Youthpass is a European recognition instrument for identifying and documenting learning outcomes. Youthpass certificates are available for projects under Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps, for all project types except the general DiscoverEU action. You can use your Youthpass when writing your CV. Our guide on what Youthpass is explains the certificate in detail, and how to prepare your Europass CV covers the CV format.
Last updated: October 2026.
Can you use Youthpass when you write your CV?
Yes: you can use your Youthpass when writing your CV. The Youthpass flyer for young people in Erasmus+ youth projects and the Youthpass letter to European Solidarity Corps participants name what the certificate is good for:
📝 Describe your project: You can use your Youthpass to describe what you did and learned during your project.
🗣️ Explain your competences: You can show or explain your competences to others, e.g. in a job interview, at school or for further projects.
💼 Approach employers: You can highlight your competences towards a potential employer or use the Youthpass as a door-opener.
Our guide on ESC on your CV gives example bullet points.
What do you write about your project on a CV?
Write the organisation's name and your task description, not just "I volunteered", and give concrete results: how many people you reached, how many activities you ran, in which language you worked. Volunteers gain these things in an ESC project:
🗣️ A foreign language: used as a tool in daily life, not as a lesson (shopping, explaining something to a colleague, talking to a doctor), and often some of the host country's language.
🌍 Intercultural competence: from sharing a home and work with volunteers from other countries.
🏠 Independent living: cooking, managing a budget, handling official matters and solving problems alone.
💼 Professional experience: in real organisations such as associations, schools, social service centres, environmental organisations and cultural centres.
📋 Project and organisation skills: many volunteers organise their own small activity (a workshop, a show, a campaign).
🔍 Self-knowledge: what you like, what you cannot do, how you act under pressure.
Our guide on whether Erasmus+ or ESC helps your career looks at what the experience gives you after the project.
How does Youthpass describe your competences?
In the European Solidarity Corps, Youthpass describes your competences using the eight key competences that the European Commission has drawn up to highlight the importance of lifelong learning. The eight key competences make it easier for employers, educational institutions and other individuals and organisations to recognise your competences at a glance. For young participants in Erasmus+ (such as Youth Exchanges and Youth Participation Activities) and in the European Solidarity Corps (such as Volunteering and Solidarity projects), Youthpass uses the revised framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning to describe learning outcomes. For youth workers and team members, Youthpass uses the European Training Strategy Competence Model for Youth Workers to Work Internationally instead.
Our guide on what Youthpass is lists the eight key competences, what a training course is explains the youth worker format, and mobility of youth workers covers the projects behind it.
Which CV format can you use?
The Europass CV builder makes it easy to create your CV online, and you can use it to apply for a job, education or training opportunities as well as volunteering. Our guide on how to prepare your Europass CV goes through the sections.
Which sections can you add to a LinkedIn profile?
On LinkedIn, you can use "Add profile section" in the introduction section to include the following in your profile: Core, Recommended and Additional sections.
🧱 Core: About, Education, Position, Services, Career break, Skills.
⭐ Recommended: Featured, Licenses & certifications, Projects, Courses, Recommendations.
➕ Additional: Volunteer experience, Publications, Patents, Honors & awards, Test scores, Languages, Organizations, Causes.
Our guide on ESC on your CV gives example lines for the experience itself.
How can an employer check your Youthpass?
Each Youthpass certificate has an ID that can be verified at youthpass.eu/qualitycontrol or by QR code. Our guide on what Youthpass is shows what the certificate contains.
What if you have not received your Youthpass?
Contact the organisation first; if there is no answer within 14 days, contact the Youthpass helpdesk (youthpass@jfemail.de) with project name, dates, project number if available, organisation name and contact person. Youthpass certificates are not stored or issued centrally, and only project organisers can issue them. Projects that ended more than six years ago are deleted under EU data protection rules.
In ESC volunteering, Youthpass must be issued; who issues it (host or support organisation) varies and should be clear in the activity agreement. Ask your ESC host organisation for the Youthpass certificate at least one week before you return home; a Youthpass left to the last day is either incomplete or never issued. Our guide on the supporting organisation explains the two organisations.
Frequently asked questions
Do people attach Youthpass to job applications?
Yes: one participant in the Youthpass Impact Study 2012-2013 attached the Youthpass certificate to the documents sent when applying for a job. In the same answer: "I was asked in an interview about this aspect of my CV and later I got the job". Our guide on what comes after your project walks through the return home.
Is Youthpass a diploma or a qualification?
No: Youthpass is not a diploma or a professional qualification and does not bring a job or recognition on its own. The value of Youthpass is that it makes your learning structured and easy to explain. Our guide on getting your learning recognised compares Youthpass with ECTS.
Do employers recognise Youthpass?
Yes: Youthpass is recognised in practice by employers and universities. Our guide on getting your learning recognised goes through the recognition tools.
Is the Youthpass the same for a training course as for ESC volunteering?
No: for youth workers and team members, Youthpass uses the European Training Strategy Competence Model for Youth Workers to Work Internationally instead of the eight key competences. Young participants in Youth Exchanges, Youth Participation Activities, Volunteering and Solidarity projects use the revised framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. Our guide on what a Youth Exchange is explains the young participants' format.
Where do you find a project that comes with a Youthpass?
Youthpass certificates are available for projects under Erasmus+ Youth and the European Solidarity Corps, for all project types except the general DiscoverEU action. Youth Works Hub has a Match page that finds projects suited to you: it asks 8 questions and shows the results as a swipeable deck of cards. Using Match requires creating an account on the site; signing up with Google is available but not required. Our guide on how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where the offers are published.
Related pages: what Youthpass is · how to prepare your Europass CV · ESC on your CV · what comes after your project · whether Erasmus+ or ESC helps your career · getting your learning recognised
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
