This is a collaboration agreement signed after several years of working together, for the recognition of young people's work skills in non-formal education and volunteering in order to improve their employability.
The 2015 study "The employment situation of youth volunteering: skills and employability" revealed that volunteering significantly improves the chances of finding a job.
The research was conducted by the Confederation of Don Bosco Youth Centres, the "Didania" Federation and the "ASDE" Scouts of Spain. It was also carried out by the specialised consulting company "Volunteering and Strategy". The study found that the youth unemployment rate decreased by 29 points if young people volunteered. It also emerged that the skills acquired through volunteering were (and are) the most requested by employers. This research is the basis of RECONOCE, which aims to highlight the value of volunteers working in youth organizations and to improve the employability of young people.
The General Director of INJUVE, Margarita Guerrero, and the Deputy Director of the organisation, David Lafuente, participated in the signing of the agreement. RECONOCE was represented by its President, Santiago Domínguez, and by the Director, David Arduengo.
Margarita Guerrero stressed that "the Spanish Youth Institute supports these initiatives, we recognise them [...] they are a great experience and represent a huge contribution to the professional development of volunteers".
Guerrero then went on to explain that a third of the people who volunteer are young. Moreover, they do not do it to improve their employability, "but because they want to change the world, and that is what motivates them every morning".
For this reason, RECONOCE wants to tell them that "all these actions also serve to improve their employability". INJUVE seeks to underline this aspect because, according to Margarita Guerrero, "youth unemployment is a task on which we must work together".
But what specifically does this collaboration agreement provide for?
The aim of this agreement is to transform the recognition system into a general system of accreditation of skills in the different activities offered by youth facilities in Spain. Thanks to this impulse, young people will be able to enjoy a certificate that recognizes not only their participation, but also the skills acquired and developed and that multiplies their value in terms of job search.
INJUVE and RECONOCE collaborate to recognise the skills of young people. The signing of the agreement makes it possible to formalise a collaboration that has been in place for years. In addition, it gives a boost to the project initiated by the non-profit association, allowing it to reach a greater number of young people and implement improvements to meet the needs of Spanish youth.
