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Italy’s decree on volunteer skills recognition turned one on Saturday 24 October 2026, a year after its publication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale. It lets volunteers who log at least 60 hours in 12 months obtain an attestation usable in schools, universities and public competitions. For trainers and career advisers, the question now is how many volunteers can actually prove what they learned.
Key facts
- The Ministerial Decree of 31 July 2025, signed by the Labour Minister with the Education, University and Public Administration ministers, was published in Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 248 on 24 October 2025.
- Competences are assessed over a minimum of 60 hours within 12 months, with a personalised project and a dedicated tutor.
- Volunteers receive a transparency document, and an attestation only if they complete at least 75% of the planned duration.
- The United Nations declared 2026 the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (Resolution 78/127); the UN estimates about 1 billion volunteers worldwide.
- European volunteering networks count at least 50 validation tools across Europe, described as fragmented and poorly visible.
How does Italy’s 60-hour rule work?
The decree implements article 19 of the Third Sector Code (Legislative Decree 117/2017). It treats volunteering as a non-formal learning context for social, civic and transversal skills, and links it to the national competence certification system set up by Legislative Decree 13/2013.
The process has three layers. Authorised Third Sector bodies identify and document competences. Each volunteer signs a personalised project at the start, stating duration and learning goals, and a tutor collects evidence along the way. Formal validation and certification remain with the public bodies entitled to issue them.
At the end comes paperwork. The transparency document, signed by both the organisation and the volunteer, lists outcomes, evidence and actual hours.
What the decree does not say
Press coverage last year spoke of university credits of up to 12 CFU. The decree text sets no such rule: its preamble only recalls that universities may recognise credits within existing limits. On public competitions, article 6 says the competences may serve as useful attestations “within legal limits”, leaving the weight to each administration. Europass is not mentioned at all.
Volunteer skills recognition across Europe: too many tools?
Italy is not short of volunteers. ISTAT figures for 2023, reported by Orizzonte Scuola, show 9.1% of people aged 15 and over volunteered in the four weeks surveyed, about 4.7 million, down 3.6 points from 2013. A separate ISTAT release in July 2026 found 36.2% of adults helped someone outside their household in 2024, against 22.8% in 1998. Organised volunteering is shrinking while informal help grows.
That shift matters for recognition. Informal help leaves no paper trail.
| Level | What exists | Main gap |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | 60-hour attestation under the July 2025 decree | Uptake data not yet published |
| Europe | At least 50 validation tools | Fragmented, unevenly used |
| Global (IVY 2026) | UN call to recognise and measure volunteering | About 70% of volunteering is informal |
At the Centre for European Volunteering (CEV) spring congress in Maia, Portugal, more than 100 delegates agreed that the problem is not missing tools but poor visibility and uneven use. They called for validation open to volunteers of every age.
A verifiable record, activity by activity
One possible answer is a personal dossier that records each activity as it happens. The free Libretto® del Volontariato from EdVerso International is designed for this: a digital booklet that makes volunteer work verifiable, one activity at a time, and that the volunteer keeps.
What this means for trainers and career advisers
Volunteer skills recognition starts before the first shift. Organisations hosting volunteers can start each placement with written learning goals and assign a tutor, so that the evidence exists when the attestation is requested.
- Ask volunteers to record dates, hours and tasks from day one.
- Translate activities into skill language that recruiters recognise, such as coordination, budgeting or public speaking.
- Check with universities and public employers how they weigh attestations before promising credits or points.
Readers interested in portable proof of learning can see our report on a digital skills passport in Parma and our analysis of automatic recognition in Europe.
FAQ
Who issues the volunteering attestation in Italy?
Authorised Third Sector bodies run the identification service and issue the attestation; validation and certification sit with entitled public bodies.
Does the attestation guarantee extra points in public competitions?
No. The decree says the competences may be useful within legal limits, and each administration applies its own rules.
What if I volunteer fewer than 60 hours a year?
The decree’s attestation does not apply below that threshold, but a dated personal record can still support a CV or interview.
Sources:
- Decree of 31 July 2025, full text (GU no. 248, 24 Oct 2025)
- Tecnica della Scuola – Competence certification in the Gazzetta Ufficiale
- ISTAT – Volunteering releases
- Orizzonte Scuola – ISTAT data on volunteering
- UNV – International Volunteer Year 2026
- IVY 2026 Global Call to Action – Europe’s response (CEV)
