Do you wish to work in the third sector? CEU Universities can be your springboard

NGOs and non-profit organizations and social entities in general keep increasing their payrolls and seek ever more commonly personalized profiles. If you wish to work in the third sector, either in Spain or abroad, you will find very useful the experience in volunteer work and the mastering of languages gained if you study at CEU Universities. Also, having a sound social motivation is nearly essential to develop a professional activity in these areas. Either humanitarian aid, international cooperation or in general social action, higher and specialized education is also important to opt to higher responsibility positions.

Which are the requirements to work in the third sector?

• Having a social vocation. Not only aid workers or social educators should have it. Regardless of your tasks, you have to believe in the purpose of your organization and have the education most adjusted to your position.
• Demanding education. It is essential to have higher education to carry out high-level tasks efficiently.
• Languages. Mastering at least one language in addition to your mother tongue is key for internal and external communication in most organizations with projects abroad.
• Experience in volunteer work. It is a first and highly valuable approach to the sector that helps you know from the inside how organizations work as well as to acquire skills that will improve your professional profile.

Which are the skills most required for third sector positions?

Management and coordination, administration and finances, logistics, direct attention, communication and marketing, cooperation, fundraising, management of projects, technology, legal, human resources…The needs of an NGO are broad. But having all this soft skills will ease you the access to the employment you are looking for in the third and solidary sector:

• Leadership.
• Initiative and autonomy.
• Organization capacity.
• Interpersonal communication.
• Negotiation capacity.
• Team work.
• Analysis and resolution of problems.
• Continuous learning capacity.
• Adaptation to changes and flexibility.
• Enthusiasm.

Social entities give ever more importance to these skills. Without doubt, a good way to acquire them is with volunteer work that forces us to face new situations that will require from us different solutions in addition to the personal enrichment involved in working with other people to reach a common objective. You may join very different initiatives at your CEU University. But also the education offered by our university centres is practical, oriented to employability and therefore to the development of soft skills. There is no doubt that holding a degree in a prestigious academic institution such as CEU will be another important pro when finding a job in the third sector.

An academic offer adjusted to market demands

CEU is strongly committed to the positive transformation of the society and the transmission of Christian values to the world and therefore solidarity and encouragement of social change are constantly present in all degrees. Therefore in addition to the academic offer of CEU of degree and double degree, in CEU Universities you will find highly specialized education in the third sector. These are only a few examples:

• University Master in Social, Political and Institutional Communication (CEU San Pablo).
• Degree in Expert in Inclusive Communication (CEU Cardenal Herrera).
• University Master in Management and Communication of Social and Charity Entities (CEU Abat Oliba).