***The minister for education, Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues, commissioner Jan Figel and European member of parliament Mário Mantovani will open the conference on Valuing learning: European practices to validate formal and informal learning, next Monday, 26 November at 09h30, where the European Qualifications Framework will be launched. This initiative, held during the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union, will take place at Nónio Room, Pavilhão Atlântico, Parque das Nações, in Lisbon, and will last two days. The initiative will take place after the end of the opening ceremony of the conference on “Valuing learning: European practices to validate non-formal and informal learning”, where the European Qualifications Framework will be launched, and is scheduled for 09h30. The importance of the launching of the European Qualifications Framework is stressed by the presence of Minister Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues, who chairs the Education Council of the European Union, of Jan Figel, commissioner responsible for education, training, culture and youth, and European member of parliament Mário Mantovani, who was rapporteur for the European Qualifications Framework. This Framework, proposed by the Commission in September 2006, got a favourable vote by the Parliament on 24 October, and by the Council on 15 November 2007 (http://eu2007.min-edu.pt/np4/116.html). Simply put, it can be said that the Framework is a qualifications equivalence schedule at a European level, based on eight reference levels, from the most basic qualifications to the most advanced ones. This will help students and workers who wish to move among countries and change jobs or educational institutions. It has two main purposes: to promote mobility among countries and to facilitate lifelong learning. Let us look at the following example: a business in country A, a member of the European Union, may hesitate in recruiting a candidate from Member-State B because it doesn’t know the level of qualifications presented by the candidate. Once the Framework is in force, a certificate from country B will have equivalence in one of the eight reference levels, which will make possible a quick and easy comparison with the reality of country A, where the business who wishes to hire is located. Support information ContextTo value learning has become a priority for education and training policies, on a national as well as European level. With citizens acquiring and developing knowledge, capabilities and qualifications, in non-formal and informal as well as in formal contexts of education and training, Member States and the European Commission have stressed the importance of recognising and valuing the results of learning, independently of how it was done. Although it is recognised that formal education and training is the backbone of the so-called knowledge societies, it is urgent to profit from the invisible reservoir of knowledge, capabilities and qualifications existing in these societies, by accepting and valuing the results of learning acquired in a non-formal and informal way: at work, throughout life, during leisure times or family life. In order to be successful, a knowledge-based society will have to articulate all the different learning processes and results, while at the same time ensuring everyone the possibility of continuing education. The paradigm of lifelong learning values all means of learning – formal, non-formal and informal. To recognise and validate non-formal and informal learning is the corner-stone of the lifelong learning strategy. Within this logic, it is important to recognise and value learning results, independently of its origin and statute. The emphasis given to learning validation has been accompanied by a change of perspective: from an approach centred on contents to an approach centred on results. The objectives of education and training – and the corresponding referential and curricula – have been formulated in terms of knowledge and in terms of the knowledge expected from someone with certain qualifications. While the concession of a qualification has depended on the duration and the context in which the education and training process occurred, an approach through learning results opens the way to valuing a greater diversity of experiences. All the most recent European initiatives are based on this change of perspective, particularly the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning. ObjectivesValuing non-formal and informal learning results throughout life and within all life contexts is the general theme of the conference. The European Qualifications Framework, more centred on results than on learning processes, represents the most recent sign of this change in valorisation. While it is true that this Framework shows the relevance and actuality of the process of validating learning results, it also represents a challenge to the development of conditions that will guarantee the quality and social credibility of this learning. The conference is set up as a reflection and debate forum within this ambit and its aims are: -to evaluate the progresses made, on the European and international level, concerning the valorisation of learning results, independently of its origin or statute;-to analyse practices and solutions, European as well as international, in matters of policies that valorise learning generally and, particularly, validate non-formal and informal learning;-to examine the relevance and usefulness, from a user perspective, of the validation of non-formal and informal learning;-and to identify processes that guarantee the quality, credibility and acceptance of these validation systems for non-formal and informal learning. Participants160 representatives from the ministries responsible for education and professional training are expected, as well as experts and professionals from Member States of the European Union, from the candidate countries, countries of the European Economic Area and the European Association of Free Trade, from other international institutions and organisations, social partners and the Organisation of Iberian-American States for Education, Science and Culture.
EU
26 novembre
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