Hiring people who have volunteered internationally? Here is what they know how to do.
Young people who complete International Voluntary Service projects develop concrete, assessable competences such as autonomy, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, intercultural work and civic responsibility. The C-IVS certification makes those competences visible, comparable and verifiable.
82%
of IVS participants report gaining critical problem-solving and leadership skills
74%
of IVS volunteers are students aged 18-30
71
countries where IVS projects take place
Recognise volunteering as workforce ready learning
International Voluntary Service produces documented, assessable competences that align with and complement, the skills employers need, developed through concrete experiential learning in real-life, cross-cultural situations. Two main routes are available: recruit IVS-experienced candidates whose competences are already certified and comparable; and/or support your employees to volunteer internationally, recognising the C-IVS certification as part of your professional development and corporate volunteering offer.
Three ways to partner
| Recruit certified volunteers IVS participants return from short-term workcamps (2–4 weeks) or medium and long-term placements with a documented competence profile covering teamwork, communication, intercultural awareness, initiative, autonomy, global citizenship and more. The C-IVS certificate gives you a structured, comparable account of what they can do, not just a line on a CV. More than 15,000 young people take part in IVS projects across 71 countries every year. | Recognise the certification [actively seeking partners] Formally endorse the C-IVS framework within your recruitment and professional development processes so that candidates and employees who have completed an IVS project can have their competences recognised. The framework is aligned with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), ESCO, and the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF). We are currently seeking employer partners in Europe and Africa to join the validation network and help shape how IVS competences are understood in the labour market. |
| Send employees to volunteer internationally International voluntary service is a proven vehicle for professional development. Short, medium and long-term placements give employees direct experience of working across cultures, managing uncertainty, building relationships in unfamiliar contexts, and contributing to community-led projects. The C-IVS competence framework means that what they gain is documented and assessable, making the investment legible within your organisation’s learning and development strategy. For organisations with corporate volunteering commitments, IVS offers a structured, quality-assured route with a global network of over 170 member organisations across 80+ countries. |
What certified IVS skills look like
The tables below show the seven clusters with their corresponding competences and skills. All 29 competences are assessed through representative behavioral descriptors at three levels: Intermediate, Good, and Advanced.
| Cluster 1: Autonomy Autonomy · Resilience · Stress management · Adaptation & flexibility · Dealing with challenges |
| Cluster 2: Initiative Creativity & innovation · Problem solving · Responsibility |
| Cluster 3: Communication Active listening · Self-expression / assertiveness · Public speaking · Digital literacy · Networking |
| Cluster 4: Cooperation Teamwork · Coordination & conflict management · Organisation & time management · Civic engagement & activism |
| Cluster 5: Global understanding & citizenship Peace & human rights · Gender, diversity & inclusion · Environmental sustainability & climate justice · Decolonisation & bias awareness · Cultural heritage |
| Cluster 6: Intercultural awareness Intercultural awareness (individual) · Cultural openness (relational) · Empathy |
| Cluster 7: Cognitive competences Learning to learn · Critical thinking · Self-reflection · Confidence in oneself |
How to recognise the certification
Whether you are looking to recruit IVS-certified candidates, send employees to volunteer internationally, or formally recognise the certification within your organisation, we would like to hear from you. The C-IVS project is actively building its employer network ahead of the platform launch in late 2026, and early partners will have the opportunity to contribute to the validation process and help shape how IVS competences are understood in the labour market.
Certificates will be shareable via Europass, LinkedIn badges, and Youthpass, and will link to the full competence profile so you can see exactly which competences were assessed and at what level.
Contact us to discuss what engagement could look like for your organisation: secretariat@ccivs.org
| Join the network of employers engaging with IVS certification. Contact: secretariat@ccivs.org |
Co-funded by the European Union and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), or the Council of Europe. Neither the European Union, EACEA, nor the Council of Europe can be held responsible for them.
