| 1. | THE MEMBER STATES SHOULD, WITH A VIEW TO OFFERING INDIVIDUALS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED OUTSIDE FORMAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING — INCLUDING THROUGH MOBILITY EXPERIENCES — AND TO MAKE USE OF THAT LEARNING FOR THEIR CAREERS AND FURTHER LEARNING, AND WITH DUE REGARD FOR THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY:
| 1. | have in place, no later than 2018, in accordance with national circumstances and specificities, and as they deem appropriate, arrangements for the validation of non-formal and informal learning which enable individuals to:
| (a) | have knowledge, skills and competences which have been acquired through non-formal and informal learning validated, including, where applicable, through open educational resources; |
| (b) | obtain a full qualification, or, where applicable, part qualification, on the basis of validated non-formal and informal learning experiences, without prejudice to other applicable Union law, in particular Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications (12). |
Member States may prioritise certain areas and/or sectors within their validation arrangements in accordance with their needs;
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| 2. | include, as appropriate, the following elements in arrangements for the validation of non-formal and informal learning, whilst allowing each individual to take advantage of any of these, either separately or in combination, in accordance with his/her needs:
| (a) | IDENTIFICATION of an individual's learning outcomes acquired through non-formal and informal learning; |
| (b) | DOCUMENTATION of an individual's learning outcomes acquired through non-formal and informal learning; |
| (c) | ASSESSMENT of an individual's learning outcomes acquired through non-formal and informal learning; |
| (d) | CERTIFICATION of the results of the assessment of an individual's learning outcomes acquired through non-formal and informal learning in the form of a qualification, or credits leading to a qualification, or in another form, as appropriate; |
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| 3. | apply, as appropriate, the following principles in arrangements for the validation of non-formal and informal learning, whilst taking into consideration national, regional and/or local, as well as sectoral needs and characteristics:
| (a) | the validation arrangements are linked to national qualifications frameworks and are in line with the European Qualifications Framework; |
| (b) | information and guidance on the benefits of, and opportunities for validation, as well as on the relevant procedures, are available to individuals and organisations; |
| (c) | disadvantaged groups, including individuals who are unemployed and those at risk of unemployment, are particularly likely to benefit from the validation arrangements, since validation can increase their participation in lifelong learning and their access to the labour market; |
| (d) | individuals who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment have the opportunity, in accordance with national legislation and specificities, to undergo a ‘skills audit’ aimed at identifying their knowledge, skills and competences within a reasonable period of time, ideally within six months of an identified need; |
| (e) | the validation of non-formal and informal learning is supported by appropriate guidance and counselling and is readily accessible; |
| (f) | transparent quality assurance measures in line with existing quality assurance frameworks are in place that support reliable, valid and credible assessment methodologies and tools; |
| (g) | provision is made for the development of the professional competences of staff involved in the validation process across all relevant sectors; |
| (h) | qualifications or, where applicable, parts of qualifications obtained by means of the validation of non-formal and informal learning experiences comply with agreed standards that are either the same as, or equivalent to, the standards for qualifications obtained through formal education programmes; |
| (i) | the use of Union transparency tools, such as the Europass framework and Youthpass, is promoted in order to facilitate the documentation of learning outcomes; |
| (j) | synergies exist between validation arrangements and credit systems applicable in the formal education and training system, such as ECTS and ECVET; |
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| 4. | promote the involvement in the development and implementation of the elements and principles referred to in points 1 to 4 of all relevant stakeholders, such as employers, trade unions, chambers of industry, commerce and skilled crafts, national entities involved in the process of recognition of professional qualifications, employment services, youth organisations, youth workers, education and training providers, and civil society organisations.
To foster participation in this process:
| (a) | employers, youth organisations and civil society organisations should promote and facilitate the identification and documentation of learning outcomes acquired at work or in voluntary activities, using relevant Union transparency tools such as those developed under the Europass framework and Youthpass; |
| (b) | education and training providers should facilitate access to formal education and training on the basis of learning outcomes acquired in non-formal and informal settings and, if appropriate and possible, award exemptions and/or credits for relevant learning outcomes acquired in such settings; |
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| 5. | promote coordination on validation arrangements between stakeholders in the education, training, employment and youth sectors, as well as between those in other relevant policy areas. |
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