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The Netherlands integrates VPL in its national education and training system as well as in the world of work particularly in the field of human resources management and development. In the Netherlands VPL is a fairly organised system at the national level, however, at the ground level the system is more complex as different stakeholders have roles and responsibilities according to their vested interests.

Challenges and opportunities

The Validation of Prior Learning (VPL), called Erkenning van Verworven Competenties (EVC) in Dutch, is an important procedure in the Netherlands for establishing parity of esteem between: (a) skills acquired on the basis of formal learning; and (b) skills recognised on the basis of a system of assessment regardless of the learning pathways whether formal, non-formal or informal.

National standards, policy and framework activity

The first official policy statement on VPL and lifelong learning of the Dutch government was in the context of the publication De Fles is Half Vol! (The glass is half full!) (Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2000). This means acknowledging the principle of recognising the potential of learners rather than their deficits.

Legal provisions on VPL in the Netherlands are embedded in the existing Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Higher Education (HE) laws.

In VET, the Law on Adult and Vocational Education (WEB, 1996) formed the basis for developing the formal VPL policy in 1998.

In HE, the Law Wet of het hoger ondewijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek (HHW – Law on higher education and scientific research) regulates the exemption from part of the higher education study based on VPL. HE institutions are free to translate this regulation into rules on education and exams according to the programme of study in question (OERs – Onderwijs en examen regelementen).

VPL can also be used for entering higher education. Adults over 21 who do not meet the formal entry requirements can undergo a formal procedure known as the “21+test”, which tests the required level in Dutch, English and the specific subject of the programme. A number of institutions have replaced this test with VPL.

The use of VPL leads to qualifications only in secondary vocational education (at levels 1-4 of the Netherlands Qualifications Framework (NLQF)) and in higher professional education conducted in universities of applied sciences and in the Open University.

Currently standards in VET, HE and also adult education are being formulated in terms of learning outcomes and competences. This is stimulated through the country’s referencing of its National Qualifications System (NLQF) to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). The National Coordination Point (NCP) for the implementation of the NLQF, established by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences, records all national qualifications in the NCP register. All other qualifications are first assessed; thereafter they have the level determined by the NCP and only then recorded in the register. There are separate registers for courses in vocational secondary education (CREBO, Centraal Register Beroepsopleidingen) and accredited programmes in higher education (CHRHO, Centraal Register Opleidingen Hoger Onderwijs).

Since 2013, validation of learning outcomes has been seen from three perspectives:

• VPL for validating a personal portfolio, without linking it directly to standards in the NLQF;
• VPL against sector standards;
• VPL that aims at formal learning and qualifications via the NLQF.

Stakeholder engagement

The main stakeholders in the Dutch VPL are: (1) the national authorities, which facilitate the development and implementation of VPL (law, finance); (2) the social partners, which encourage organisations to use VPL (through sectoral regulations and training funds); (3) schools and universities, which provide access to their standards through VPL procedures; (4) companies and organisations, which guide their employees towards VPL; and (5) the citizens who can build their personal portfolio for VPL procedures, with or without support from VPL providers.

The National Quality Code initiated in 2006 ensures the quality of VPL processes as well as the quality of VPL providers (PLW, 2009). It is based on the European Common Principles of Recognition and Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning. To begin with, the Kenniscentrum EVC (Knowledge Centre) was the main institution for supporting the Quality Code for EVC (based on a national covenant of 2006). However in 2010, the minister of education took over responsibility of the Quality Code. The reason was to ensure better comparability of providers, as well as the transferability of the outcomes of assessment between providers across sectors. In 2012, the government and social partners (employers and trade unions) signed the EVC-covenant making VPL a tool for career guidance in the labour market (Vsl EVC, 2012) in addition to it being a tool for  promoting further learning and qualifications. All parties agreed that:

• The Quality Code must be customised to meet the learning needs of the individual;
• Every VPL procedure must end with a standardised VPL report called Ervaringscertificaat (Certificate of Experience). This report states that the individual has a documentation of the competences he possesses;
• Accredited VPL providers must be listed in the VPL database.

The future plan is to evaluate the quality of assessors on the basis of a national standard; there should be a training course for assessors; and VPL assessors should be distinguished from general assessors as the latter require specific competences (Dungen et al., 2012).

References

CEDEFOP. 2009. European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning. Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.

Dungen, M. van, Heuts, P. and Venema, A. 2012. Onderzoek naar verzilvering van ervaringscertificaten. Utrecht, KC-EVC.

Duvekot, R. C., and Klarus, R. 2007. EVC: een beknopte geschiedenis. Rotterdam, Develop HRD-fonds, pp. 6–15.

Duvekot , R. C. 2009. emPOWERment to the people! The learner as change-agent in the learning society. Paper for the international seminar ‘Recognition and Validation of Prior Learning and Competences’ of the Leonardo da Vinci-project ‘TES, Developing Teacher’s Evaluation and Assessment Skills’. Lahti, Finland, 30 September 2008.

Duvekot, R. C. 2010. Update of the European inventory of the validation of non-formal and informal learning in the Netherlands. Arnhem, Cofora.

Duvekot, R. C., Scanlon, G., Charraud, A., Schuur, K., Coughlan, D., Nilsen-Mohn, T., Paulusse, J. andKlarus, R. (eds.). 2007. Managing European diversity in lifelong learning: The many perspectives of the valuation of prior learning in the European workplace. Nijmegen/Vught/Amsterdam, HAN/EC-VPL/HvA.

NLQF. 2010. Nederlands nationaal kwalificatiekader. http://www.nlqf.nl/ (Accessed 11 July 2013).

Projectdirectie Leren en Werken (PLW) 2009. Brief van de Staatsecretaris van OCW aan de voorzitter van de Tweede kamer over De kwaliteit van het ervaringscertificaat. PLW/2009/26304.

Schuur, C.C.M. 2011. Life and work demand for a meaningful self-management of competences. Wageningen: Foundation Competentie Management CH-Q Nl/B.

