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Book Presentation : Challenges, actors and practices of non-formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury* * Center of Studies - Alpha Group (Paris) European trade union institute Brussels, 26 November 2014

Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

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Page 1: Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

Book Presentation:

Challenges, actors and practices of non-formal and informal learning and its

validation in Europe

Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury* * Center of Studies - Alpha Group (Paris)

European trade union instituteBrussels, 26 November 2014

Page 2: Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

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The long-proclaimed European goal of Life Long Learning:

- … contrasts sharply with the mediocrity of delivery (Europe 2020 strategy)

(e.g. large proportion of early leavers in the education system; low rate of participation of adults to LLL activies)

- no real catching up of countries lagging behind: persistent heterogeneity of

EU countries

Furthermore, there is clear evidence in EU of:

- widespread skills mismatches

- increasing professional mobilities to come in the middle/long run (generational renewal…)

An innovative way to enhance skills and education levels in EU: recognize skills that exist, but that are non yet recognized or certified

- theme adressed in the « actors, practices and challenges of non-formal and informal learning and its validation » Project…

- … a comprehensive survey of practices and issues arising in the areas of validation of non-formal and informal learning (NFIL) in EU

EU: Major challenges in Education in Training

Page 3: Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

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An ETUC initiative, funded by the European Commission:

- lead in 2011-2012 by a team of Groupe Alpha

- 10-country sample (DK, FI, DE, ES, FR, IT, PL, PT, RO, UK)

- spread out and updated in a European conference in Lisbon (June 2012) and in a book published by ETUI (2014)

Validation of non-formal and informal learning?

Non-formal learning: part of structured learning activities, intentional …

& Informal learning: part of daily activities related to work, family, leisure, etc., generally not intentional …

… don’t lead to certification

Validation of NFIL: acknowledgement by a qualified institution that the acquired competences have been evaluated and are in compliance with defined standards

The actors, practices and challenges of non-formal and informal learning and its validation project

Page 4: Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

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Countries with validation frameworks at the national level, targeting all economic sectors

- validation systems are part of the LLL system

- high involvement of social partners

Danemark, Finland, France, Portugal (until the crisis?)

Countries where the implementation of validation devices is firstly the result of local iniatives

- voluntariness of social partners

- target specific sectors or professions

Italy, Spain

Countries with incomplete validation systems, whom development is not considered as priority

- VET system unequally developped

- marginal role of validation

Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Roumania

A large diversity in the experience of NFIL validation practices in EU: Maturity of the validation systems - 3 groups of countries

Page 5: Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

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Upstream: concerted definition of occupation standards in Sectoral Councils

- social partners typically involved, with E&T experts

- identification of required competences (renewal of occupational profiles)

fixation / update of the directories of occupational qualifications

Downstream: through collective (sectoral or firm-level) bargaining

- specific collective agreements could organize training & validation process

- … but fear of wage claims or of losing workers to competitors make employers reluctant

collective bargaining: to create « win-win » situations

… unfortunately, too few examples of such agreements in EU

The link ‘LLL - skills recognition’ is reinforced through the existence of dedicated organisms where social partners are stakeholders (Finland, Portugal)

- complementarity training - NFIL validation allows validation not be perceived like a ‘low cost certification’ (valorishes skills)

- pathways between systems renders the mode of skills certification more flexible

A large diversity in the experiences of NFIL validation practices in EU: the involvement of social partners

Page 6: Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

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Why is the NFIL validation important ? (1/2)

Benefits of NFIL validation for the worker:

- Rising wage? Not frequent nor automatic

… depends of the link betwen wage level and classification into the firm

… not frequently mentioned in collective agreements!

- most direct benefit: Higher employability in general, and smoother professional transitions

… possibility of internal and external professional mobility

… Individuals skills more recognized, more autonomy…

Benefits of NFIL validation for the firm and the economy:

- allows employers to have a better perception of skills of their employees and of possible candidates to hire

- … enhances the matching between labor supply and demand (enrichment of competence, rising level of education)

- favours insertion of young people on the labour market (through enhanced articulation between skills and qualifications/degrees)

NFIL validation contributes to implement the Learning Outcomes approach and to improve the balance of flexicurity, by improving the employability of people and transparency of skills

Page 7: Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

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Recognition of skills as a flexible way of entry into LLL for acquiring new skills

- modularity of certified skills (e.g. France, Finland)

- possibility of combining complementary training - validation of skills

NFIL validation as a second chance for individuals

- fragile populations (low-skilled workers, older workers, migrants… ) distanced from the labour market as ‘natural’ targets for validation

- allows professional pathways less difficult, more fullfilling

NFIL validation enhances innovation at workplace

favours and valorishes creativity of workers (diversity of recognized skills)

Why is the NFIL validation important ? (2/2)

Page 8: Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

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Enhance visibility and access to NFIL validation (1/2)

At the European Union level:

- guidelines on validation (Cedefop)

- recommandation by the European Council in Dec. 2012 on validation of NFIL (ambitious objective: implementation of national frameworks of NFIL validation, not after 2018)

- European mecanisms or tools as EQF: for orientation, practical implementation

In the same time, at the national level:

- a need of operational frameworks, transparent and efficient methods, quality control (in order to select reliable certification and training bodies…)

- but the take-up of the European tools by national actors is a long process: distance to national practices is frequently high

The Groupe Alpha team presents of set of proposals aiming at enhancing access & visilibility to NFIL validation:

- one major point: the development of collective bargaining on NFIL validation

- a set of practical proposals presented hereafter

Page 9: Book Presentation: Challenges, actors and practices of non- formal and informal learning and its validation in Europe Jacky Fayolle* and Nicolas Fleury*

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Enhance visibility and access to NFIL validation (2/2)

4 sets of practical proposals (developed in the book):

Improving coordination and follow-up of NFIL recognition and validation actions- enhanced by partnership protocols of companies with training and validation bodies, into bargaining

Informing and advising workers about NFIL, its recognition and validation:- through the role of TU “learning representatives”- through the integration of NFIL validation into HR management

Supporting workers in having their competences recognised and validated - by developing training and NFIL validation as topic for bargaining- integrated into a broad field of discussion (employment, careers, transitions...)- could be a part of the services provided by TU

Encouraging the full NFIL validation of competences through complementary module training and performant validation assessment management

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Conclusion

NFIL Validation: a need and a major opportunity for workers, companies & the economy

sustainable NFIL validation should contribute both to the cumulative process of rising education levels and to the development of skills

Activate or give impulsion to devices of NFIL recognition for all:

- development of collective bargaining on validation, through a joint role with public incentive (optimal way to make validation a usual practice?)- access to validation must be enhanced (set of specific actions)

EU at a turning point: with the crisis, many social acquis erased …

- a permanent freeze in the effort of E&T would be a major blow to social and economic development in Europe!

- E&T must be sustained (development of NFIL validation targeted toward the most vulnerable people)

what place for E&T in the € 300-billion investment plan proposed today by the European Commission?