Implementing APEL in the Centre region On the basis of an information and advice service, how to provide access to APEL as a means of securing the careers of working people in the region. _________________ Reception of a European delegation Tuesday 16 June 2009 Anne MASSIP GIP ALFA CENTRE Valérie MAROLLES DRTEFP Céline BLAN Regional Council Julie MARC Regional Council

Part 1: PRINCIPLES AND CONDITIONS OF IMPLEMENTING AN APEL INFORMATION AND ADVICE SERVICE How to develop a service that will give a region’s citizens access to APEL

Context of the creation of Intermediary advice centres - The implementation of the APEL information and advice service results from consultation between Government services in the region and the Regional Council, on the basis of a Ministry of Employment circular. - Aim of the APEL information and advice service: make the individual right to APEL effective by disseminating information about the very existence of this new right and by helping candidates to understand it.

Intermediary advice centre organisation principles Shared resources and networking: - Aims of the information and advice service: – offer a new service without creating a new structure; – guarantee impartial and objective information; – rely on the diversity of existing and voluntary networks. – This project follows on from the work done with the aim of furthering cooperation within vocational guidance services, initiated in the Centre region around the Etoile project. (

An original organisation - an identified place for an APEL information and advice service, without any separate legal identity - A pilot structure, holder of the financing agreement and having an appointed referral agent - Information and guidance structures taking part in the service by providing advisors. - multicultural cooperation: each intermediary advice centre consists of several different structures combined. - professionalization of the advisors to guarantee a quality, impartial service

The results achieved - No standardised method of working from one advice centre to another but all the advantages and limits of each method of organisation have been identified to guarantee the durability of the service - Effective involvement of all the partners, assessed using activity and financial monitoring tools (extranet).

The results achieved - Sharing resources and working in partnership are only tools; the ultimate aim is still to provide the information and advice service and to provide users with a quality service. - In communication actions, the identification of the intermediary advice centre prevails over the institutional identities of the structures it comprises (e.g. mapping of the advice centres) - Working in partnership incurs costs as a result of the coordination done by the pilot structure, and the time needed to share information…

APEL in figures in 2008 The intermediary advice centres: Over 6,000 people received and informed Approx. 4,000 individual guidance interviews APEL More than 3,000 people on APEL 52% obtained their full diploma 37% partially obtained their diploma 11% failed

REGIONAL MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION

1- A regional charter in 5 points 1.Welcome and inform people locally 2.Provide individual guidance 3.Guarantee an impartial and objective service 4.Welcome all kinds of people 5.Unrestricted, gratuitous access

Activities of the APEL intermediary advice centres Results for the beneficiary Reception  The beneficiary is aware of the framework and the objectives of the service provided by the advice centres  The beneficiary is able to make an initial request  The beneficiary obtains some initial information about APEL Individual information / Individual guidance  The beneficiary is able to express his request  The beneficiary is informed about APEL (the processes, conditions, rules, costs, funding)  The beneficiary can decide whether APEL is appropriate having regard for his situation and objectives  The beneficiary can identify the key elements of his experience to establish his APEL project  The beneficiary can identify the different qualifications adapted to his situation and the certification bodies Follow-up  The beneficiary can assess the suitability of the hypotheses chosen 2- Reference standard of the APEL information and advice service in the Centre region

3-Role of the APEL intermediary advice centres WELCOME WELCOME ANALYSE ANALYSE the person’s experience and project ADVISE ADVISE and develop different hypotheses or scenarios RELAY RELAY to validating organisations and resource persons in APEL support

4- APEL advice centre advisor professionalization plan Presentation of applicable legislation and the aims of APEL Procedure and action of the different certification bodies Discussions and analysis of practices

5- Support for project development in the region - Involve the intermediary advice centres in the implementation of collective APEL projects in the region and organise the coordination of the various players involved

A Web site Extranet pages intended for professionals Communication materials An individual file for the beneficiary An APEL handbook An advisors’ handbook Follow-up tools Satisfaction and follow-up surveys 6- Tools

How to make APEL accessible to people far removed from qualification Part 2: Changes to the aims of the system

Supported by different partners, the region through the intermediary advice centres, the government (DRTEFP, DDTEFP), the professional branches, trade unions, public and private companies: New aims of APEL - Integrate APEL as a tool for building individual career paths and for managing and anticipating changes in needs for skills in the working world - stimulate projects aiming at people who would not generally use this right on their own initiative, -facilitate access to qualification via APEL by improving the organisation of the different steps, the procedures and the financing.

Examples of regional projects: some thirty collective actions in Using APEL as a human resources management tool in work structures (firms, associations, etc.) or in employment and integration policies in the region For example:  APEL in small businesses in the building industry  Project at county level for retirement home employees  APEL in redeployment procedures for employees being made redundant

Using APEL as a tool to secure the careers of people with few or no qualifications or in sectors with significant needs for professionalization For example, promoting APEL with people who are:  illiterate,  on subsidised contracts,  handicapped and working in special vocational centres Examples of regional projects: some thirty collective actions in

Using APEL as a tool to help get people back to work For example, using APEL to qualify people working in a sector that needs qualified staff in the region such as: Office automation Personal services Sales

AIMS - Facilitate the understanding of a system regarded as complex - Fight against dropping out and failure - Reduce completion times

Project engineering and support Integrate APEL into resource management issues and thus choose the qualification at the junction of the candidate’s skills and activities and the needs of the employing structure / or of jobs in the region Political and strategic desire to issue qualifications in sectors that are changing/becoming more professional or which create jobs Coordination of the parties involved to organise a partnership-based service in the region encompassing the different steps of APEL Locally: identify and implement a support and training service (in the case of partial accreditation) Organise complementarity of funding

strengths of the initiative Projects in which: Cooperation is improved between the players in a region A partnership is established that respects the different roles without systematically creating a new service All validating bodies are involved Employers’ awareness and involvement are heightened

Weaknesses Considerable effort needed to implement and sustain the actions The stability of the structures and the teams Constant means to deal with new actions A complex, multi-tiered partnership Difficulties convincing employers Public purchasing rules that can thwart project principles

Keys to success Political involvement and Government / Region steering Regional coordination (GIP Alfa Centre) Involvement at a local level by means of monitoring committees: A local information and advice service Involvement of government services Professional branches Create cooperation between players