1. LikeHome
Assessing and Recognising the Prior Learning of
Migrants. Bridging the Gap and Paving the Road to
Educational and Social Integration
Selected Best Practices
2. Strategic objective of LikeHome
To design and deliver a Framework of best practices,
based on practices that have been successfully used in
other cases, for the assessment and recognition of
migrants’ prior learning, qualifications and competencies
➢LikeHome project focuses on the inclusion of migrants
(especially newly arrived ones) and refugees, by
facilitating their prior knowledge assessment and
certification
➢A set of seven (7) best practices from frontrunner
countries is adapted and transferred to the target
countries
3. Selected best practices
• Procedures for recognition of prior knowledge for migrants
without proof of formal qualifications
• Database development
• Pre – migration screening and examination
• Information provision to migrants
• Improved recognition procedures
• Bridging programmes to support competency – based
assessment
• Host country language training
4. BP1: Procedures for the recognition of
prior knowledge for migrants without
proof of formal qualifications
APL (Accreditation of Prior Learning)
“APL is the common name given to the process of the
recognition of the competences an individual has
gained through formal, informal or non – formal learning
in various settings. This implies that competences
acquired by learning on the job, in society or in voluntary
work are in principle comparable to the competences
acquired in formal education”
5. Accreditation of Prior Learning
(APL)
• Aim: to accelerate formal learning programmes
or to enhance the employability and mobility of
the applicant/employee
• Documents that may be accepted as proof of
acquired competences Reports
Diplomas
Certificates
Reports of assessment
interviews
6. Methods of assessing the
competences
• The portfolio assessment
• Criterion – oriented interviews
• Workspace observation
• Other forms of testing
➢In principle, the final product of an APL
procedure is the APL certificate
7. Portfolio assessment
The portfolio is a collection of assessed material that
demonstrates an individual’s achievements. It has to
be:
• Tracked against an individual
• In a clearly structured format
• Available at one place and one time
➢Goal: to show, by documentation, that someone’s
experiences have led to the knowledge that is
needed to be accepted to, or to be able to get
credit for parts of a specific education
8. Creating a portfolio
• The individual
• The material is then gathered in a portfolio
• One or more professionals assess the
application/knowledge (assessor ≠ counselor)
Gets in contact with a counselor
Identifies levels of acknowledgment in
education or work
Gathers evidence on this knowledge
Relates the knowledge to the formal demands
9. Criterion – based interview
It’s a series of structured questions that relate to the
applied job. Each question looks for specific examples
of behaviour in different situations. This information is
gathered and weighed against each “criterion”
relevant to the role
• It assesses a combination of
➢Skills
➢Knowledge
➢Behaviour
➢Personal qualities
10. Transversal competences assessment
in workplace or training place
contexts
• What they want and need to learn to
fit with specific professional needs
• Which learning strategies they prefer to
apply
• How they would schedule their learning
• How they want to evaluate their skills
• Whether they want to know what the
companies’ interests are
This method
can help
participants
decide:
11. BP2: Database development
The successful example of Australia’s “Country Education Profiles”
Main characteristics
• Easy to use
• Covers all levels of educational qualifications
• Includes lists of recognized educational institutes
• Describes the educational systems and qualifications in each country (in
total 119 countries)
• Is regularly updated
• Supports consistent, quality decision – making
• Includes flexible subscription options
• Does not include licensing fees
12. BP3: Pre – migration screening
and examination
a. Screening skilled migrants in Australia
Key – policy measures include
• Mandatory pre – migration screening of credentials
• Mandatory pre – migration English language
assessment
• Allocation of bonus points for migrants qualified in high
– demand fields
• Immediate eligibility for international students to apply
for skilled migration
13. BP3: Pre – migration screening
and examination (2)
Since 2010, the Australian Dep. of Immigration and Citizenship explicitly seeks for
“migrants with a better balance of skills and attributes […] that are needed by
the Australian economy and labour market”
Point system:
• Employer and state – sponsored applicants are guaranteed priority
processing, if qualified in one of “192 high – value occupations” on Australia’s
annually revised Skilled Occupation List
• Applicants with native or near – native English ability are awarded the highest
bonus points (20 out of 65 total required)
• Possession of “vocational competence” is considered a threshold requirement
• Bonus points for doctoral degree (20), bachelor/master’s (15), and a trade
award (10)
• Maximum of 15 points for international or Australian vocational experience
14. BP3: Pre – migration screening
and examination (3)
b. Screening family and humanitarian migrants in Australia
Major policy challenges
1. The level of resources required to ensure fair and accurate qualification
assessments
2. The imperative for many “457 visa” temporary workers to transition to
unconditional registration status
3. The impact of poor English language ability on migrants’ access to
vocational registration
4. The extended economic and social support needs of such migrants
5. The perceived relevance of prior training and professional experience for
applicants educated in poorly resourced non - OECD systems
6. The risk of labour market segmentation in terms of ultimate employment
15. BP4: Information provision to
migrants
The Danish experience
The DAUI (Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalisation) is
responsible for assessing foreign nationals’ credentials with the goal of
making entry intro the Danish labour market and/or undertaking of further
education easier
Residency schemes that often require assessment of foreign qualifications:
• The Positive List (encompassing professions where labour shortages of qualified
professionals are observed)
• The Pay Limit Scheme (easy access to labour market for professionals with highly
paid job offers)
• The Corporate Scheme (companies with operations in Denmark can easier
transfer employees with special abilities or qualifications)
• The Green Card Scheme (foreign nationals with specific qualifications can be
granted a 3 – year residence permit)
• Researchers (easy access to the labour market for researchers and key
employees in companies
16. BP5: Improved recognition
procedures
Field – specific examples from around the world
• The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: in
2010, the Council of Australian Governments established
the AHPRA to secure uniform registration and practices
standards
• Queensland Department of Health: recognized that
there are “a number of established international
screening examinations for the purpose of medical
licensure that represent a “competent” assessment of
applied medical knowledge and basic clinical skills”,
consistent with Australian requirements
17. BP5: Improved recognition
procedures (2)
The European Professional Card (EPC)
• It’s an electronic procedure you can use to have your
professional qualifications recognized if you are
➢ A nurse responsible for general care
➢ A pharmacist
➢ A physiotherapist
➢ A mountain guide
➢ A real estate agent
• You can use the EPC procedure if
➢ You want to practice your profession in another EU country
temporarily or occasionally
➢ You want to settle in another EU country and practice tour
profession there permanently
18. BP6: Bridging programmes
A Swedish example: “Korta vägen”
• An initiative of the Swedish Public Employment
Service and Swedish Universities
• Aim: to help foreign academics establish
themselves professionally as soon as possible after
their arrival in Sweden
• Minimum requirements: academic degree, or at
least three years of academic studies (with
provisions of exceptions)
19. BP7: Host country language
training
Australia’s Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP)
• Possession of intermediate to advanced levels of English
language is mandatory in a range of Australian
professions, including all health fields, engineering,
teaching, the law, and selected trades
• AMEP was introduced in 1991 and was the largest
government – funded adult English language teaching
programme in the world
• After a long period of mapping migrants’ needs and
progression, AMEP had started providing tuition by 2010
20. BP7: Host country language
training (2)
• Migrants lacking functional English are entitled to receive
up to 510 hours of English tuition or “the number of hours it
takes to reach functional English” (whatever comes first,
usually: around 370 hours)
• Additional arrangements have been made to provide
English training related to qualifications recognition
• By 2011, the initiative provides funding for
preparation of migrants for pre – accreditation
exams, targeting the English language skills
essential to health professions
