European Commission carries out public consultation for the validation of non-formal and informal learning.

This consultation is a part of the evaluation of the 2012 Recommendation on validation of non-formal and informal learning.

Why is the consultation carried out?

People, except academic qualification and knowledge, develop additional skills. If such skills are not validated, they will not be used properly. The Recommendation calls on Member States to make more validation opportunities available to people. Consulting stakeholders will provide us with information on how Member States are putting the Recommendation in practice and whether this is giving people more and better opportunities to validate their skills. So, Commission and national authorities will have the opportunity to identify ways to improve the Recommendation and its implementation.

Who is the target of this consultation?

The consultation targets both the general public and a specialist audience. Among the specialist audience, which replies will be useful, are included national authorities responsible for education, training, qualifications, centers and practitioners involved in validation, learning providers and guidance counselors, organizations that represent learners, workers, employers and research organizations. This audience is also invited to submit position papers. Individual respondents that have had the opportunity to validate their skills, reply how they came to it, which support was available, what impact it had on their career or life.

The questionnaire

People can contribute to this public consultation by filling in the online questionnaire. Questionnaires are available and can be submitted in any official language of European Union. Some questions are for everybody, some only for the professional respondents and some only for beneficiaries of validation. Questionnaires can be completed by 13 November 2019.