LLinE Lifelong Learning in Europe

Editorial by Kristiina Kumpulainen: Harnessing learners’ multiple worlds via validation of competences

In recent years many initiatives have been taken at different levels to support the development of new approaches to validation of non-formal and informal learning. Validation of non-formal and informal learning has been identified as a European priority on several occasions. In all, these efforts and documents reflect a growing consensus of the fact that learning taking place outside formal education has crucial importance for individuals, adult education, workplaces and society at large.

Many critical voices have been recently expressed towards the policies and practices of formal adult education in valuing and recognising learners’ multiple worlds and competences. The critics maintain that formal education does not acknowledge enough those experiences and competences that learners bring to educational programmes from other contexts, such as from their earlier work experiences. Critics continue that formal education should realise and acknowledge in more visible ways the fact that learning takes place everywhere. Learning in other contexts may even be more important or make more sense to the learner in his/her daily life than what is learned in the formal setting of the educational institution.

In addition to the importance of acknowledging learners’ competences developed in non-formal and informal settings, there is also a clear need to understand better what learners take with them from the educational programmes to other settings. Are we successful as educators in providing learners with opportunities to construct experiences, attitudes and competences that are usable, helpful and productive outside the educational institution? Understanding and supporting the development of learners’ multiple worlds, identity work and boundary crossing behaviour is vital in a world where barriers continue to block understanding and obstruct attempts to develop and implement policies to ensure the success of all learners in today’s formal education, workplaces and society at large. Learners’ competence recognition has implications for the quality of their lives and their chances of participating in education as a stepping stone to lifelong learning, and a meaningful life.

Making informal and non-formal learning visible and validated is an intrinsically challenging task. One of the reasons for the situation is that existing information about validation of non-formal and informal learning is, in most European countries, rather limited in scope. The present issue contributes to this knowledge gap by sharing insights to models and best practices regarding the validation of competences in different parts of Europe. This, we hope, will add to discussions on the need for the transparency and exploitability of competence validation policies and practices across Europe. What this issue also convincingly shows is that there is still much to be done in the field of competence validation as a common European standard. Among the big questions that need extensive, multi-disciplinary problem solving at many levels and sectors are: (a) Is the validation of competences flexibly integrated to formal adult education or is it a separate, parallel system?; (b) What is accomplished as the result of competence validation?; and (c) how can we promote the recognition and appreciation of competence validation in adult education, at workplaces and in other sectors of the society so that it can really promote the wellbeing of individuals and society? In this issue we begin to address these questions.

Kristiina Kumpulainen
Editor-in-Chief of LLinE
Director of CICERO Learning
University of Helsinki, Finland