This report explores policies and practices on validation of non-formal and informal learning in the ETF's partner countries and presents the results of studies carried out in 16 countries in the period 2021-23. Countries increasingly invest in validation schemes (also known as recognition of prior learning) in an effort to give visibility to all…

This paper focuses on the potential of competency assessment to support the long-term growth of the labour market by facilitating the appropriate employment of skilled immigrants. A competency-informed approach involves looking holistically at an individual's ability to apply knowledge and skills with appropriate judgment in a defined setting. The…

This article considers the underachievement of RPL in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system, in terms of its apparent failure to reach and achieve outcomes for marginalised groups. It notes a range of analyses that are currently used to address this concern and draws on doctoral research in progress to highlight ontological…

Discussion of the development of distance education programs in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Great Britain focuses primarily on six programs in the United States. External degree programs are discussed, standard examinations that assess prior learning are described, and credit policies for extra-institutional learning are examined.…

As this booklet describes, New Zealand's Education Amendment Act of 1990 made the country's Qualifications Authority (QA) responsible for developing and implementing a process for recognition of prior learning (RPL) that would enable individuals to receive formal recognition for skills and knowledge they already possess. As of 1993, the QA had…

Describes policies of educational validation in the context of European integration, finding assessment of prior learning more effective than equivalent degrees. Distinguishes between two types of arrangements in France, certification through diplomas and assessment of competence, and discusses the relative value placed on each in French society.…

Current practice in accreditation of prior and informal learning in the United Kingdom was examined through a review of literature on how the accreditation of prior and informal learning is being used to gain access to higher education or toward certification of a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) or Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ).…

Described here is the Accreditation and Equivalency Programme (AEP), begun in the Philippines in 1976. Early chapters emphasize that the program was instituted to establish citizens' eligibility to receive academic credit for out-of-school learning and experiences, to encourage dropouts to return to school, and to determine eligibility for…