The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is the national accreditation and awarding body for Scotland. Our purpose is to help people fulfil their potential and maintain standards across Scottish education. We engage with learners, schools, colleges and training providers across Scotland, the rest of the UK and internationally, to develop, maintain, and improve a framework of qualifications, and to set and maintain standards for many other awarding bodies, and accredited qualifications.

The Volunteering Skills Awards at SCQF Levels 3, 4 and 5 (all with 18 SCQF credit points) sit under the umbrella of SQA Wider Achievement Qualifications and provide formal recognition and certification of volunteering competencies.


Through participation in volunteering activities, learners develop a range of knowledge and skills, and gain experience which can help to prepare them for further responsibility and employment.

Participants learn about different volunteering contexts; plan a volunteering activity; and then review and reflect on what they have learned.

The Awards also support learners to build a range of transferable skills such as planning, reviewing, managing tasks and working with others.

Each Award has three mandatory Units:
• Preparing to Volunteer – learn about the skills needed for different volunteering roles
• Volunteering Experience – become a volunteer and recognise the benefits of your work
• Volunteering: Investigative Project – carry out a project to investigate an area of volunteering

With no formal entry requirements, the awards are open to all learners, regardless of age, academic achievement or previous experience and may be delivered in schools, colleges, community organisations and volunteer involving organisations (VIOs).

Approved centres may deliver the Volunteering Skills Awards to those who already volunteer or wish to volunteer within their own organisations. This might include school pupils (S3 – S6) and students or people who just wish to contribute their time to supporting learners of all ages, a charity, or working in a community of shared interest.

Further information