VALIDATION OF NON FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING IN EUROPE Comparative approaches Challenges and possi

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VALIDATION OF NON FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING
IN EUROPEComparative approachesChallenges and
possibilities

• Michel Feutrie
• Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille
  (France)

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In brief

• A proposition of classification based on the
  results of several European surveys
• Convergences and divergences between national
  frameworks
• Challenges and possibilities

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General inventories

• Jens Bjornavold/CEDEFOP  Making learning
  visible , 2000, 15 countries
• Danielle Collardyn/Jens Bjornavold  National
  policies in validation of non formal and informal
  learning. European inventory  2004, 14 countries
  10 candidate countries
• ECOTEC  European inventory on validation of non
  formal and informal learning  2004 and 2005, 30
  countries
• UNESCO draft report  Recognition, validation and
  certification of informal and non formal
  learning  2005, 38 countries
• OECD-studies on Recognition of non formal and
  informal learning
• R. Duvekot, K.Schuur, J.Paulusse  The
  unfinished story of VPL. Valuation Validation
  of prior learning in Europes learning cultures 
  2005,

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Higher Education Analysis

• N. Evans (eds)  Experiential Learning around the
  world  employability and the global economy,
  2000
• C. Corradi, N. Evans, A. Valk (eds)
   Recognising experiential learning. Practices in
  European universities  2006

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A long story

• Starting at the beginning of the eighties in UK
  and France influenced by North American
  experiences
• Relayed by Nordic countries in the nineties
• Carried on by numerous European projects in
  Leonardo, Socrates or Grundtwig programmes
• Full part now of the European Commission policy
  papers LLL, Common principles, EQF, Adult
  learning,

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A proposition of classification

• Six groups of European countries

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Criteria

• Existence of regulatory frameworks from
  intentions, projects or recommendations to laws
• Top down or bottom up initiatives
• Level of implementation from limited or local
  experimentations to global system
• Level of impact and development from sectoral
  approaches to implication of all stakeholders,
  from few institutions involved to all
  institutions concerned

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1 Nothing happening

• 3 countries Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece
• Recent apparition of this preoccupation on
  political agenda
• First, there are conditions to meet, for instance
  definition of standards and references or to
  overcome resistances
• Level of feasibility to reach

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2 First tries

• 7 countries Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta,
  Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia
• Global acceptation
• Recommendations, strategic papers, creation of
  pre-conditions for a global system
• But no  system , no global arrangements, no
  systematic provisions
• Experimentations, initiatives at different levels
  with no real convergence or initiatives
  concentrated on specific sectors
• Resistance and obstacles
• No piloting, no monitoring, no evaluation

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3 Limited initiatives

• 3 countries Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein
• No legal framework, federal regulations
• Not yet really perceived as a need
• Scepticism from social partners and difficulty of
  implementation because of the Dual system
• Initiatives at early stage, mainly to offer
   second chance  to non qualified populations

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4 Emerging arrangements

• 6 countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania,
  Iceland, Italy and Spain
• National regulations or documentation, validation
  policies emerging as a priority
• Increasing interest for validation
• Creations of standards and references, but
• Low level of implementation (low awareness from
  learning and training institutions and
  stakeholders), limited experimentations
• Needs for methodologies, trained staff
• Few or limited (for instance to a category of
  population) impact, low level of demand

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5 Bottom up approaches

• 3 countries the Netherlands, Ireland and UK
• Long tradition
• General principles but
• Dispersed initiatives and practices

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6 Global systems

• 8 countries Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland,
  Luxemburg, Norway,Portugal,Sweden
• Three main levels of development in these eight
  countries
• General framework, implementation at a starting
  point
• General framework, limited results (mobilisation
  of institutions, impact on populations)
• General framework, large developments

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Convergences
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Factors declared as influencing the emergence of
validation frameworks

• The lifelong learning perspective
• The impact of the European Commission policy
• The economic competitiveness imposing to manage
  human capital in a more efficient way

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Common arguments from promoters

