<strong>RECOGNITION</strong> <strong>OF</strong> <strong>NON</strong>-<strong>FORMAL</strong> <strong>AND</strong> IN<strong>FORMAL</strong> COMPETENCES <strong>OF</strong> WORKERS’ REPRESENTATIVES PART II 2 / EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE <strong>RECOGNITION</strong> <strong>OF</strong> QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORS Peter Wärner, ABF Schweden (based on the work of Kerstin Mustel), Agata Patecka and Maurice Claassens, SOLIDAR Photo credits: © Hongqi Zhang / 123rf.com 12
PART II 2 / ¬ European Unions’ education and training policies have gained impetus since the adoption of the Lisbon Strategy in 2000, the EU‘s overarching programme focusing on growth and jobs. The strategy recognized that knowledge, and the innovation it sparks, are the EU‘s most valuable assets, particularly in light of increasing global competition 1 and combating the current economic and social crisis. In that same context the European Council 2 emphasis that education and training have a fundamental role to play in achieving the ‘Europe 2020’ objectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, notably by equipping citizens with the skills and competences which the European economy and European society need in order to remain competitive and innovative, but also by helping to promote social cohesion and inclusion. Within the Europe 2020 Strategy one of the initiatives is entitled the ‘Agenda for new skills and jobs’ which highlights the need to upgrade skills and to boost employability. It pledges to make progress to improve the identifi cation of training needs, increase the labour market relevance of education and training, facilitate individuals’ access to lifelong learning opportunities and guidance, and ensure smooth transitions between the worlds of education, training and employment. Achieving this, calls for closer collaboration and partnerships between public services, education and training providers and employers at national, regional and local level. The transition towards learning outcome-based qualifi cation systems and greater validation of skills and competences acquired in non-formal and informal contexts are also of great importance in enhancing employability. Editorial: European Commission definitions for learning Formal learning is delivered by educational establishments, it is intentional on the part of the learner and leads to qualifi cation. Non-formal learning, too, is intentional and follows a structured methodology, but it does not occur in the framework of an educational establishment and tends not to lead to any qualifi cation. Informal learning, which results from everyday work-, family- or leisurerelated activities, is not usually intentional and does not lead to qualifi cation. Understanding and implementation of these European distinctions vary depending on the national and local contexts. What we call recognition of non-formal or informal learning refers to its being taken into account, specifi cally on the labour market and by the employer, in defi ning a worker’s job, position and career. Validation (or sometimes accreditation) of non-formal or informal learning means the transformation of the experience acquired into some form of qualifi cation The formalization of NFIL advocated at Community level is intended as a complete, integrated process, structured according to a clearly ordered series of stages: validation of the competences acquired non-formally and informally covers the sequence of identifi cation, documentation, evaluation and recognition of those competences, right up to possible qualifi cation. Very often at national or regional level, only some segments in this validation chain exist; and the national terms for describing these segments do not always directly translate the Community terms. GLOSSARY 3 ASSESSMENT <strong>OF</strong> LEARNING OUTCOMES The process of appraising knowledge, skills and / or competences of an individual against predefi ned criteria, specifying learning methods and expectations. Assessment is typically followed by validation and certifi cation. CERTIFICATE An offi cial document, issued by an awarding body, which records the achievements of an individual following a standard assessment procedure. CERTIFICATION <strong>OF</strong> LEARNING OUTCOMES The process of formally attesting that knowledge, skills and/or competences acquired by an individual have been assessed and validated by a competent body against a predefi ned standard. Certifi cation results in the issue of a certifi cate, diploma or title. 1 More information: http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/framework_en.htm 2 Council conclusions on the role of education and training in the implementation of the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy (2011/C 70/01) 3 Defi nitions originate from the CEDEFOP multilingual glossary, European Guidelines for validation of non-formal and informal learning, CEDEFOP, 2009 13
Change language