1. Tibor Bors Borbely-P. Ph.D.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
THE ROLE OF THE VALIDATION OF COMPETENCES IN
PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING OF ADULTS
New perspectives and challenges in providing career counseling and validation of competencies services
Tibor Bors Borbely-P. Ph.D.

2. The European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network
The ELGPN represents a major development in support of national lifelong guidance policy development in Europe. As a Member-State-driven network, it also represents an innovative form of the Open Method of Co-ordination within the EU.
The participating countries designate their representatives in the network, and are encouraged to include both governmental and non-governmental representatives. The ELGPN currently consists of 29 member countries (AT, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LV, LT, LU, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, SE, SK, Sl, TR, UK), with 2 additional countries as observers (BE, BG). Through appropriate liaison arrangements, the network ensures regular contact with other relevant bodies and networks at national, European and international levels.

3. ELGPN products

4. Validation
Validation of non-formal and informal learning A process of confirmation by an authorised body that an individual has acquired learning outcomes against a relevant standard. It consists of four distinct phases: (1) identification – through dialogue – of particular experiences made by an individual; (2) documentation – to make visible the individual experiences; (3) a formal assessment of these experiences; and (4) recognition leading to a certification, e.g. a partial or full qualification.
Comment:
This term has been designed to replace ‘Accreditation of prior experiential learning’ (APEL), ‘Recognition of non-formal and informal learning’ (RNFIL) and ‘Validation of prior learning’ (VPL).
This process is often linked to specialised guidance activities. An intention is to enhance ‘the role of guidance in relation to accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL) and to learning in the workplace including formal, non-formal and informal learning’ (Lifelong Guidance Policy Development: a European Resource Kit 2012).
Source: EU proposed definition from DG EAC.

5. Lifelong guidance
In the context of lifelong learning, guidance refers to a range of activities that enables citizens of any age and at any point in their lives to identify their capacities, competences and interests, to make educational, training and occupational decisions and to manage their individual life paths in learning, work and other settings in which these capacities and competences are learned and/or used.
Council Resolution (2004)

6. Guidance provision within the education and training system
… and especially in schools or at school level, has an essential role to play in ensuring that individuals’ educational and career decisions are firmly based, and in assisting them to develop effective self-management of their learning and career paths. It is also a key instrument for education and training institutions to improve the quality and provision of learning.
Council Resolution (2004)

7. The European Agenda

8. Tools for access to… Education systems and sub-systems LLL
Inclusive labour market
Social inclusion

9. System theory & constructivist approaches for policy development
Source: Career Development and System Theory (AU 2006) Chapter 7 Building Positive Work Habits and Attitudes - Mary McMahon, Wendy Patton

10. Case Study 4.6: Portfolio of Experiences and Competences (PEC) in France
Since 2008, in the framework of a national programme, 20 French universities have been developing CMS by supporting students in validating their experiences and competences. This validation is structured in such a way that it becomes an academically highly relevant educational process. It is accompanied by university teacher researchers who have been trained to work with this approach. PEC (le Portfeuille d’Expériences et de Compétences) not only prepares young people to talk about themselves in terms of knowledge and competences needed for transition to work, but is also a tool that helps them find meaning in theoretical learning through reflection on their activities. Students intensify their learning in the context of the university by gaining the ability to transfer their knowledge to social and professional contexts.
The programme includes training sessions, personal counselling and tools on a digital platform. Faculties co-operate in integrating the approach into their study programmes, and develop modules to support this process. One of PEC’s long-term objectives is to ‘scaffold’ students’ autonomy, within the perspective of the needs of the economy. In this way, the PEC project constitutes an important contribution to implement three essential objectives of the European Higher Education Area: student-centred learning, employability, and outcome/competence orientation. (source: ELGPN (2012) Resource Kit)

11. Case Study 5.8: Validation for adult education, Poland
In 2007/08 in the Warmin´sko-Mazurskie Vocational Development Centre, the first project in Poland aiming at the validation of competences was implemented in two building and construction professions. Entitled ‘Let’s Build Together’, it operated within the framework of the EQUAL programme and covered the validation of competences, linked to information, guidance and counselling, in the professions of gas installation fitter and sanitary installation fitter. The project included the development of a validation procedure, used by 200 people. Experience gathered contributed to the implementation of two further projects: ‘Specialist with a Degree’ and ‘Specialist with a Degree 2’. Within the first of these projects (2009/10), a vocational degree or a master degree could be obtained in the occupations of upholsterer and carpenter.
Within the second project, competences could be validated in 8 occupations: concrete placer, reinforcement fitter, electrician, gas installation fitter, stonemason, carpenter, upholsterer, and furnishing works technician in the construction sector. In 2008/09 a two-year project of innovation transfer was implemented, entitled ‘Towards a Qualified Construction Workforce for Poland’.
source: ELGPN (2012) Resource Kit)

12. For further details Visit ELGPN website & publications:
Finnish Institute for Educational Research University of Jyväskylä P.O. Box 35 FI University of Jyväskylä Finland Fax elgpn(at)jyu.fi

13. Thank you for you attention!