• All our activities give us more and more
  opportunities to learn because
• They require more reflective activities, less and
  less prescribed, standardised
• They require to combine more and more parameters
• They require more initiative and prospective
  attitudes

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• The main problem is that this learning is
• - not formalised, less codified than traditional
  knowledge,
• not organised as traditional knowledge in
  disciplines, domains,
• rather unconscious
• hidden in action
• contextualised, attached to a specific
  environment
• built of elements more or less coherent, specific
  to an individual

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• But this experiential learning can be assessed
  and recognised as equivalent of traditional
  learning

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More or less common procedures

• Information and counselling
• Guidance and preparation for assessment
• Assessment
• Running follow up

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Insistence on individual effects

• Possible social recognition
• Identification by individuals of their own
  potential
• Making learning visible for employers, for others

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Divergences
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Factors influencing specificities in models

• Impact of  learning cultures 
• Existence or the need for national regulations
• Existence of National qualifications framework
  and/or standards
• Influence of social partners
• Level of resistance from learning or training
  institutions and teachers or trainers
• Degree of implication of Higher Education

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Possible results of validation process

• Access to programmes
• Access to exams
• Adapted complementary programmes
• Exemptions
• Award of credits, units, modules
• Award of full qualifications

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What is assessed ?

• Prior learning or knowledge gained through
  experience
• Skills
• Learning outcomes
• Global capacities

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Tools?

• Portfolio as accumulation of evidences
• Dossier presenting organised experience in
  reference to qualifications requirements
• Observation at work or simulations
• Traditional tests or examinations

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Authority

• Pedagogical responsible, responsible of a
  programme
• Institution or organisation
• National, regional or sectoral authority

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Challenges

• Validation an important challenge for the future

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Challenge for States and Regions

• Meet the need of a knowledge economy
• Take part of the opportunities offered by
  validation, consider validation as a vector for
  new developments in educational policies
• Take into account the necessity of standards and
  references
• Set up quality assurance procedures and global
  guarantees
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Financing (?)

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Challenge for learning and training institutions

• A new institutional positioning to adopt
• from teaching strategies to assessing strategies
• new administrative, financial organisation
• new pedagogical provisions
• New competences for staff or new staff (more
  advisors, less teachers)
• Individualisation

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Challenge for companies

• Validation a tool for the management of
  competences anticipation of evolution in
  products, equipments, organisations, updating
  competences,
• Validation a new internal tool for staff
  evaluation
• Validation a tool to re-think the internal
  training policy

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Challenge for individuals

• In some countries validation of non formal and
  informal learning has become a right for
  individuals
• To be aware of what they learnt wherever they
  live and work
• To be recognised by their employers, their
  family,
• To become able to build personal educational or
  study plans
• To manage their personal and professional pathways

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Possibilities
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Lifelong learning for everyone

• Validation of non formal and informal learning as
  the essential instrument of a lifelong learning
  perspective
• cumulative and developmental process,
• officially recognised and certified by social
  markers of competences,
• facilitating mobility
• offering more chances to face new challenges or
  to seize the opportunities in his/her
  professional or personal life

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To meet the needs of disadvantaged and excluded
groups, migrants,

• The education level is growing for a larger part
  of the population,
• But at the same time a part, which does not
  decrease, remains out of this movement,
• Validation is positive, as you start from a real
  experience, there is always something to assess
• Validation could be a first step towards social
  inclusion or re-integration

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New roles for learning and training organisations

• Learning is no longer restricted to a defined
  space and time (schools, universities, training
  organisations, periods of life)
• It becomes a continuous process including formal
  periods (initial and further education), but also
  non-formal and informal learning
• It requires new roles and attitudes for teachers
  or trainers (organising, mentoring learning
  gained through experience )

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Towards a new learning model

• Validation supports the competence development
  of people
• The question is not whether there will be
  learning but how to value and use this
• People learn anyway !
• (The unfinished story of VPL, Ruud Duvekot eds)

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• Thank you for your attention