Stoel, D., and Wentzel, E. 2011. Beloften, feiten en ongekende mogelijkheden.Amsterdam, Profitwise.

Vsl EVC. 2012. Verslag EVC-conferentie 12 juni 2012. Utrecht, Kenniscentrum EVC.

WEB. 1996. Wet Educatie en Beroepsvorming, de wet in hoofdlijnen. Zoetermeer, Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschappen.

Werkgroep EVC. 2000. De fles is half vol! Den Haag, Ministerie van Economische Zaken.

Source: UNESCO UIL

In 2009, the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) and the National Training Agency (NTA) were assigned the responsibility of overseeing the development of a national policy on the recognition of prior learning. The policy enables candidates to earn credit for unit standards or full qualifications which are in line with Namibian Qualifications Framework.

Challenges and opportunities

Many Namibians were denied opportunities to participate in formal education because of their involvement in the struggle for independence, which Namibia gained in 1990. Unfortunately, many of the same Namibians are still excluded from participating in education as well as in the development of their country because the skills and knowledge they acquired over the years have not been formally recognised. In many cases there is no documented proof of their skills.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) thus intends to redress past injustices by recognising and accrediting relevant prior learning and experience. RPL can play an important role within the Namibian education and training sector.

National standards, policy and framework activity

One of the key features of the Namibian Qualifications Framework (NQF) is the provision of opportunities for Namibians to gain qualifications through the recognition of competences regardless of whether they are gained in formal, non-formal or informal settings.

The NQF was created in 2006 to regulate qualifications in education and training. The Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA)^[1] sets qualifications standards and is responsible for accreditation, assessment and validation of all national qualifications, including RPL (Government of the Republic of Namibia, 1996).

Stakeholder engagement

A formal agreement between the NQA and the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) mandates the NTA to coordinate the setting of competency standards, associated national curriculum modules and assessment criteria for vocational trades up to NQF Level 5. These are then made available as packages to training providers. Registered training providers thereafter develop institution-specific policies that enable candidates to earn credits for unit standards or for full qualifications aligned to the NQF. These registered training providers also act as assessment centres.

In 2009, the NQA and NTA were assigned the responsibility of overseeing the development of the national policy on RPL. Following a consultative process, approval of the policy was granted by the Minister of Education.

Currently two separate policies on RPL are in operation. One is the RPL policy developed by NTA for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. The other is the RPL policy developed by the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL).

A directive from the NQA to have all qualifications registered on the framework by 2015 will ultimately lead to a more integrated education system in Namibia. This will facilitate transitions between the different sub systems of the education and training system as well as upward movement on the qualifications ladder as a result of RPL or credits obtained.

References

Government of the Republic of Namibia. 1996. Namibia Qualifications Authority Act, Act 29 of 1996. Windhoek, Government Printers.

Government of the Republic of Namibia. 1997. Namibian College of Open Learning Act, Act 1 of 1997. Windhoek, Government Printers.

Namibia Ministry of Education. 2006. Regulations setting-up the National Qualifications Framework for Namibia. Windhoek, Government Printers.

Namibia Ministry of Education. 2009a. National Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning. Windhoek, Government Printers.

Namibia. Ministry of Education. 2009b. National Policy on Lifelong Learning.Windhoek, Government Printers.

Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL). 2008. Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning. Windhoek, NAMCOL.

Source: UNESCO UIL

While economic productivity has been growing in the last two decades, the pace is lower compared to other emerging economies. The main indicators of Mexico’s drop in productivity growth rankings are human capital, workforce training and education. Mexico’s innovative potential is hampered by the low quality of education (100th) especially in math and science (124th), the low use of ICT (81st), and the low uptake by businesses of new technology to spur productivity improvements and innovation (75th). In order to strengthen and develop human capital for long-term growth, economic competitiveness and social progress, Mexico has developed a national system of competence standards (NSCS), linked to the developing Mexican qualifications framework (MQF).

Challenges and opportunities

There are several factors that make the recognition of non-formal and informal learning particularly relevant and important in Mexico. Due to demographic changes and migration of many young people to the USA, a gradual aging of the population has taken place. At the same time the proportion of people who never entered school or who left school early is higher than those who are registered in initial education. Despite these features, Mexican society places high importance on qualification levels and is a strongly credentialist society. Raising levels of education, skills development and social engagement are seen as crucial for the continued development of a strong social and economic democracy in Mexico.

National standards, policy and framework activity

The conception and development of Agreement 286 (and the associated Agreements) is a key policy response to the above challenges. It is designed to give learners access to all levels of the education system by offering an alternative pathway to that provided by the formal system. This Act also allows equivalences of competence certificates with credits of formal education programmes at the vocational and professional levels. The Mexican approach distinguishes between separate pathways to the same educational or qualification outcome. The informal and non-formal pathways, though outside the traditional institutional structures, are nevertheless considered significant enough to be deemed equivalent pathways to a qualification (Campero Cuenca et al., 2008).

Mexico displays a sub-sectoral approach to the recognition of non-formal and informal learning, with different approaches in primary and secondary education, higher education and the employment sector.

In the employment sector, Mexico has developed a National System of Competence Standards (NSCS). The aim is to strengthen and develop human capital for economic competitiveness and social progress. The National Council for Standardisation and Certification of Labour Competences (CONOCER) is the body responsible for the development and implementation of the NSCS. CONOCER includes government officials, employers’ and workers’ representatives, as well as educators. According to Ministry of Education Agreement 286 (Acuerdo 286 de la SEP; issued on 30 October 2000), CONOCER certificates of labour competence are equivalent to full or partial formal programmes, at technical and/or professional levels of the national education system.

Stakeholder engagement

The Mexican Qualifications Framework (MQF) is a comprehensive framework developed by the General Directorate of Accreditation, Incorporation and Revalidation (Dirección General de Acreditación, Incorporación y Revalidación; DGAIR), within the Ministry of Public Education (SEP). Stakeholders from all sectors (industry, education and civil society) have participated in the development of the MQF. CONOCER has been active specifically on issues related to the NSCS and on equivalencies with formal educational degrees.

