Voluntariado em Portugal: Do trabalho invisível à validação de competências

Abstract

This article stems from a study commissioned by an NGO to a research center. The study was based on a survey of more than 300 organizations that promote volunteering and 18 interviews with regular volunteers from five areas of activity. The collected data confirmed the acquisition of soft skills through volunteering and show that there is a widespread interest in the institutional recognition of informal learning from the volunteer experience. The article concludes that the sociological analysis cannot continue to neglect volunteering as a phenomenon that booster employability.