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APPENDIX 2:
RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING FROM A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE

At EU level, recognition of prior learning, in particular non- formal and informal learning, has come to the fore over the last few years, and a number of European countries have demonstrated an increased interest in promoting a credit transfer system and recognising in particular non-formal and informal learning.

In the European Commission's communication of 21 November 2001 'Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality', it is emphasised that an extensive European initiative 'valuing learning' is regarded as a condition for creating a European area of lifelong learning. The Commission's initiative focuses heavily on identification, assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning – in addition to transfer and mutual recognition of formal examination certificates etc. In connection with the Commission's consultation on a memorandum on lifelong learning in spring 2001, a majority of the member states, including Denmark, stated that valuing learning was given high priority in their national education strategies.

Also the social partners' European organisations published in 2002 a joint publication, which emphasises that recognition and validation of competences and qualifications form a joint priority at European level.

In December 2003, the Commission submitted a proposal for decision in the European Parliament and in the Council on a single framework on the transparency of qualifications and competences (Europass). The principal idea is to collect documents that aim at creating transparency of qualifications and competences under one hat in the form of a document portfolio. Citizens have the choice whether to use a single Europass document or the entire Europass portfolio.

The European CV
The most important document in the Europass portfolio is the European CV, on to which other Europass documents will be linked. The European CV is a personal document that is completed by its owner. It has a common format that includes a number of categories, which it is up to the individual to complete with relevant information:

- Information on personal circumstances, on language qualifications, work experience and educational background
- Further personal competences, particularly technical, organisational, artistic and social skills etc.
- Further details, which may be attached to the CV in the form of one or several appendices
- Individuals who complete the electronic form – either downloaded or on-line – must be able to remove the fields that they do not wish to complete, so that the finished document does not appear with empty fields.

As part of the follow-up to the report on the future objectives of the education and training systems and with reference to the Copenhagen declaration, the Council met with government representatives in May 2004 and passed the conclusions on common principles for identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning. It is emphasised that common principles are necessary to encourage and guide the development of trustworthy approaches and systems and ensure the comparability and wide acceptance. The principles are to be applied on a voluntary basis by the member states and stakeholders.

For many years, a number of member states have already been operating schemes for recognition or documentation of non-formal and informal competences, thus providing different solutions to the question of how to promote recognition of actual competence. France, Holland, Finland and Norway are among the countries that particularly in recent years have introduced and developed new national schemes, which may be useful and serve as inspiration for a similar Danish initiative.

It is clear that generally the objective of developing systems for the assessment of prior learning is to render more effective overall education initiatives – within the education system and in respect of interaction between the education system and skills enhancement on the labour market. The education system needs to be geared towards admitting and testing candidates on the basis of their prior learning, thus avoiding unnecessary education' and reducing study completion times. This idea is developed in Finland and Holland and fully implemented in France and Norway, where it is possible to be awarded an examination certificate or 'competence certificate' purely on the basis of an assessment of an individual's prior learning.

Following a long tradition supported by legislation, France introduced in 2002 a new Act on recognition of experience, ensuring everybody access to having competences acquired through work experience etc. recognised with a view to not only allowing candidates to enter for examinations and be awarded diplomas, but also allowing candidates to be awarded diplomas purely on the basis of validation of their prior learning. In practical terms, the new Act means that where previously an individual could use his or her recognised prior learning as part of an official education, the same individual can now, in principle, be awarded a certificate of education purely on recognition of learning outside the formal education system. This is an extensive and very ambitious attempt to use prior learning i.e. an 'actual competence' system to reform an education system with a traditional focus on official education and titles. The objective of the 2002 Act is to strengthen the opportunities for employment, to improve the management of human resources and to promote the mobility of labour.

In Holland, the prevalence of recognising informally acquired skills and qualifications has no basis in legislation. However, in a cross-ministerial task force, the Dutch government has initiated the creation of such a system, relating primarily to the standards in the 1996 Act on vocational education and training. The overall objective is to strengthen lifelong learning. The system is intended to motivate learning, emphasising that potential candidates do not start from scratch but are already well on the way. As a consequence, the actual competence assessment is marketed under the slogan 'The glass is half full'. The three-part strategy has been: establishing an infrastructure, mobilising general support and developing new methods through pilot projects.

Norway has concentrated on the actual competence project Realkompetanseposjektet via wide, decentralised research and development activities during 1999–2002. The objective has been to develop a new national system and new methods to document and assess actual competence, irrespective of where and how they were acquired. In the long term, the objective will also be to facilitate career development, mobility and flexibility at work. The Norwegian parliament and government have set the agenda, but the social partners have been involved from the beginning. Also the 'third sector', i.e. institutions of liberal adult education, associations and the voluntary sector have been involved in the development project. All three players have developed their own methods and tools. It has now become a legal right for the individual to receive an individual competence assessment on admission to a secondary education programme, including a vocational training course, and on admission to tertiary education. After the amendment of the Act on training, it has become possible for individuals to be awarded examination or 'competence certificates' purely on the basis of the assessment of their actual competences.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that in February 2003 a working group on 'Validation of prior learning' under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers published a report, which on the basis of an assessment of the individual member states' systems points to a framework for a joint initiative. The objective was to make a contribution towards qualifying the member states' initiatives in respect of recognition of prior learning and, for instance, provide qualified opportunities for making contributions to the ongoing work within the EU.

This page is included in the publication "Recognition of Prior Learning within the education system" as APPENDIX 2
© The Ministry of Education 2005