Additionally, in October 2012, the Ministry of Education announced the new Mexican Bank of Academic Credits (announcement published by DGAIR on the official Mexican Government Diary of October the 4^th 2012, article 8), which allows certificates of competence from CONOCER and from other recognised private and public training / certification centres to be accredited as part of formal education programmes at lower and upper secondary levels.

References

Campero Cuenca, C., Hernández Flores, G., Klesing-Rempel, U., Méndez Puga, A.N., Ruiz Munoz, M., Arévalo Guizar, G., Guzmán Máximo, G., Fernández Zayas, C. and Mendieta Ramos, M. 2008. El desarrolo y el estado de la cuestión sobre el aprendizaje y la educación de adultos (AEA). Documento complementario de México. Hamburg, UIL.

Castro-Mussot, L.M. and de Anda, M.L. 2007. Mexico’s National Adult Education Programme. In: M. Singh, M. and L. M. Castro Mussot (eds), Literacy, Knowledge and Development: South-South policy dialogue on quality education for adults and young people. Hamburg/Mexico City, UIL/INEA, pp. 117–139.

Estatuto Orgánico del CONOCER [Organisational Statute of CONOCER] Presentación institucional CONOCER [CONOCER institutional presentation] http://www.conocer.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=100 (Accessed 6 January 2012).

García-Bullé, S. 2013. Mexico. National System of Competence Standards (NSCS). In: M. Singh and R. Duvekot, eds. 2013. Linking Recognition Practices and National Qualifications Frameworks: International benchmarking of national experiences and strategies on the recognition, validation and accreditation of non-formal and informal learning. Hamburg, UIL, pp. 197–206.

Registro Nacional de Estándares de Competencia del CONOCER [National Registry of Competences Standards [http://www.conocer.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=11 (Accessed 6 January 2012).

Reglas Generales y criterios para la integración y operación del Sistema Nacional de Competencias. [Rules of operation of the National Competences Standard System] http://www.conocer.gob.mx/pdfs/documentos/reglas_generales_criterios.PDF(Accessed 6 January 2012).

Source: UNESCO UIL

The RVA system has a clear rationale and is designed to bring people back into education and training. Employers use because it provides them with qualified and motivated personnel. Pathways have been clearly developed within the Mauritian Qualifications Framework attracting significant interest from trade unions.  Government plays a vital role in supporting RVA.

Challenges and opportunities

Mauritius has had to grapple with several challenges, namely: (1) an uncoordinated education and training sector with large numbers of education and training providers offering courses of varying duration and quality; (2) qualifications containing little or no information about outcomes of learning achieved; and (3) a lack of mechanisms for the recognition of outcomes from non-formal and informal learning.

National standards, policy and framework activity

To address these challenges the Mauritius Qualifications Authority (MQA) was established in 2002 following the enactment of the MQA Act of 2001 to coordinate and regulate the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector. Amongst its objectives, the MQA aims to develop, implement and maintain the Mauritius Qualifications Framework (MQF) and to recognise and validate competences obtained outside formal education and training for purposes of certification. In doing so, it intends to raise the value of non-formal and informal learning.

People are now able to validate their skills and experiences because national qualifications not just reflect the local demand for skills, but also contain information of outcomes achieved. This is made possible through the development of outcomes-based standards carried out by Industry Training Advisory Committees (ITACs), comprising experts from both public and private industrial sectors.

Stakeholder engagement

Up to now the MQA has set up 20 ITACs and two additional committees. Currently, some 143 qualifications together with 3710 unit standards have been developed in 19 sectors such as automotive, health and social care, furniture making and language training.

The MQA is also responsible for quality certification of competences obtained outside the formal education and training system. Quality assurance includes accreditation of training institutions, registration of trainers as well as accreditation of award courses. MQA approves the quality of both award programmes as well as non-award courses. In general, award courses are delivered face to face and through apprenticeships, whereas in non-award courses teaching and learning is more non-standardised. Nevertheless, both award and non-award programmes are intended to increase employability, aid personal and professional development, promote and strengthen lifelong learning and lead to qualifications.

As the coordinating body for NQF and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), the MQA has registered around 460 training providers (public and private). These providers offer award and non-award TVET programmes. With a view to further consolidating the Mauritian NQF and RPL, the MQA is intensifying its efforts to increase public awareness. There are some issues to be tackled in the future:

• Exploring new funding options for RPL.
• Developing a policy for RPL assessors.
• Registering RPL facilitators in all sectors of the economy.
• Extending RPL to higher levels of the MQF.

References

Allgoo, K. 2007. The National Qualifications Framework in Context: The Mauritian Experience. Paper delivered at the International Vocational Education and Training Association (IVETA) Conference. Phoenix, MQA.

Allgoo, K. 2010. The Introduction of Recognition of Prior Learning in TVET Mauritius – The Mauritian RPL model. Phoenix, MQA.

Mauritius Qualifications Authority (MQA). Annual Report 2007–2008. Developments in Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).http://www.mqa.mu/English/publications/Pages/Annual%20Reports/Annual-Report-20062007.aspx. (Accessed 12 May 2014).

Source: UNESCO UIL

Lebanon, with a population of 4.2 million inhabitants and a growing economy since 2000, has the highest GDP per capita among non-oil exporting countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The service and banking sectors, especially commerce, tourism and financial services, constitute more than seventy per cent of the country’s GDP. The service sector in particular is increasing steadily.

However, despite the country’s economic growth, activity rate is as low as 48 per cent and the lowest in the Mediterranean region. The informal sector in Lebanon is large and people are strongly dependent on family and community networks in their search for jobs.

Education is traditionally highly valued, enrolment rates in primary education are high (99.2 per cent for both girls and boys) and the Lebanese education and training system is among the best-performing in the MENA region. Education is mainly dominated by private provision; the public sector caters only to the 30 per cent of all students that come from vulnerable backgrounds.

