Abstract

According to the Lisbon strategy (2000) improving the quality and effectiveness of education and training are fundamental political objectives. In higher education these objectives are implemented by the Bologna process (introduction of Bachelor's and Master's degrees, modularisation of programmes and establishment of the European Credit Transfer System) whilst in vocational education there is the Copenhagen process, which aims at the establishment of a European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for transparency, the creation of a European Credit Transfer System for Vocational Education and Training, and common principles for the validation of non-formal and informal learning.

With regard to vocational education and training this leads to the question of how vocational learning outcomes (i. e. knowledge, skills and competences acqired in vocational training and other learning settings related to occupations and skilled work) can be accredited for further and higher education. The past years witnessed a number of initiatives in several European countries with the aim to develop instruments and procedures for the accreditation and validation of this type of prior learning. The goal of these instruments and procedures is to increase the transferability between the different sectors of education, to reduce the time amount for qualification and to improve international mobility. At the same time they shall allow for the development and accumulation of professional knowledge, skills and competences.

These activities have attained different levels of development. In some countries there are already established and commonly accepted schemes of accreditation. One example is the French system of Validation of Acquired Experience (VAE), another example would be the FETAC/HETAC assessment procedures in Ireland. On the other hand there are countries where the development of accreditation systems is still at a relatively early stage. Examples are Germany, where the Federal Ministry of Education and Research initiated a cluster of pilot projects on 'Learning Pathways from Vocational Education to Higher Education' (ANKOM initiative), and Austria, where the description of work-related competences and their acquisition with a view to the enhancement of competence profiles and the improvement of international comparability was addressed by the Vocational Qualification Transfer System (VQTS) project. A concept for the cross-border transfer of these and other innovative approaches is currently developed by the European CREDIVOC project.

The aim of the symposium is to present innovative accreditation instruments and procedures from different European countries and to discuss their applicability and performance in terms of the objectives described above as well as their transferability to different educational systems and sectors. The first paper by M'Hamed Dif will describe the VAE model in France. The topic of the second paper by Karin Luomi-Messerer (Austria) will be the application of the VQTS model. The German paper by Wolfgang Müskens will present the Module Level Indicator as an instrument for the accreditation of formal qualifications from initial and continuing vocational education and training for higher education. The development of accreditation instruments and procedures in Finland will be described in a fourth paper by Marja-Leena Stenström. The last paper presented by Justin Rami and John Lalor will discuss the perspectives for the recognition of prior learning within the context of VET in Ireland.

Methods

All papers are based on the methodology of the European transfer of innovation project 'Transparency and Mobility through Accreditation of Vocational Learning Outcomes' (CREDIVOC). The basic idea of this transfer project is to identify good practice examples of accreditation procedures and instruments that could be adapted to other national systems of education and initial and continuing training programmes. On the basis of the existing instruments comprehensive criteria are developed so that the application of instruments to learning outcomes from different educational sectors and national systems becomes possible.

The identification and evaluation of instruments and procedures in the partner countries is based on the methods of literature reviews, expert interviews and focus group meetings (panel discussions) with representatives from public bodies, enterprise associations and training institutions. The performance of instruments and procedures will be analysed according to the principles of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis.

Results

The papers presented in the symposium are an intermediate step towards the production of a state-of-the-art report on the conditions for the accreditation of vocational learning outcomes in European countries. Therefore the papers will give a systematic overview of the existing instruments for the assessment of vocational competences, learning outcomes and levels in the countries in question. Furthermore they will include a presentation, comparison and evaluation of these instruments with a view their applicability for selected programmes of initial and continuing vocational education and training in different countries. The aim is to contribute to the further debate on the improvement of opportunities for the accreditation of vocational learning outcomes across national and sectoral boundaries.

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Contribution#1571: On the Validation of Acquired Experiential Learning within the French VET System: Its functioning and role in promoting professionalisation and LLL

Abstract

It is increasingly recognised that transparency and recognition of qualifications and prior experiential learning, play a crucial role in fostering LLL, employability, mobility, career development and socio-professional promotion of individual citizens. The validation of acquired learning experiences is also observed to contribute effectively to the promotion of professionalisation and learning path fluidity and complementarity within and between formal and non-formal learning systems. In this context and within the framework of the CREDIVOC project (2007-2009) investigation, this paper explores and analyses the functioning, role and performances of the existing French 'VAE' regime (i.e.Validation of Acquired Experiential learning) with the aim of identifying effective practices and their transference feasibility to other contexts in Europe.

The adopted methodology in this investigation is mainly based on desk research and documentation completed by focus group meetings and interviews with experts and representatives from implementing silent partners and other involved stakeholders.

The paper consists of three basic sections. The first section is a background overview concerning VAE development and functioning in practice. The second section examines the performance of VAE regime in terms of a quantitative input-output flow analysis of its beneficiaries, including its qualitative contribution to the achievement of its ultimate objectives such as: the promotion of learning path-fluidity and complmentarity between formal and non-formal learning systems and career development trajectories of its beneficiaries. The last section deals basically with identifying and analysing the main hindering and facilitating factors to transference feasibility of VAE effective practices to other national contexts. This includes drawing some concluding remarks and suggestions for further research development and policy recommendations in this connection.

Contribution#1574: The VQTS Model in Austria

Abstract

There is a broad consensus that employability and lifelong learning in Europe need to be fostered by transparency as well as by the transfer and recognition of qualifications held by individual citizens. The development of the ECVET, the EQF and corresponding NQFs cannot be discussed without taking into account the shift from input orientation to a learning outcomes approach. Therefore there is a need to develop and elaborate adequate methods to describe qualifications in terms of learning outcomes.

