EFIL keeps following the developments linked to the implementation of the Council resolution on the validation of non formal and informal learning, especially through the advocacy work of the Lifelong Learning Platform –LLL (former EUCIS-LLL).
Through LL and its Validation Task Force we contributed to the Draft European Guidelines on validation that will be released by the European Commission. These guidelines give indication to EU Member states on how to implement the recommendation which foresees 4 steps for validation of competences, based on the European Qualification Framework (EQF) of qualifications: identification, documentation, assessment and certification. Civil society organisation advocate that the focus should not be only on the last step –certification- but on the process and information should be provided to all citizens about the possibility to identify their competences. At the moment it looks that secondary school education is very much left aside in this process and Higher education, Vocational Education and Training and Adult learning are the education sectors for which Member States are implementing the recommendation.
LLL cooperates with the European Youth Forum on this topic and they jointly organised a Policy debate on 9 July where the European Commission gave an update on the process and several projects were presented such as GR-EAT which conducted a survey on the recognition of volunteers’ competences by employers. Social and civic competences and intercultural and interpersonal skills are the most asked competences just after problem solving attitude and sense of initiative. Also, several practices from EU countries were presented, such as Reconoce from Spain – fostering recognition of volunteer’s competences – and VOLUM from Romania – the national umbrella organisation of volunteering.
In the meantime the European Commission is developing a ‘Citizen Tools for self-assessment of transversal skills’ aimed at enabling users to determine their transversal skills, including entrepreneurial and digital competences, through on-line tools (e.g. questionnaires) delivering personalised reports, allowing increased self-awareness and enabling more effective recognition and communication of these skills to future employers. The final tools will be based on the finalised reference framework for digital skills and on a planned reference framework for entrepreneurship. The tool will be released in 2016, based on the results of a feasibility study that is now being conducted. The tool will ensure connection with existing skills services, namely with Europass, and following the concept within an integrated web-service.
For more information: elisa.briga@afs.org