Name of the project

European Common Principles for the Accreditation of Non-formal and Informal Learning in Lifelong Learning


Duration of the project

24 months

1. 10. 2005 – 30. 9. 2006


Background of the project

In particular, the access of adults, especially those with lower or no qualifications, to formal education and training and/or certification is still too complicated in many European countries. Currently, adults have mostly to attend entire study programmes leading to formal certificates, even in cases where they have sufficient evidence or the outcomes of considerable recent and relevant non-formal and/or informal learning. It is therefore necessary to extend adults’ educational attainment opportunities by developing new and more appropriate ways of access to formal education and/or certification, especially in various fields of secondary level and non-university higher vocational education.
One of the major problems facing Europe within the next decade is the issue of the ageing population. During the next years, there will be a massive wave of retirement and the labour market will experience a lack of appropriately qualified labour force. The level of competences in business and industry will suffer immensely unless we take steps to deal with the problem now. European and global free movement of people and labour force is only one part of needed response. The other is to be seen in the lifelong and life-wide learning, with the recognition of all types of learning for qualifications and with a maximal opening up of access to education and training for all throughout the whole life. Many economically inactive or unemployed persons are lacking a sufficient level of formal education and/or formally recognised vocational qualification for being able of (re)integration into the labour market. New pathways to education and training are therefore to be developed to enable these target groups to embark upon further education leading to certificates at secondary or higher levels.
In the context of the agreed objectives for Education and Training "The concrete future objectives of education and training systems" (2001) and the recent communiqué of the “Maastricht Communiqué on the Future Priorities of Enhanced European Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training (VET)” (December 2004), the attractiveness of the vocational route to employers and individuals is a major priority in order to increase participation in Vocational Education and Training. In order to meet the Common Objectives for Education and Training for 2010, every country will have to open the access to education and training and to apply the Common European Principles for the validation of non-formal and informal learning. Implementing these principles has been an important new contribution of VET to the objectives of the Lisbon strategy (2000)


Aims of the project

This project is concerned with developing methods and processes of identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning in chosen branch “cook” (ISCED 3C) with the aim to increase the access of adults to further education and their pilot testing in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. In particular, it is necessary to create a framework for access to further vocational education and training for adults based on the European Principles and Inventory for the Identification and Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning. We will use the experiences of other European countries (Great Britain, France and Germany), which are experienced in the theory and practice of identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning.


Target group

Target group of our project are adults without qualification or with the lowest level of qualification (at ISCED Level 2 or below) but with experience in the work place (whether this is in paid employment/position or voluntary work). Our project will offer these unemployed and disadvantaged persons and persons at the risk of unemployment the opportunity of access to further education and training via validation of experience in the workplace and the validation of experience throughout life.


Supposed project outcomes

  • guidelines, examples of good practice and recognition procedures of identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning;
  • method materials – training course for advisors;
  • method materials – a set of methods and tools for the identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning for the chosen branch “cook” (ISCED 3C) in the framework of Common European Principles.


    Project activities

  • the exchange of information between countries experienced in the area of identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning and countries without these experiences;
  • establishing and supporting regional associate partners networks;
  • General concept and framework of identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning;
  • developing of the appropriate methods and tools of the identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning for the chosen branch “cook” (ISCED 3C)in the framework of Common European Principles;
  • the information activities for members of national regional partners networks;
  • the training course for advisors;
  • pilot testing of training course and methods and tools of identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning;
  • valorisation activities (web pages, leaflets, articles, information seminars, international symposium in Ostrava).


    Pilot testing

    Pilot testing of project outcomes will take place in the adjacent regions of the Czech Republic (Moravian - Silesian region), Poland (Upper Silesian region) and Slovakia (Nitra region) where unemployment is high due to the process of economic transformation. This project is intended to become a part of an innovation approach aiming at regeneration these areas. The European added value will include the consequential refinement to the “European Inventory on the Identification and Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning”.