Glasgow, 17 May 2012 Mike Coles

1. Developments in the validation of learning in the EU Glasgow, 17 May 2012 Mike Coles

2. EU policies and instruments • Copenhagen process for VET, Bologna process for higher education • Agreements on the centrality of lifelong learning policies and actions (access, permeability, progression, recognition) • The Europass as a means of sharing information about achievements • The EQF as a lifelong learning qualifications framework and the Bologna HE framework • The European credit transfer system for VET • EQAVET as a means of boosting quality (EQARF and ESG) • Guidelines on Guidance and Counselling

3. Lifelong learning • Concerned with permeability of different education and training systems, vertical or horizontal progression. • Enhanced participation, stimulating demand and ensuring provision is adapted to the needs of individuals and other users of qualifications. • Lifelong learning will impact on how learning is delivered and raise the demand for recognition of learning throughout life, and for more flexible validation and certification systems. How do we make education and training, our institutional structures and our qualifications more conducive to more, better quality and more equitable lifelong learning?

4. European Principles for validation of learning The European Inventory The European Guidelines for validation The new Recommendation

5. Principles for the validation of learning through experience • The process of making visible the full range of knowledge, skills and experiences held by an individual should be carried out so that it remains voluntary and the results of validation remain the property of the individual. • Stakeholders should establish systems and approaches that include appropriate quality assurance mechanisms and provision of guidance, counseling and information about these systems. • The roots of trust in the process of validation depends on fairness, transparency and quality assurance and the choice of robust methodologies. 4. Credibility and legitimacy are based on participation of relevant stakeholders, avoidance of conflict of interest and clear professional standards of those carrying out the validation.

6. The Inventories • Now we have 4 series • All sectors covered including companies and volunteering organisations • Clear positive trends since 2002 but structural barriers identified • Packed with detailed examples, instruments and evaluative comments http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/about-cedefop/projects/validation-of-non-formal-and-informal-learning/european-inventory.aspx

7. Expectations of validation of experience (1) • support mobility in education/training and the labour market • promote ‘efficiency’ within education and training (ensuring that individuals are able to access tailored learning opportunities) • promote equality of opportunity for individuals to achieve recognition for their skills and competences, regardless of where these were acquired • support disadvantaged groups such as immigrants and refugees, the unemployed, older workers

8. Expectations of validation of experience (2) • support lifelong learning by making it more likely that lifelong recognition of learning is possible • achieve coherence with other (EU) countries • address sectoral needs in relation to skills shortages in order to comply with regulations regarding professional qualifications • support the response to demographic change • combat a qualifications deficit

9. The basic structure of validation processes Orientation: everything that happens to support the learner in advance, during and after the assessment process Assessment: the process of presenting evidence and the judgement of its quality and sufficiency Audit: a post validation process to check the effectiveness and efficiency of the validation process Checklists: for conditions, practical stages, knowledge requirements of professionals, expected outcomes

10. Success factors • Partnership-working and consultation • Sufficient financial and human resources • Training and guidance for staff involved to support policy and legislation • Use of clear reference points such as standards and qualification levels • Developing methodologies which are competence-based • Quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation to ensure fairness and build confidence • Learning from others and sharing experiences

11. Barriers to Success • High levels of trust in the traditions and culture of validation of formal learning, hostility towards non traditional qualifications • Perceptions of lengthy and complex procedures for validation of non formal and informal learning • Poor access to information about validation procedures • Low personal expectations from potential candidates for validation, especially low-skilled males • Employers fear of greater contractual / salary demands • Some private sector bodies consider validation to be a public sector responsibility, private sector unwillingness to share experiences

12. The Recommendation What is a Recommendation? Why this tool? Validation is generally making a limited impact on lifelong learning practices in the EU. Feedback from countries points to a number of challenges. • Validation arrangements are not sufficiently known or accessible to individual users • Coordination of validation initiatives taken at national, regional, local and sectoral levels is generally lacking • Validation arrangements are not properly integrated into regular qualifications systems making it difficult for the outcomes of the validation process to be used for accumulation and transfer purposes • Validation arrangements do not interact sufficiently with other instruments and services; notably guidance, credit transfer etc. • The outcomes of validation are not trusted as equal in quality to those of formal education and training institutions • Validation is not generally seen and treated as an integrated part of human resource development practices in enterprises

13. Final messages • The link to the formal qualifications system is fundamental (mutual trust, mutual benefit, higher currency) • Standards are a key component of high quality, high trust processes • Sustainability is the key challenge • If qualifications systems are to respond to the challenge of lifelong learning and economic challenges the validation of learning acquired outside the formal system needs to be taken seriously and developed systematically. These factors are all evident in the contrasting systems that are described next.

14. Thanks mike.coles@virgin.net