Challenges and opportunities

In the Lebanese labour market, needs are weakly monitored and links between the labour market and the vocational education and training (VET) system are weak and unorganized. So far, the country lacks a strategy for lifelong learning; there is only a limited offer for adult education and training, and the education system lacks mechanisms for recognizing qualifications gained outside the formal system.

National standards, policy and framework activity

Despite these challenges, the National Education Strategy of 2010 and the European Union-Lebanon Action Plan for cooperation reveal a strong priority to develop a National Qualifications Framework (NQF). A technical paper, drafted for the National Education Strategy of 2010, proposed a NQF built on:

• eight levels described in terms of knowledge, skills, and competences;
• a set of principles for quality assurance regarding the design and delivery of qualifications; and
• a set of methods aligning the qualifications to the NQF.

The main objectives of the NQF are to ensure mobility between the general and vocational education sectors and to promote more transparent and legible qualifications that are relevant for the labour market. The aim of the NQF is to ensure that qualifications are recognized based on specified competences, regardless of whether these have been acquired in formal, non-formal or informal settings.

Stakeholder engagement

To establish the Lebanese NQF, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education set up a working group in 2010 comprising representatives from the three main educational sectors – TVET, general education and higher education. In 2011, the working group produced a technical paper mapping existing qualifications as well as identifying processes that would enable these qualifications to be integrated into an NQF. In 2012, the paper was developed further.

At a national conference in 2012, the working group presented its final proposal for a Lebanese NQF to the Minister of Education and Higher Education, based on the aforementioned eight levels and descriptors. Further cooperation on the development of the NQF followed and resulted in a synthesis report describing the processes, tools and activities implemented.

Despite political instability in Lebanon, implementation of the proposed NQF remains a strong priority on the educational agenda (UNESCO, ETF and CEDEFOP, 2015).

References

UIL; European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Greece); European Training Foundation (Italy). 2015. Global inventory of regional and national qualifications frameworks. V. II: national and regional cases. Hamburg, 2015.

Source: UNESCO UIL

One of the goals of the Jordanian Ministry of Education is the recognition of skills and competences acquired in non-formal and informal settings as an important pathway to formal education and to employment.

Challenges and opportunities

Jordan has a population of 6.4 million inhabitants of which more than 35 per cent is under 15 years of age. This is putting a great pressure on the education system which is unable to provide qualifications valued in education, the labour market, and in society. Many students train too narrowly for a specific occupation instead of studying for a broader qualification which would provide them with a larger variety of job opportunities.

Jordan’s working-age population is high, but so is the unemployment rate (around 12.6 per cent), and the participation of women in the labour market is one of the lowest worldwide (13.2 per cent in 2013). Around 60,000 new jobs need to be created annually. Before the financial crisis in 2008, the job creation rates rose from 2.7 per cent to 4.5 per cent. However, around 42 per cent of these jobs were created in the public sector, and more than half of the jobs, created in the private sector, were filled by low-skilled foreign workers. Even today, low-skilled workers continue to be a challenging issue considering that increasing immigration brings with it low-qualified workers looking for low-skilled jobs.

By building upon their prior learning, competences, and previous life and work experience, low-skilled workers can be helped to improve their employability and to upgrade their skills through mechanisms for recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA).

National standards, policy and framework activity

Jordan is in the process of developing a comprehensive national qualifications framework (NQF). In the meanwhile the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) has developed its own qualifications framework, but this framework is only applicable for students in VTC institutions and these qualifications do not allow these students to progress to university. Secondary education VET students, on the other hand, are able to take the Jordanian baccalaureate (Tawjhi) which allows them to access community colleges, and from there they can enter the universities. However, in practice there is little use of this pathway.

Currently, a European Union (EU) supported project is supporting Jordan to develop a Technical and Vocational Qualification Framework (TVQF), which is expected to be transformed into a national lifelong learning qualifications framework including all educational sectors and levels. The initial framework comprises four levels, but with the transformation into a lifelong learning framework, the plan is that it will comprise eight levels and cover all sub-sectors of the education and training system.

In line with the development of an NQF, Jordan is also involved in increasing transparency and shared understanding of qualifications in seven Euro-Mediterranean countries (Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, France, Italy, and Spain) by producing a set of common standards for occupations in the tourism and construction sectors in the context of an ETF-project. In addition, these countries compare their existing qualifications in these two sectors. This comparison of occupational standards with existing national qualifications is being undertaken in seven more sectors. The Centre for Accreditation and Quality Assurance (CAQA) is in charge of the national coordination in Jordan.

Stakeholder engagement

VET in Jordan is under the Ministry of Education and is provided by a variety of actors. Continuing training (CVET) is delivered by the VTC and  is under the Ministry of Labour.

The E-TVET Council, comprising stakeholders from ministries, public/private sectors, and trade unions, is in charge of national TVET policy.

CAQA, which is under the Ministry of Labour,is another key stakeholder as it has the role of accrediting providers, conducting occupational tests for those involved in technical and vocational work, and granting occupational licences (UIL; Cedefop; ETF, 2015).

References

Al Nasser, A. S. 2013. A second chance: facts and figures of a programme for school dropouts in Jordan. In: K. Denys (ed.), Adult Education and Social Change. Jordan – Palestine – Lebanon – Syria – Egypt. Bonn, DVV International.

European Training Foundation. 2010. Inventory of Recent NQF Developments in the ETF’s Partner Countries. Turin, ETF Communication Unit.

European Training Foundation. 2001. Structures and Mechanisms for Information and Needs Forecast on Training Qualification and Employment: the observatory function, Jordan. Turin, ETF.

