This presentation gives an overview on national systems for validation of informal and non-formal learning in Europe and presents a tool for identification of competences in migrants and refugees – the Competence Cards. It was held at the EARLALL annual conference on May 12 of 2016 in Brussels during the workshop “Building up Regional Initiatives to Develop Guidance for low-skilled adults”. After a short introduction the presentation outlines the validation process and core elements as well as quality criteria for any validation system. It then compares 8 European good practice examples. In a second part it describes the development and use of the Competence Cards. This is a tool that helps to identify competences and support the clearing situation at the beginning of any guidance process. The cards are modular, multi-lingual, contain a key visual illustrating the competence and further support for the guide. They come in a set with cards for interests and with templates for a documentation of the identified competences. The presentation provides a download link to the English version of the cards and a 10 minute instruction video for its use.

1. Competences for Europe
Empowering migrants and refugees
A competence-oriented career guidance tool as the
first step of a validation process
Brussels, 12th of May 2016
Contact:
Dr. Martin Noack
Senior Project Manager
martin.noack@bertelsmann-stiftung.de

2. Competences for Europe
Agenda
1. Validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe
2. Competence Cards: unveiling competences of migrants
3. Outlook: Assessing competence levels of refugees

3. Recognizing skills
Today‘s
Challenge
Validation of competencies

4. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Integrating refugees
Asylum Applicants
Jan-Dec 2015 by target country
(absolute and in relation to population size)
Access to the labour market is a
key success factor
However, so far their competences
often remain invisible

5. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Refugees are not the only ones with invisible competences
… 4x higher unemployment risk … 3x lower participation in further ed.
And for them …
… 5,8 Mio. people at working age have no formal vocational or higher ed. degree
 Germany‘s dual system of vocational training is very successful, BUT…

6. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
… higher competences do not reduce labour market risks
Source: Heisig/Solga (2013) Kompetenzen und Arbeitsmarktchancen von gering Qualifizierten in Deutschland

7. Agenda
1. Validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe
2. Competence Cards: unveiling competences of migrants
3. Outlook: Assessing competence levels of refugees
Competences for Europe

8. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
EC-Recommendation of 2012
Validation is “a process of confirmation by an authorised body that an
individual has acquired learning outcomes measured against a relevant
standard”
(Council of the EU, 2012, p. 5)
2 Goals:
1. Make learning visible that occurs outside formal education and
training – at home, in the workplace or through leisure time-activities
and volunteering
2. Attribute value to learning outcomes in terms of future learning or
employment opportunities.

9. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
The validation process is organised in four phases
Identification
 Process: bottom-up, reflective dialogue, often supported by
adviser/counsellor
 Result: self-awareness of own capabilities
Documentation
 Function: gathering evidence for acquired learning outcomes
 Result: portfolio, dossier etc.
Assessment
 Process: top-down, examination, often simulation, interview, (practical) test
 Function: Comparing evidence against reference standard
Certification
 Result: formal qualification (or part-qualification)

10. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Germany has virtually no working validation system in place
5.736.000 5.712.800 5.689.600 5.666.400 5.643.200 5.620.000
50.000
380.000
530.000
792.000 844.000
1.008.000
5.000.000
5.200.000
5.400.000
5.600.000
5.800.000
6.000.000
6.200.000
6.400.000
6.600.000
6.800.000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
People with low levels of formal qualification in Germany
Existing "low skilled" workers Additional labour force potential thanks to refugee immigration
6,63 Mio.5,78 Mio.
-19.200 -14.300
Sources: BIBB-Report 23/14 Table 3; IAB aktueller Bericht 17/2015; own calculations
Externen-
prüfung
Anerkennungs-
gesetz

11. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
What and how can we learn from other countries?
Good Practice countries:
 What validation systems do they have in place?
 How do they work and who do they reach?
 Which approaches or elements could be transferred to Germany and other
countries?
Goal: Input for the German/European discussion regarding the
implementation of the 2012-Recommendation

12. Recognizing skills
Our Method
Validation of competencies

13. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Five core elements of a validation system
Legal foundations
Procedures and instruments
Financing
Institutional structures
Support structures
Evaluated by quality criteria availability, accessibility, and binding force:

14. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies

15. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
The Results

16. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
1. Assess status quo and
define reform goal
2. Take into account the
national VET framework
conditions
3. Identify transfer
reference that is similar
but ahead in validation
4. Draw up transfer
approaches
Country comparison
&
Roadmap for transfer

17. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
A vision for 2020
www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/vnfil-in-europe

18. Agenda
1. Validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe
2. Competence Cards: unveiling competences of migrants
3. Outlook: Assessing competence levels of refugees
Competences for Europe

19. Educational and careers guidance
The
Process
Advising learners

20. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
A lot has been done in recent years

21. Step 1 Target identification and network building
 Three Major Guidance Systems
 Immigration counselling (BAMF/BMI)
 Public employment services (BMAS)
 IQ-Network (BMAS/BMBF)
Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance

22. Responsibilities of the major guidance systems
Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance

23. Step 1 Target identification and network building
 Three Major Guidance Systems
 Immigration Counselling (BAMF/BMI)
 Public Employment Service (BMAS)
 IQ-Network (BMAS/BMBF)
 Focus on immigration
counselling as it is closest to
the diverse target group
 Involvement of other actors in steering
committee to guarantee compatibility
and scalability of the resulting toolbox
Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance

24. Case management in immigration counselling
Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance

25. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
Time frame and milestones of the project 2014 – 2015
Online
Survey
Expert-Interviews + Research-Brochure
08/14 – 02/15
Workshop-Cycle/ Development of Tool
Box
03/15 - 07/15
Test Phase Tool Box 07/15 - 10/15
10/15 - 12/15Feedback- und Adjustment Phase of Tool Box
AugJul Okt Dez Feb Apr JunSept Nov Jan Mrz Mai Aug SeptJul
2014 2015
Start of project
06/14
Okt Nov Dez
Expert-Interviews
+ Research-
Brochure
Completion Phase I:
brochure
02/15
Steering
committee
Workshop
cycle
Steering
committee
Completion Phase II:
draft of tool box + first
user Introduction
07/15
Start of test
phase
Reflection
workshop/
Steering
committee
Final
convention
Completion
Phase III: end of
test phase
10/15
Completion
Phase IV: final
tool box with
user manual
12/15
End of
project
Workshop on
Qualification

26. Step 2 Analysis of existing instruments
 Identification of suitable instruments
- 23 interviews with experts on migration (11), immigration counselling (6),
competence assessment (6)
 Detailed Screening of five existing instruments that are used for potential analysis
Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
Kompetenzpass
für Migranten

27. Validation of competencies
But: No tools were both sound and practical for clearing
Too reliant
on written
language
Too time
consuming
Too complex
Incompatible
with labour
agencies
Too
theoretical
Not more tools but more practical ones
are needed!
Advising learners

28. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
Too reliant
on written
language
Too time
consuming
Too complex
Incompatible
with empl.
agencies
Too
theoretical
Not more but more practical tools are
needed!
Visualized Modularised
Easy and
quick to use
CompatiblePractical
The idea:
Base new tool on existing ones
The idea:
Base new tool on existing ones
What is needed is a tool that is …

29. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
Step 3 Development of toolbox for the clearing situation
 Workshop series with each 10 migration counsellors
Analysis of different approaches for visualisation and
discussion of format of toolbox
 Toolbox design
Visualization
Explanation
Languages
 Testing phase
5 Steps
60 Counsellors
1. Kick-Off with training at
the start of testing phase
2. Testphase in selected
immigration counselling
offices
3. Adaptation of the toolbox
4. Testphase in selected
immigration counselling
offices
5. Final adaptation

30. Educational and careers guidance
Advising learners
The
Product

31. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
The actual Toolbox
 46 competences
11 interests
9 x further information
documentation
5 languages
Simple language
“culture free”
key visual
Guide
Client
link to other skills

32. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
10 social or interpersonal skills
Red-framed competences are also
used in the profiling of the public
employment services in Germany
 Teamwork skills
 Helpfulness
 Leadership skills
 Social commitment
 Communication skills
 …

33. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
18 personal skills and qualities
 Creativity
 Adaptability
 Decision making abilities
 Showing initiative
 Sense of responsibility
 Determination
 Diligence
 Handling of money
 Motivation
 Reliability
 …

34. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
18 professional or methods skills
 Presentation skills
 Foreign language skills
 Pedagogical skills
 Care skills
 Technical and manual skills
 Negotiation skills
 Academic work
 Knowledge management
 Time management
 …

35. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
11 interests
 Musicality
 Theatre
 Arts
 Sports
 Politics
 Hobbies
 Family
 …

36. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
9 cards with additional information + 3 enhancers
 Working with the PC
 Musical Instruments
 Basic materials
 Information on language
tests
 Classification of economy
branches
 Links to different
Profiling/Pass systems
 …

37. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
Full Instruction Video here
Testimonial

38. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
Documentation: Focus on strengths not weaknesses
Competence documentation
and roadmap for further
guidance sessions

39. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
Manual comprised of just 1 page

40. Educational and careers guidance
Advising learners
The
Feedback

41. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
Feedback from 60 guides/counsellors
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Picture
correctly
interpreted?
Explanatory
sentence
understood?
Description
useful?
Questions
helpful?
Links to other
cards helpful?
Further
information
helpful?
83%
86%
81%
86%
66%
70%
13% 10% 10% 12%
28%
18%
5% 3%
9%
2%
7%
12%
yes, completely in part no, not at all

42. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
Outreach
 835 boxes were distributed in December to 540 immigration counselling offices
 1st ed.: remaining 186 pieces were sold out after 1 month
 2nd ed. of 1.365 pieces was out of stock after 3 days
 3rd ed. of 1.250 pieces is still in print but already booked out
 800 more reservations on waiting list for 4th edition
 3500 page impressions for pdf
 Requests for permission to transfer in foreign languages by further education
and guidance institutions from Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands
Here‘s the link: www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/competence-cards

43. Agenda
1. Validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe
2. Competence Cards: unveiling competences of migrants
3. Outlook: Assessing competence levels of refugees
Competences for Europe

44. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Assessment of competences against a given standard
Competences
scarcely existing
Partial competences
acquired
Numerous competences
acquired
Competence Lvl. 1 Competence Lvl. 2 Competence Lvl. 3
Error Diagnosis Sector
„Reading error memory“
„Diagnosing errors“
…
TOTAL
Competence ProfileCompetence Profile
Repair Sector
„Exhaust pipe repair“
„Brake repair“
…
TOTAL
Service Sector
„Oil replacement“
„Oil filter replacement“
…
TOTAL

45. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Recognise only full qualifications
(inappropriate for 80-90 % of refugees)
Obstacles of existing instruments
Are time consuming and expensive
(Skills analysis: approx. 3.000€ per
person, several days, 60 cases in 2013)
Assess competences via self-report
Are available only in German
Contain a high proportion of writing
New & standardised methods required
Existing instruments for competence assessment inadequate
Discover and acknowledge existing competences and use them for entry
into professional career and further training aiming at full qualification
Discover and acknowledge existing competences and use them for entry
into professional career and further training aiming at full qualification
What can we
infer here?
Video- and similuation-based approaches
allow for a reliable assessment of vocational
action competences

46. Thank you for your attention!
Competences for Europe
Contact:
Dr. Martin Noack
Senior Project Manager
Program Learning for Life
Bertelsmann Stiftung
Carl-Bertelsmann-Straße 256 | 33311 Gütersloh | Germany
Phone: +49 5241 81-81476 | Fax: +49 5241 81-681544
E-Mail: martin.noack@bertelsmann-stiftung.de

47. Appendix

48. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Legal Foundations of Validation

49. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Legal Foundations of Validation

50. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Procedures and instruments

51. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Procedures and instruments

52. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Financing

53. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Financing

54. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Institutionalisation

55. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Institutionalisation

56. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Support Structures

57. Recognizing skills
Validation of competencies
Support Structures

58. Advising learners
Educational and careers guidance
A lot has been done in the past years to compare learning
outcomes and make competences visible