Validation of informal learning: an insight of good-practice experience

Abstract

Today’s knowledge-based economy, penetration of new technologies, the growing speed of technological changes, including digitalization and globalization are defining improvement of people’s skills and competences as necessity. In this context lifelong learning has been emphasized as a major policy that enables economic competitiveness, employability, personal realization and self-development. The concepts of formal, informal and non-formal learning are tied to that of lifelong learning. A single and generally recommended solution for the institutional framework for validation of non-formal and informal learning (VNFIL) does not exist and it differs from country to country across Europe, and the world. Looking at all its details it can be said that there are as many specific institutional solutions as there are countries. This paper is giving an insight of good-practice experience by presenting the pathway for developing a comprehensive methodology for validation of non-formal and informal learning, in the country where VNFIL is in the early stage of development. In the Republic of North Macedonia, after referencing of National Qualification Framework (NQF) with the European, the area for establishing national VNFIL system was created. But the first steps in developing and implementing the methodology for validation of non-formally and informally gained knowledge and skills are realized in the frame of the EU project BuildUpSkills BEET, which has made pioneer steps toward introduction to the process for VNFIL, becoming an example of a success story and it continues with the activities in recently finalised TRAINEE project, by introducing aspects of quality assurance into the whole process. Within BuildUpSkills BEET the process of validation of skills of building workers’ was endorsed by most of the construction companies resulting with significant number of more than 1000 workers that were involved in the piloting of the process. The developed Methodology was endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Science and European Training Foundation as an example of a success story and is used as a basis for building the national VNFIL system. Further pathway is considering introducing aspects of quality assurance in the process, which is project activity of H2020 project TRAINEE. A set of principles concerning quality of validation have to be ensured: confidence, impartiality and credibility. In continuation this paper presents the follow-up activities for upgrading developed Methodology by introducing measures for quality assurance and by extending the process toward higher levels of qualification in NQF, targeting V-th and VI-th level of NQF, when more than 350 professionals were assessed during 2020. This paper presents the findings from survey on the topics of awareness, benefits and advantages of the process, as well as the origin of the interest for validation of informally acquired skills and knowledge. It also presents the findings of the follow-up survey, mapping the current value of the certificates issued through the process of VNFIL two years ago, as a relevant feedback on the results achieved from pilot implementation of VNFIL methodology.