Valid info

Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013

Leonardo da Vinci

The validation of non formal and informal learning in the field of work-integration of disadvantaged people and Inter-cultural mediation (VALID-INFO)

Dear all,

The improvement of experience’s acquisition at the both level non-formal and informal, is an important issue for the European dimension, which is treated in the Lisbon Strategy’s framework and in the Memorandum of 30/10 EU in 2000. This document defines "the informal education, as a considerable store of knowledge and potential innovation’s source for both methods and contents.

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However, these matters are a main topic of EU member states, there is not yet a common approach for the identification, assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal experiences.

The project, “Validation of non formal and informal learning in the field of work-integration of disadvantaged people and Inter-cultural mediation (VALID-INFO)” could therefore fill the gap and work in the way to define a common approach starting from EU member states’ good practices, with reference to the German experience.

For this reason, Diesis is involved in this project led by the European Think tank Pour la solidarité.

The project VALID-INFO (24 months) will focus on some specific types of competences/skills based on non-formal and informal training such as “ethic” competences and “relational” competences.

This know-how is crucial for the professional profiles connected to intercultural mediation and working insertion of disadvantaged people (disabled people and migrants). Nevertheless, these competences/skills are not recognized. Moreover, training agencies, universities, education institutes do not have the right tools that will allow them to carry out the recognition and/or the accreditation of the competences acquired in a non-formal and informal training process.

The main objective of this project is to map the competences of various professional profiles, in order to clearly identify the dimension of non-formal learning in these areas.
The other objectives are:

• To support participants in training and further training activities, in the acquisition and the use of knowledge, skills and qualifications to facilitate personal development, employability and participation in the European Labour Market;
• To support improvements in quality and innovation in vocational education and training systems, institutions and practices

The project will analyse good practices in relation to identification and validation of competences acquired in a non-formal and informal training process in other European countries and in particular in Germany – PROFILPASS system – but also in Italy, Poland and France. In a second phase, these models could be adapted to the Communauté Française de Belgique (CFWB) system in order to reach a set of standards for validation of non-formal and informal learning in collaboration with universities, training agencies, public bodies involved in the training certification, and other actors active in the field of intercultural mediation and working insertion. The model created will be validated by a technical-scientific committee of European experts.

The concrete outcomes of the project will be:
A mapping of the competences acquired by the formal, informal and non-formal learning of these professional profiles ;

• The transfer and adaptation of a set of standards (model) for valorisation and validation of non-formal and informal learning from other Member states to the Communauté Française de Belgique (CFWB) ;
• A guide for the recognition and the certification of the competences acquired by non-formal and informal training.

The envisaged impact would be the facilitation of access to training system for disadvantaged people (disabled people and migrants). The recognition of acquired competences would allow these persons to approach training path without having necessarily to follow an entire program, but only some specific modules/units.