Jordan. Ministry of Education. 2004. The Development of Education: national report of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Geneva, the 47th Session of the International Conference on Education by the Ministry of Education Managing Directorate of Educational Research and Development. http://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE47/English/Natreps/reports/jordan.pdf

Questscope. 2010. Youth Employability Challenges and Effectively Improve School-to-Work Transitions Drop Outs (Non-Formal Education) as Questscope’s Mainstreaming Model. Beirut, Working Paper Presented To The International Conference ‘Children & Youth in the MENA Region: Towards Unleashing their Potentials Education’.
http://www.menacpi.org/CPI/uploads2009/Beirut/Jawad_AlGassous_paper.pdf

UNESCO. 2008. Education for All Global Monitoring Report. Paris, UNESCO.

UIL; European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Greece); European Training Foundation (Italy). 2015. Global inventory of regional and national qualifications frameworks. V. II: national and regional cases. Hamburg, UIL

Source: UNESCO UIL

Recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) of non-formal and informal learning, or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as it is called in India, aims to guide the skills development strategies and initiatives in line with India’s target of skilling 300 million people by 2022.

Challenges and opportunities

India is one of the youngest nations in the world. More than 62 per cent of its population is in the working age group (15-59 years) and more than 54 per cent is below 25 years of age. Its population pyramid is expected to bulge across the 15 to 59 age group over the next decade. It is estimated that the average age of the population in India will be 29 years by 2020, compared with 40 years in USA, 46 years in Europe and 47 years in Japan. During the next 20 years, the labour force in the industrialized world is expected to decline by four per cent, while in India it will increase by 32 per cent. This poses a formidable challenge and a huge opportunity. To reap the reward of this demographic dividend, which is expected to last for next 25 years, India needs to equip its workforce with employable skills and knowledge so that they can contribute substantively to the economic growth of the country.

India faces two challenges: the paucity of a highly trained workforce and the non-employability of large sections of the conventionally educated youth, who possess little or no job skills.

National standards, policy and framework activity

The National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) was established in 2015, superseding the National Skills Development policy of 2009. The new policy identifies the common standards and overall institutional framework that will act as a vehicle to reach the expected outcomes.

One of the operational strategies of the National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is to create a national framework of qualifications with an open/flexible system, which would permit individuals to accumulate knowledge and skills over a period of time and later convert these, through testing and certification, into higher competences, recognized in diplomas and degrees. This integrated framework, covering both TVET and general education, is known as the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and is anchored in the National Skills Development Agency (NSDA), an autonomous body created to implement the NSQF.

The National Skills Qualification Framework notification dated 27 December 2013 defines the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as ‘the process of recognizing previous learning, often experiential, towards gaining a qualification.’ This RPL policy seeks to provide formal recognition to individuals who have gained learning informally, such as through training in the workplace, community and/or voluntary activities. It creates opportunities for personal and career development, or to allocate credit towards other qualifications or learning programmes to candidates who have the skills but no certification to prove it. The strength of this approach is the outcomes-based quality-assured certification, wherein the competence of the individual is determined by assessments against standardized benchmarks. This RPL policy is mandatory for all stakeholders undertaking RPL for NSQF compliant qualifications. The certifying bodies must submit qualification-specific RPL strategy detailing the procedures. This strategy will be included in the qualification files for approval by the National Skills Qualifications Committee (NSQC).

The primary objectives of the RPL policy for India are as follows:

• to facilitate formal recognition of skills/competences acquired through non-formal and informal channels by measuring them against specific standards, thus opening up education, growth and career advancement opportunities. ‘Competence’, as defined in the NSQF notification, refers to the proven ability to use acquired knowledge, skills and social abilities in the discharge of responsibilities. It is the ability to do a job well;
• to provide a basis for structuring procedures and criteria for RPL implementation, monitoring and evaluation, including resourcing and quality assurance;
• to assist in raising awareness about RPL;
• to clarify the stages and structure for RPL systems;
• to establish a basis for data-collection mechanisms to be developed for tracking and analysis of RPL-certified candidates;
• to support social inclusion efforts by providing access to education for those currently excluded from the formal sector due to lack of skills recognition and certification;
• to enable certification of skills, productivity and quality assurance for the workforce;
• to establish the connection between increased skills, certification and wages, thereby providing a pathway for increases in income and job mobility, including overseas migration; and
• to encourage industries/employers to facilitate certification of their employees through RPL.

Benchmarking individuals learning against the NSQF Level Descriptors is expected to help individuals identify requirements for progression. This will improve career progression and the upskilling of learners and workers. Additionally, it will facilitate the engagement of experienced practitioners as resource persons. (Ministry of Finance, 2013).

Given India’s huge non-formal and informal sectors, the government has established an NSQF that is arranged in ascending order from Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) 1 and RPL 2 through to level 10. The NSQF is a reference framework for the validation of skills and competences that have not been formally recognized. In particular, it will benefit those who have acquired their skills through informal hereditary work, casual work and on-the-job training. Skills recognition and certification initiatives provide an important pathway for the ninety per cent of Indians who work in the so-called rural and urban informal economy (NCEUS Report, 2009).

An indicative credit framework is linked to the NSQF. The credit framework has the dual objective of achieving both a skills certificate and an academic general education certificate of an equivalent level for each occupational task and level of learning. School boards, technical boards and universities are being encouraged to switch to credit-based curricula and to establish equivalencies between vocational and general education (Ministry of Finance, 2013).

RPL, sometimes referred to as ‘assessment tests’, is used increasingly in India for applicants who apply for jobs in developed countries, such as Australia, but who do not have the sufficient qualification to meet the education criteria under the immigration guidelines of those countries. RPL allows those with genuine hands-on experience in the nominated field of occupation (such as welding, motor mechanics, cooking, fitting or metal fabrication) to demonstrate at their knowledge confirms to appropriate standards under the immigration guidelines of developed countries. RPL applicants are still expected to provide details of all the relevant education they have completed.

Stakeholder engagement

Skills development is the shared responsibility of key stakeholders, i.e. the government, the entire corporate sector, community-based organizations and industry and trade organizations, as well as highly-qualified and dedicated individuals who have been working in the skilling and entrepreneurship space for many years and other stakeholders.

References

India-EU Skills Development Project. 2013. Report of the Conference on the National Skills Qualifications Framework: Making it Happen. 22-23 May, New Delhi. New Delhi, India-EU Skills Development Project.

Ministry of Finance. Department of Economic Affairs. Notification No. 8/6/2013-Invt. on the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF). Gazette of India: Extraordinary, Part 1, Section 2. New Delhi, Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs.

National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS). 2009. Skill Formation and Employment Assurance in the Unorganised Sector. New Delhi, Government of India.

Source: UNESCO UIL

To meet the needs of the knowledge-based economy, the advent of technologies and the rapidly changing world, the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China established the Qualifications Framework (QF) and the associated Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) mechanism. RPL represents a form of validation of non-formal and informal learning under the QF, with an aim to enable workers of various backgrounds to receive formal recognition of the knowledge, skills and experience they have acquired.

Challenges and opportunities

To deal with the changing demands of the economy and sustain Hong Kong’s competitiveness, there is a need to have workers with higher education and skills and to upgrade the capability of the workforce in general. Formal education, which Hong Kong people have relied on traditionally for obtaining formal qualifications, can no longer be the sole way to serve these needs. A paradigm shift in learning and the provision of flexible pathways other than formal education are needed to promote continuing education and lifelong learning, so that individuals can be motivated for further training and engage effectively in highly skilled activities.

National standards, policy and framework activity

The Education and Manpower Bureau (currently known as the Education Bureau (EDB)) issued a public consultation paper on the establishment of the QF and its associated quality assurance mechanism in 2002. After extensive deliberation, the government officially launched the QF in 2008. One of the QF’s main policy objectives is to recognize qualifications through the RPL mechanism. The RPL mechanism recognizes workers’ existing skills, knowledge and work experience in relation to formal qualifications, allowing them to pursue their goals flexibly according to their own lifelong learning pathways.

The RPL mechanism has been launched for those industries that have set out their Specification of Competency Standards (SCS). SCSs identify the specific outcome standards required for different qualification levels. Employees having their RPL recognized formally may pursue further studies at different levels to obtain higher and wider qualifications.

Training providers may develop appropriate training programmes according to SCS. The programmes and related qualifications will be recognized under the QF if they are quality-assured by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ).

A Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) system has also been developed to complement the QF, providing flexibility in learning to cater for individual needs. With a CAT system, learners can accumulate learning and training credits gained through various courses systematically, with a view to converting them.

The development of RPL under the QF promotes lifelong learning by providing an individual formal recognition of existing skills, knowledge and work experience for continuing education in support of sustainable manpower development.

Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholders and partners from various industries have supported and participated actively in the development of the HKQF and the RPL mechanism. Industries play a pivotal role in the process through participation in Industry Training Advisory Committees (ITACs), which are tasked to develop, maintain and update the SCS.

To ensure continued relevance of an SCS, the ITAC concerned must review and update the SCS regularly to keep abreast of the latest manpower requirements. The SCS is also flexible enough to accommodate both small and large companies and to meet the full range of the industry’s education and training needs.

The EDB has been assisting various industries to set up their ITACs in stages consisting of representatives from employers, employees, trade unions and relevant professional bodies.

References

Hong Kong Qualifications Framework. 2008.  http://www.hkqf.gov.hk/

Education and Manpower Bureau. 2005. Policy Initiatives of the Education and Manpower Bureau on Manpower Training and Development. Documents submitted for the Legislative Council Panel on Manpower. LC Paper No. CB(2)655/04-05(01).  http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr04-05/english/panels/mp/papers/mp0120cb2-655-2e.pdf

UNESCO. 2015. Hong Kong SAR China. Global inventory of regional and national qualifications frameworks. V II: national and regional cases. pp. 148-151. http://www.uil.unesco.org/fileadmin/keydocuments/LifelongLearning/en/Global%20Inventory%20of%20Regional%20and%20National%20Qualifications_v2.pdf

Source: UNESCO UIL

The government and other stakeholders view validation of non-formal and informal learning as one of the means to develop coherent procedures for quality assurance of qualification assessment and revision. One of the areas that the government prioritizes is improving workers’ skills and promoting their employability.

Challenges and opportunities

The Greek general public tends to show a preference for formal qualifications and traditional assessment methods rather than the validation of non-formal and informal learning. However, there has been a steady increase in the number of people at risk of living in poverty and social exclusion since 2010 (EUROSTAT, 2015). For those aged 18-24 years who enter higher education, 10.1 per cent leave the system before completing their initial education (EUROSTAT, 2015). The current economic and political crisis has also affected the country’s unemployment rate, recorded at 26.2 per cent in 2015 – one of the highest in the OECD countries (OECD, 2015).

National standards, policy and framework activity

In 2010, the Lifelong Learning law 3879/2010 paved the way for the National Framework for Lifelong Learning. This includes the recognition of non-formal and informal learning, however, it is still under development. This Lifelong Learning law facilitated the establishment of both Lifelong Learning Schools located within higher education institutions and vocational training courses in Lifelong Learning Centres run by social partners (employer and employee associations). Participants who complete these training courses and lifelong learning programmes receive a certificate of participation and/or a training certificate. Graduates may opt to sit for EOPPEP examinations.

In 2011, the the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs established and supervised the National Organization for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP), to develop and implement the Hellenic Qualifications Framework (HQF). The HQF is referenced to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). So far, the HQF focusses on formal learning, but in the long term it aims to include outcomes from non-formal and informal learning. EOPPEP is responsible for validating formal, non-formal^[1] and informal learning outcomes relevant to the labour market in the context of Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET) and Continuing Vocational Education and Training (CVET). Through a process of examination, EOPPEP certifies graduates of recognized non-formal learning institutions.

