Desk research on existing VNFIL good practices and tools

COUNTRY: Italy

NAME OF THE PRACTICE OR TOOL: Sistema regionale di certificazione delle competenze per il formale, non formale ed informale (SRFC) – Regional System for formal, non formal and informal competencies certification

1. AIM

The Emilia Romagna Region, as early as 2005, has some tools/devices that, in line with the Europe 2020 objectives and in the logic of lifelong learning, have the purpose of:

• value and formally recognize the competences „in any case-anywhere“ acquired by people (regardless of the places and situations in which the same skills have been learned and acquired);

• facilitate learning throughout the life course;

• promote the mobility – geographical and professional – of people.

2. OBJECTIVES

The SRFC is a rigorous evaluation procedure that allows:

– to Formalize (through analysis of evidence skills and knowledge acquired by people with reference to the professional standards present in the Regional Qualifications Repertory (SRQ)) and;

– to Certify (by passing a practical test and/or an interview) the skills acquired by people corresponding to the professional standards of the SRQ)

the competences acquired by the person and that is in various contexts (work, training, social and personal life experiences) and in different moments of life.

3. TARGET GROUP

It is aimed at people:

– participating in a training course;

– with experience gained in various contexts in formal contexts (education and training), nonformal (work and professional contexts), informal (social and individual life contexts) interested in enhancing and being recognized the skills acquired at different times in their lives.

EXPERT VALIDATED AND INSERTED IN REGIOINAL LISTS to date:

– RFC, Responsabile della formalizzazione e certificazione delle competenze (Responsible for the formalization and certification of skills): 818 (institutions, schools, universities, Public Employment Services)

– EPV, Esperto dei processi valutativi (Evaluation processes expert): 2.061 (institutions, schools, universities, Public Employment Services)

– EAPQ, Esperto di Area Professionale e Qualifica, (Professional and Qualification Area Expert): 1.740 (self-employed, company employees)

For a total of 4,619 roles involved.

4. SECTOR

Education. The cross-sector nature of the tool, however, may broaden its application also to other professional sectors.

5. HOW TO USE

The qualifications of the Regional Qualifications System are described in terms of skills: the professional standards. The professional standards therefore represent the essential and connotative elements of a professional figure. They describe the main skills useful for carrying out the professional activities of a specific figure and consist of skills and knowledge aggregated in Competence Units. The Unit of competence is the minimum certifiable unit.

The path foresees the following well defined phases:

1) access to the service

2) assessment through evidence

3) assessment interview

4) assessment through examination.