The Salesian Reconoce project helps youth certify their volunteer skills for better employment prospects

(MissionNewswire)  The Salesian Reconoce project was officially established as an association on Dec. 5 at a signing ceremony held at the Youth Council of Spain in Madrid. The project will certify the skills youth acquire in volunteer programs to improve participants’ work prospects. Volunteer positions provide youth hands-on, real world experience that helps them develop the skills needed for employment. The goal is to qualify this experience in such a way that bolsters their work prospects.

“This project is essential for all young people, as the skills acquired during volunteering can be fundamental in the selection process,” said Elena Ruiz Cebrián, president of the Youth Council of Spain.

Luis Caballero, a representative of the Youth Institute of Spain, noted, “A team of young people has developed a valid and rigorous instrument to qualify volunteer experience. It was important to make this project a legal association because of the great work that it does. Reconoce is recognized as a priority for the Youth Institute because it is born of young people and links non-formal education to employment.”

Santiago Domínguez, president of Reconoce, added, “The more than 20,000 young people from all over Spain who are part of Reconoce are the real engines of social change and must be considered by all as the entrepreneurial fabric for their unique skills acquired during the voluntary service.”

Salesian missionaries have been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical and vocational training programs. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 percent of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14 percent less than men and represent only 34.5 percent of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Spain – “Reconoce” officially constitutes itself as an association

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain