
The attestation is issued exclusively to young people under the age of 30 who have spent at least 400 hours in voluntary work or who have completed a minimum of three months of uninterrupted, full-time voluntary service in
- in a youth organisation;
- in a youth organisation;
- in a youth service organisation;
- in a project carried out by a group of young people.
The applicant must also have completed either training courses of at least 150 hours in the youth sector or in the socio-cultural, socio-educational or sports fields, or the training provided for in the framework of voluntary service.
The aim of the certificate of commitment is to highlight the young person's commitment, to describe the tasks carried out and the skills acquired, to provide a certificate that is an asset for his or her socio-professional integration and to encourage a positive approach to education and personal development.
Applications for a certificate should be made to the National Youth Service using a specific application form. The certificate is signed by the Minister responsible for Youth.
- VALIDATION OF ACQUIRED EXPERIENCE
The validation of acquired experience (VAE) is a procedure that allows professional or extra-professional experience to be valued by certifying it. It makes it possible to obtain a certificate, a technical secondary education diploma or a master's degree in the craft industry, in whole or in part.
VAE concerns all people, regardless of age, level of study or professional situation. Candidates must have exercised their activity, in a paid or voluntary manner, continuously or not, for a period of at least three years (i.e. 5,000 hours) and in direct relation to the certification in question, may submit an application to the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth.
The certification obtained through VAE can help to find a new job, change function, progress in career or reduce the duration of a training course.
In addition, there is the personal satisfaction of having your experience formally and officially recognised.
For further information on the VAE process, contact the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth.