People who volunteer to work abroad are facing a "skills trap" when they return to the UK, according to a new report.

A study by the think-tank Demos together with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) says companies are failing to recognise skills that workers may have picked up.

It says people who have spent time working abroad gain many valuable skills which should be eagerly sought after by UK companies.

But it found many employers regard time spent overseas as a career break, rather than career development.

And in some cases, overseas experience has led to demotion rather than career progression.

Skills wasted

Not all companies are guilty of ignoring the new skills of their workers according to the VSO, and it says there are some "beacons" of good practice.

But too often new skills are not utilised.

"Although employers talk a lot about flexibility and innovation, many seem to be unable to put these ideas into practice when faced with people who have pursued unconventional career paths," says Gillian Thomas, the report's author.

"Although overseas volunteers are often given far more management responsibility than they had in the UK, they are often forced to take lower salaries when they return home."

Experience and confidence

Valerie Mower took a break from her job with a local council to work in a children's home in Belize for two years.

But on return to the UK she found she had to work in a lower paid job than the one she left.

She says her time with VSO helped her to approach new tasks in a more positive way.

"With VSO you get a lot of experience and get a lot of confidence so when you come back you think 'I can do that'."

The report says volunteers develop skills such as adaptability, innovation, relationship building and global awareness.

"International volunteers have gained a first-hand understanding of what globalisation and working in and amongst people with different cultural beliefs means at ground level," says Mark Goldring, chief executive at VSO.

"This knowledge can be as useful to an inner city local authority in Britain as it is in a development project in sub-Saharan Africa."