EOPPEP created the National System for Certification of Outputs, currently still under development, as an important step to veer away from the dominant input-based education system in Greece. The goal of this output-based system is to certify knowledge, skills and competences relevant to the labour market acquired by an individual across various learning pathways, and, ultimately, to boost employment. An online Qualifications Register has been created under this National System, which will be linked to the European Portal ‘Learning Opportunities and Qualifications in Europe’. In early 2016 the Register included 674 qualifications, all of which were classified in the HQF and thus referenced to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). EOPPEP is the authority managing the continuous update of the Register although future plans should allow qualification awarding bodies to access and update the Qualifications Register directly.

Professionals who do not hold officially recognized certificates can apply for a certification regardless of where and how they developed their professional knowledge, skills and competences. These officially recognized certificates correspond to the requirements of relevant occupational profiles. Currently, EOPPEP is responsible for the certification of adult trainers of non-formal learning. The certification examinations include both a theoretical and a practical part and are based on the requirements of the relevant occupational profile. Furthermore, EOPPEP is in charge of certifying professionals in private security services who have acquired their competences only through work experience. EOPPEP also licenses individuals in specific technical occupations such as plumbing, machine moulding, liquid and gas fuel installation and welding.

EOPPEP cooperates with the Ministry of Education to organize inputs (development of curriculum for non-formal learning, infrastructures, training of trainers, etc.) and guidance. EOPPEP alone is responsible for the validation of the outcomes from non-formal learning, except for Colleges’ (Kollegia) graduates (see below).

In 2013, the law on the Restructuring of Secondary Education 4186/2013 led to the selection of public and private non-formal learning institutions and organizations authorized to offer officially recognized certification. These institutions and organizations are as follows:

1. Vocational Training Schools (Sxolh Epaggelmatikhs Katartishs – SEK) offering IVET to graduates of lower secondary education. At the beginning of 2016, SEK were being redesigned
2. Institutes of Vocational Training (Institouto Epaggelmatikhs Katartishs – IEK) offering IVET to formal upper-secondary education (general or technical lyceums) and SEK graduates;
3. Lifelong Learning Centres offering CVET, general adult education, career guidance and counselling; and
4. Colleges (Kollegia) offering non-formal learning to graduates of upper-secondary education.

Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder roles, responsibilities and capacities are defined in relation to the implementation of the various non-formal learning programmes and activities described above. The EOPPEP conducts the official validation process of the outcomes of non-formal and informal learning. Although education and training providers may award certification of vocational training to their participants, they do not take part in the validation process. Private providers must conform to specific regulations pertaining to the quality of infrastructure and trainers to obtain and maintain their operational license. Social partners collaborate with EOPPEP in various ways: they develop and certify occupational standards and participate in examination committees and on the EOPPEP Board. Civil society organizations usually develop their own specific frameworks for validation.

References

CEDEFOP. 2014. European Inventory on Validation of Non-formal and Informal LearninG: country report Greece.  http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/2014/87059_EL.pdf (Accessed 17 January 2016).

CEDEFOP. 2016. 2016 Update to the European Inventory on Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning: Draft country report Greece.

EUROSTAT. 2015. Europe 2020 Indicators: Greece.  http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Europe_2020_indicators_-_Greece (Accessed in 17 January 2016).

Greece. Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. 2014. Greece EQF Referencing Report. http://www.eucis-lll.eu/eucis-lll/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/31-1-2014-GREECE-REFERENCING-REPORT.pdf(Accessed 17 January 2016).

OECD. 2015. Unemployment. https://data.oecd.org/unemp/unemployment-rate.htm(Accessed 17 January 2016).

Source: UNESCO UIL

Non-formal and informal learning are an integral and institutionalized part of the education and training system. In addition to recognition procedures in formal education and the labour market, steps are also being undertaken to promote lifelong learning with the long-term aim of providing more effective ways of achieving recognition of competences acquired through non-formal and informal routes in different educational domains.

Challenges and opportunities

With regard to challenges associated with validation of non-formal and informal learning, Germany does not have an overall strategy for validation. The comprehensive nature of education and training system in Germany has resulted in comparatively low levels of demand for the recognition of competences acquired in the non-formal education sector. This is because the dual system rests upon a combination of school and work-based learning, which makes explicit the inclusion of experiential learning within the official models, reducing the need to assess non-formal education acquired outside the formal system (Straka, 2006a). In addition, the formal system is informed by Berufsprofile (vocational profiles) representing a clearly defined set of qualifications and competences, indicating both learning content and learning outcomes. All of these factors contribute to the high value afforded to the formal system. Alternatives such as non-formal education face significant obstacles in systems in which each step is planned in relation to other social partners (Straka, 2006b). However, there is a growing demand for non-formal learning in Germany.

Data from Germany suggests that across the board, individuals who change professions or place of employment more frequently tend to make greater use of non-formal learning to expand their range of competences. There has been a notable increase in non-formal work-related Continuing Vocational Education and Training (CVET) in Germany.

Moreover, self-assessment of continuing learning by adults suggests that learning takes place more often in non-formal ‘lessons’ and informal settings than in formal courses. It is possible that the certification and documentation of informal learning, increasingly favoured in Germany, could contribute towards encouraging individuals with less access to formal and remedial learning to make better use of this form’s potential for future learning (BMBF, 2008).

National standards, policy and framework activity

One of the objectives of the German Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (DQR), launched in May 2013, is to improve opportunities for the validation of results of non-formal and informal learning in order to encourage access to lifelong learning (DQR, 2011). DQR has a holistic approach to the concept of competences, seen as comprehensive ability to act. Moreover, DQR is open to encompassing competences not only acquired through formal but also through non-formal and informal pathways. An eight-level structure, adopted to cover all the main types of German qualifications, aims to make each qualification level accessible via various educational routes. Despite the lack of a uniform legislation on Recognition, Validation and Accreditation (RVA) at the national level, Germany has developed a variety of approaches located in RVA policy and legislation within its education and training system.