With the VQTS model, a learning outcomes approach focussing on work related descriptions of competences and their acquisition has been developed. The VQTS model and, in particular, the description of competences in relation to the work context can support the understanding between the world of education and the world of work. The main focus of the first VQTS project was on transnational mobility. However, the VQTS model can be used for different purposes where the transparency of competence profiles is highly important - for example transferring and recognising competences acquired within the official VET system as well as competences achieved through non-formal or informal learning, developing qualifications/curricula, enhancing the visibility of differences in qualifications (in the context of the EQF/NQF implementation). The aim of this paper is to explore the application of the VQTS model for making the overlapping areas of the competence profiles of VET and HE qualifications visible, for developing solutions how to overcome problems on the interface between VET and HE, and for establishing new forms of partnerships between VET and practice oriented HE providers (e.g. for tuning and adjusting curricula, for defining competence profiles for the admission into training programmes/courses, for the recognition of competences etc. to promote progression from VET to HE).

Contribution#1575: Developing instruments and methods for accreditation of vocational learning outcomes in Finland

Abstract

The objective of the Finnish vocational education and training is to guarantee access to skilled labour force and to support industry-driven innovations. New challenges to development arise from the Copenhagen process. Greater mobility calls for the development of credit transfer system and quality assurance in VET. The ECVET (European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training) system based on learning outcomes makes it possible to recognise non-formal and informal learning.

Finland's vocational structure is not purely based on formal education: there is also a system for recognising non-formal and informal learning. Originally, the methods of recognising non-formal and informal learning have been developed for adult education and training, but now they have also become established within upper secondary VET. Finnish vocational qualifications are suitable for the ECVET system. However, a better clarification of descriptions of learning outcomes in terms of KSC (knowledge, skills and competencies) is needed. Linking of ECVET to other European tools (EQF, EUROPASS, EQAF, ECTS) is also important.

Contribution#1741: The Module Level Indicator - an EQF-based instrument for equivalence checks of vocational and higher education modules

Abstract

In 2005 the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research launched the programme ANKOM (Recognition of Vocational Competences in Higher Education). Until now the twelve regional projects of this initiative have developed several instruments and methods to assess and evaluate prior vocational learning for accreditation.

A core element of the recognition process is a so called 'equivalence check'. The objective of this check is to find out to what extent different modules from vocational and higher education have similar contents and the same level.

The Module Level Indicator (MLI) is an instrument applicable as a part of the equivalence check. Its function is to determine the level of a certain module or subject. The MLI is based on the European Qualifications Framework for LLL (EQF) and was developed on the basis of psychometrics. First empirical results of the instrument's validation process are now available. The paper will present the basic concept of the MLI and discuss the empirical findings as well as their implications for the further development of accreditation procedures.

Full Papers for the contributions

[Word version - full paper] Contribution#1741: The Module Level Indicator - an EQF-based instrument for equivalence checks of vocational and higher education modules

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Wolfgang Mueskens, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany. ECER 2008, Symposium Session 4a - Innovative Instruments for the Accreditation of Vocational Learning Outcomes in Europe

[PowerPoint version - slides] Contribution#1741: The Module Level Indicator - an EQF-based instrument for equivalence checks of vocational and higher education modules

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Wolfgang Mueskens, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany. ECER 2008, Symposium Session 4a - Innovative Instruments for the Accreditation of Vocational Learning Outcomes in Europe

[Powerpoint version - slides] - Contribution#1575: Developing instruments and methods for accreditation of vocational learning outcomes in Finland

Preview Printable - CREDIVOC_ECER_M-LS020908.ppt 817.50 Kb

Marja-Leena Stenström, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. ECER 2008. in Symposium Session 4a; #298 - "Innovative Instruments for the Accreditation of Vocational Learning Outcomes in Europe"

[PDF version - contribution from Rami & Lalor] Recognition and Validation of Prior learning in Vocationally related Education in Ireland

Preview Printable - CREDIVOC_Ireland_ECER Aug 2008 final.pdf 271.67 Kb

Justin Rami & John Lalor, Dublin City University, Ireland. ECER 2008. in Symposium Session 4a; #298 - "Innovative Instruments for the Accreditation of Vocational Learning Outcomes in Europe"

[PDF version - full paper] - Contribution#1574: The VQTS Model in Austria

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Karin Luomi-Messerer ECER 2008 - Symposium #298 - "Innovative Instruments for the Accreditation of Vocational Learning Outcomes in Europe" - ECER 2008 - Karin Luomi-Messerer, 3s research laboratory, Vienna, Austria

[PDF version - Full Paper] Contribution #1571 - On the Validation of Acquired Experiential Learning within the French VET System: Its functioning and role in promoting professionalisation and LLL

Preview Printable - M_DIF-P1571_CREDIVOC-Symposium-298_ECER2008.pdf 214.99 Kb

M'Hamed Dif, University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg, France. ECER 2008. in Symposium #298 - "Innovative Instruments for the Accreditation of Vocational Learning Outcomes in Europe"

[PowerPoint version - slides] - Contribution#1575: Developing instruments and methods for accreditation of vocational learning outcomes in Finland

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Marja-Leena Stenström, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. ECER 2008. in Symposium Session 4a; #298 - "Innovative Instruments for the Accreditation of Vocational Learning Outcomes in Europe" ECER 2008, session_4a