Challenges of Non-formal and Informal Learning Validation in Europe

1. Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non-formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury* * Center of Studies - Alpha Group (Paris) European trade union institute Brussels, 26 November 2014

2. EU: Major challenges in Education in Training • The long-proclaimed European goal of Life Long Learning: - … contrasts sharply with the mediocrity of delivery(Europe 2020 strategy) (e.g. large proportion of earlyleavers in the education system; low rate of participation of adults to LLL activies) - no real catching up of countrieslagging behind: persistent heterogeneity of EU countries • Furthermore, thereisclearevidence in EU of: - widespreadskillsmismatches - increasing professional mobilities to come in the middle/long run (generationalrenewal…) • An innovativeway to enhanceskills and educationlevelsin EU: recognizeskillsthatexist, but that are non yetrecognized or certified - themeadressed in the « actors, practices and challenges of non-formal and informallearning and its validation » Project… - … a comprehensivesurvey of practices and issues arising in the areas of validation of non-formal and informallearning (NFIL) in EU

3. The actors, practices and challenges of non-formal and informal learning and its validation project • AnETUC initiative, funded by the European Commission: - lead in 2011-2012 by a team of Groupe Alpha - 10-country sample (DK, FI, DE, ES, FR, IT, PL, PT, RO, UK) - spread out and updated in a Europeanconferencein Lisbon (June 2012) and in a bookpublished by ETUI (2014) • Validation of non-formaland informallearning? Non-formallearning: part of structuredlearningactivities, intentional … & Informal learning: part of dailyactivitiesrelated to work, family, leisure, etc., generally not intentional…  … don’t lead to certification Validation of NFIL: acknowledgement by a qualified institution that the acquired competences have been evaluated and are in compliance withdefined standards

4. A large diversity in the experience of NFIL validation practices in EU: Maturity of the validation systems - 3 groups of countries • Countries withvalidation frameworks at the national level, targeting all economicsectors - validation systemsare part of the LLL system - high involvement of social partners  Danemark, Finland, France, Portugal (until the crisis?) • Countries where the implementation of validation devicesisfirstlythe result of local iniatives - voluntarinessof social partners - targetspecificsectors or professions  Italy, Spain • Countries withincomplete validation systems, whomdevelopmentis not considered as priority - VET system unequallydevelopped - marginal role of validation  Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Roumania

5. A large diversity in the experiences of NFIL validation practices in EU: the involvement of social partners • Upstream:concerteddefinition of occupation standards in Sectoral Councils - social partnerstypicallyinvolved, with E&T experts - identification of requiredcompetences (renewal of occupational profiles) fixation / update of the directories of occupational qualifications • Downstream: through collective (sectoral or firm-level) bargaining - specific collective agreementscouldorganize training & validation process - … but fear of wage claims or of losingworkers to competitorsmakeemployersreluctant  collective bargaining: to create « win-win » situations … unfortunately, too few examples of suchagreements in EU • Thelink ‘LLL - skills recognition’isreinforced through the existence of dedicatedorganismswhere social partners are stakeholders (Finland, Portugal) - complementaritytraining - NFIL validation allows validation not beperceivedlike a ‘lowcost certification’ (valorishesskills) - pathwaysbetweensystemsrenders the mode of skills certification more flexible

6. Why is the NFIL validation important ? (1/2) • Benefitsof NFIL validation for the worker: - Rising wage? Not frequentnorautomatic … depends of the linkbetwenwagelevel and classification into the firm … not frequentlymentioned in collective agreements! - most direct benefit:Higheremployabilityin general, and smootherprofessional transitions … possibility of internal and external professional mobility … Individualsskills more recognized, more autonomy… • Benefits of NFIL validation for the firm and the economy: - allowsemployers to have a better perception of skillsof theiremployees and of possible candidates to hire - … enhances the matchingbetweenlaborsupply and demand(enrichment of competence, risinglevel of education) - favoursinsertion of young people on the labour market(throughenhanced articulation betweenskills and qualifications/degrees)  NFIL validation contributes to implement the Learning Outcomesapproachand to improve the balance of flexicurity, by improving the employability of people and transparency of skills

7. Why is the NFIL validation important ? (2/2) • Recognition of skills as a flexible way of entry into LLL for acquiring new skills - modularityof certifiedskills(e.g. France, Finland) - possibility of combiningcomplementary training - validation of skills • NFIL validation as a second chance forindividuals - fragile populations (low-skilledworkers, olderworkers, migrants… ) distancedfrom thelabourmarketas ‘natural’ targets for validation - allowsprofessionalpathwayslessdifficult, morefullfilling • NFIL validation enhancesinnovation atworkplace favoursand valorishescreativityof workers(diversity of recognizedskills)

8. Enhance visibility and access to NFIL validation (1/2) • At the European Union level: - guidelineson validation (Cedefop) - recommandation by the European Council in Dec. 2012 on validation of NFIL (ambitious objective: implementation of national frameworks of NFIL validation, not after 2018) - Europeanmecanisms or tools as EQF: for orientation, practicalimplementation • In the same time, at the national level: - a need of operationalframeworks, transparent and efficient methods, quality control (in order to select reliable certification and training bodies…) - but the take-up of the European tools by national actors is a long process: distance to national practices is frequently high • The Groupe Alpha team presents of set of proposalsaiming at enhancingaccess& visilibilityto NFIL validation: - one major point: the development of collective bargaining on NFIL validation - a set of practicalproposalspresentedhereafter

9. Enhance visibility and access to NFIL validation (2/2) 4 sets of practicalproposals (developed in the book): • Improving coordination and follow-up of NFIL recognition and validation actions - enhanced by partnership protocols of companies with training and validation bodies, into bargaining • Informing and advisingworkersabout NFIL, its recognition and validation: - through the role of TU “learning representatives” - through the integration of NFIL validation into HR management • Supportingworkers in havingtheir competences recognised and validated - by developing training and NFIL validation as topic for bargaining - integrated into a broad field of discussion (employment, careers, transitions...) - could be a part of the services provided by TU • Encouraging the full NFIL validation of competencesthroughcomplementary module training and performant validation assessment management

10. Conclusion • NFIL Validation: a needand a major opportunityfor workers, companies & the economy  sustainable NFIL validation shouldcontributeboth to the cumulative process of risingeducationlevels and to the development of skills • Activate or give impulsion to devices of NFIL recognition for all: - development of collective bargainingon validation, through a joint rolewith public incentive(optimal wayto make validation a usual practice?) - access to validation must beenhanced(set of specific actions) • EU at a turning point: with the crisis, many social acquis erased … - a permanent freeze in the effort of E&T wouldbe a major blow to social and economicdevelopmentin Europe! - E&T must besustained (development of NFIL validation targetedtoward the mostvulnerable people)  whatplace for E&T in the €300-billion investment planproposedtoday by the European Commission?