VET contains legislation for validation of non-formal and informal learning. This includes an examination for external students under paragraph 45 (2) of the Vocational Training Act and paragraph 37 (2) of the Crafts Code. In VET, individuals with previous work experience can sit an examination (Externenprüfung) following a vocational apprenticeship comprising alternating work and training segments. Admission to this examination must be preceded by a period of employment at least one and a half times the length of the prescribed training period for that particular occupation. This minimum period may be waived if candidates can demonstrate vocational expertise that justifies admission to the examination; The Vocational Qualifications Assessment Law (BQFG), introduced in April 2012, permits individuals to have their foreign-acquired qualifications matched to a German qualification by a competent authority (BMBF, 2012). Although the law focuses on comparing formal qualifications, appropriate work experience can be recognized where formal certificates are missing (see BQFG Paragraph 3, Section 1). Through an external examination (Schulfremdenprüfung, Externenprüfung), candidates can acquire a general education school leaving certificate in all federal states that fulfills the residence and minimum age requirements and satisfies the requirement for evidence of appropriate examination preparation.

Within the higher education system itself, two decisions made by the KMK provide the basis for validation. The first refers to access to higher education for qualified workers and is in place since March 2009. People that hold certain vocational qualifications can be admitted to higher education without a proper upper-secondary qualification. The second decision concerns granting credits for competences acquired at work. Procedures to credit non-formal and informal learning were developed and tested in the ‘Transitions from VET to Higher Education’ (Übergänge von der beruflichen in die hochschulische Bildung). According to these decisions, knowledge and skills acquired outside the higher education system can be recognized up to a maximum of 50 per cent if the content and level are equal to those of the equivalent formal qualifications. Individual institutions of higher education and study programmes have implemented the practice of awarding credits for vocational competences towards higher education study programmes (ANKOM).

Although traditional assessment methods such as tests and examinations are used to assess outcomes from non-formal and informal learning against standards in vocational education and training, examinations are designed in such a way as to take into account active learning processes (Frank, 2011), so that competences from non-formal and informal learning can be assessed in an authentic and holistic manner. In fact, the concerned parties undertake structural and content-related changes in relation to training regulations regularly, with the aim of making assessments more authentic, particularly at the level of initial and continuing education and training. There are also several initiatives below the legislative level, in form of projects or stakeholder programmes. These relate mainly to identification and documentation of learning outcomes and are not generally linked to NQF developments. One of the most successful initiatives is the ProfilPASS system. It is a system of counselling and documentation of learning outcomes based on biographical methods. A working group was set up by the BMBF to explore ways of creating a systematic approach to validation, including further development of ProfilPASS into a validation instrument. The German Federal Council (Bundesrat) has yet to decide whether, when and how to implement arrangements for validation.

Stakeholder engagement

As Germany lacks a national system for validation, stakeholders’ roles are differentiated by the educational system’s sub-sectors. Below the legislative level, different stakeholders are involved in every sub-sector.

Representatives of all relevant stakeholders were involved in the development of the DQR, mainly through working groups and expert workshops: these include ministries of education, cultural affairs and economy, social partners, higher education institutions, vocational education and training organizations, general continuing education organizations and research institutes. The federal states define the parameters of higher education and the universities define the procedures. The federal government and social partners have equal roles in decision-making regarding vocational education, with decisions made by consensus.

BMBF (2008) highlights a series of legal, social and individual conditions that must be met to realize the vision of an open learning system:

• a social and legal foundation for RVA must exist;
• existing recognition procedures must be improved and new procedures developed with facilitated admission to courses or examinations;
• the system of documentation, recording and recognition with its intermeshing procedures must be transparent;
• a culture of trust with respect to self-evaluation procedures must be maintained; and
• the motivation and ability to perform and reflect upon self-evaluation, as well as a willingness and ability to continue learning must be preconditions for recognizing all forms of learning.

References

Büchter, K. et al. 2012. Der Deutsche Qualifikationsrahmen (DQR): Ein Konzept zur Erhöhung von Durchlässigkeit und Chancengleichheit im Bildungssystem? [German Qualifications Framework (DQR): a Framework for Increasing Permeability and Opportunities in the Educational System?]. Gütersloh, Bertelsmann.

CEDEFOP. 2014. European Inventory on Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning 2014: Country Report Germany.  http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/2014/87053_DE.pdf (Accessed 20 January 2016).

DQR. 2011. The German Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning. Adopted by the ‘German Qualifications Framework Working Group’.  http://empleo.ugr.es/unilo/documentos/dqr_document_en_110322.pdf (Accessed 18 January 2016).

Germany. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. 2008. Status of Recognition of Non-formal and Informal Learning in Germany within the Framework of the OECD Activity ‘Recognition of Informal and Non-formal Learning (RNFIL)’. Bonn, BMBF.

Germany. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung; Kultusministerkonferenz der Länder. 2012. Draft Bill to Improve the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications. Bonn, BMBF. http://www.bmbf.de/pubRD.anerkennungsgesetz.pdf (Accessed 18 January 2016).

Germany. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung; Kultusministerkonferenz der Länder. 2013. German EQF Referencing Report. http://ec.europa.eu/eqf/documentation_en.htm (Accessed 18 January 2016).

Frank, I. 2011. Kompetenzorientierung in der Berufsbildung: Anforderung an Prüfungen. In: Bohlinger and Münchausen, eds. Validierung von Lernergebnissen – Recognition and Validation of Prior Learning. Bonn, BIBB.

Straka, G.A. 2006a. Informal learning: Genealogy, concepts, antagonisms and questions. In: K. Künzel, ed.. International Yearbook of Adult Education, 31–32, pp. 93–126. Köln, Böhlau.

Straka, G. A. 2006b. Zertifizierung informell erworbener Kompetenzen – neu für die bundesdeutsche Berufsbildung? In: M. Eckert and A. Zöller, eds. Der europäische Berufsbildungsraum – Beiträge der Berufsbildungsforschung. Bielefeld, Bertelsmann, pp. 205–216.

Source: UNESCO UIL