The recognition of prior learning (RPL) has been implemented to varying degrees across Canada in secondary schools and post-secondary institutions, through workplace training models, businesses, sector councils and industry groups, apprenticeship, the military, and professional accrediting/regulatory bodies. RPL however remains fragmented and…

This report is the result of an explorative study, carried out at a time when interest in apprenticeship for adults was on the rise and research and evidence on the topic was scarce and fragmented. It has explored the topic from a conceptual and theoretical point of view, reviewing relevant existing research. It has also considered a practical…

The present publication is one of the outcomes of the OBSERVAL-NET project (followup of the OBSERVAL project). The main aim of OBSERVAL-NET was to set up a stakeholder centric network of organisations supporting the validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe based on the formation of national working groups in the 8 participating…

This publication is the outcome of the international conference organized by UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), in collaboration with the Centre for Validation of Prior Learning at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, and in partnership with the French National Commission for UNESCO that was held in Hamburg in…

Docents--volunteer adult educators in art museums--adapt their tour content and process to best suit their audiences. This interpretive qualitative study explores the strategies docents used in four art museums in the Northeastern United States to tailor their educational activities and attempt to make them more relevant and interactive. Findings…

People learn in many different ways and in many different places. What is learned informally or experientially is often the same or similar to what may be learned in traditional formal learning environments. There are many reasons why recognizing experiential learning is viable educational option, more so in today's economy than ever before. Prior…

Australia's tertiary institutions and licensing authorities that control the right to work in various trades and professions have largely ignored the need for procedures and processes to recognize formally the knowledge that people gain in their life experiences. For this reason, the issue of assessing adult learners' life experiences for the…

Australia's tertiary institutions and licensing authorities that control the right to work in various trades and professions have largely ignored the need for procedures and processes to recognize formally the knowledge that people gain in their life experiences. For this reason, the issue of assessing adult learners' life experiences for the…

This report describes a study to provide a picture of the stage of development, level, and nature of the debate on nonformal learning in Greece. It describes the national debate on questions of identification, assessment, and recognition of nonformal learning, including means, motives, and areas of agreement and conflict. Then, it describes…

This report describes and analyzes the situation of nonformal learning in Spain. Chapter 1 describes the Spanish context by looking at qualification as the point of departure; recent changes in the industrial fabric of Spain and the birth of a new social and institutional view of qualification; the reform of vocational education and training;…

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).…

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an Australian program that helps people to obtain formal recognition for relevant work experience, life experience, and formal training. This report documents existing good practices in RPL assessment and staff training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, provides information on culturally…

European structures of qualification levels were examined through a review of reports on recent developments in Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The examination focused on the following topics: the scope of the national frameworks; the definition of standards and qualifications; the definition of levels in…

Recent trends and developments related to the structures of qualification levels in Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom were examined in a quasi-experimental study that was part of a more comprehensive study on the same topic. The study focused on standards, qualifications, and classifications at the tertiary level of…

This document contains reports on the structures of qualification levels in Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom that were commissioned during a study to identify trends and developments in the European Union related to national certification frameworks. Each country report examines the following topics: the history of…