Coordinating guidance and validation.
Date: 2020-05-06
Institutions: Cedefop
Subjects: education policy, employment service, non-formal education, personal development, professional career, professional qualifications, public service, vocational guidance

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1831-5860

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Research paper
Coordinating 
guidance and 
validation

Coordinating 
guidance and 
validation

Validation and guidance help individuals, organisations 
and  Member  States  adapt  to  career  challenges  and 
create  successful  lifelong  learning  systems.  However, 
little is known about how they are linked in practice and 
how  this  connection  can  be  made  more  efficient. 
Building  on  Cedefop’s  expertise  in  the  two  areas,  this 
study  –  based  on  analysis  of  13  practices  from  12 
countries – explores how coordination between career 
guidance  and  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal 
learning  can  be  improved.  Results  point  to  three 
factors:
(a)  comprehensiveness: provision of adequate informa- 
tion  and  guidance  before  a  decision  to  undergo 
validation is taken, throughout the entire validation 
process, as well as after it; 

(b)  coherence:  use  of  common  qualifications  or 
competence  standards,  occupational  standards  or 
other reference frameworks in all the stages of the 
practice to identify, document and assess skills;
(c)  quality  of  staff,  resources,  competences,  and  tools 

used.

The  study  concludes  with  policy  recommendations  on 
how 
link  between  guidance  and 
validation.

improve 

the 

to 

Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECE
Postal: Cedefop service post, 570 01 Thermi, GREECE
Tel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020
Email: info@cedefop.europa.eu

www.cedefop.europa.eu

 
 
 
 
 
Coordinating guidance and 
validation 

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2019 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Please cite this publication as: 
Cedefop (2019). Coordinating guidance and validation. Luxembourg: Publications 
Office of the European Union. Cedefop research paper; No 75. 
http://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2801/801290 

A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on 
the internet.  
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu). 

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2019 

PDF 

ISBN 978-92-896-2911-9 
ISSN 1831-5860 
doi:10.2801/801290 
TI-BC-19-005-EN-N 

EPUB 

ISBN 978-92-896-2910-2 
ISSN 1831-5860 
doi:10.2801/823367 
TI-BC-19-005-EN-E 

© European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), 2019 
All rights reserved. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational 
Training (Cedefop) is the European Union’s reference centre for 
vocational education and training, skills and qualifications. We 
provide information, research, analyses and evidence on 
vocational education and training, skills and qualifications for 
policy-making in the EU Member States. 
Cedefop was originally established in 1975 by Council Regulation 
(EEC) No 337/75. This decision was repealed in 2019 by 
Regulation (EU) 2019/128 establishing Cedefop as a Union 
Agency with a renewed mandate. 

Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECE 
Postal: Cedefop service post, 570 01 Thermi, GREECE 
Tel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020 
Email: info@cedefop.europa.eu 
www.cedefop.europa.eu 

Jürgen Siebel, Executive Director 
Barbara Dorn, Chair of the Management Board 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Foreword 

In a society in which individuals change jobs more and more often, and the pace 
of  innovation  and  new  technologies  keeps  increasing,  individuals  need  to  be 
prepared for repeated transitions and adaptation to change. Flexible, continuous 
and more adaptive learning is needed to ensure skills remain relevant to today’s 
labour  market.  In  addition,  all  learning  might  become  relevant  at  some  stage  in 
one’s life, with non-formal and informal learning becoming as important as formal 
education  in  maintaining  an  adequate  level  of  skills.  Lifelong  learning  is  truly  a 
necessity.  

In  this  context,  validation  and  guidance  are  two  important  tools  to  assist 
individuals, organisations and Member States in adapting to the new reality and 
creating  real  lifelong  learning  systems.  Career  guidance  and  counselling  play  a 
major role in managing people’s transitions, while validation can assist in fulfilling 
people’s  full  potentials  by  making  visible  and  providing  value  to  all  learning  an 
individual  has  acquired.  Both  concepts  are  increasingly  important  in  European 
policies and strategies and are usually connected in policy documents. The Council 
resolution  on  lifelong  guidance  encourages  Member  States  to  consider  ways  of 
‘enabling people to benefit from support in obtaining validation and recognition on 
the labour market of their formal, non-formal and informal learning outcomes, in 
order to safeguard their employment and maintain their employability, in particular 
during the second part of  their  careers’ (Council, 2008, p. 6). The 2012 Council 
recommendation  on  the  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  identifies 
information, guidance and counselling as a cornerstone of validation; this is also 
reflected in the European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning 
(Cedefop, 2015). 

However, we know very little of practical means of interlinking them and how 
this might be made more efficient. Building on Cedefop’s expertise in the two areas, 
this study aims at exploring in what way career guidance and validation of non-
formal  and  informal  learning  can  better  be  linked,  examining  specific  selected 
practices. The purpose is to understand the necessary conditions, synergies and 
benefits  of  linking  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  with  career 
guidance  and  counselling  services.  The  study  contributes  to  increasing  our 
understanding  of  these  two  important  policy  areas  and  moving  towards  a  more 
holistic  and  coherent  approach  to  the  development  of  truly  lifelong  learning 
systems.  

Jürgen Siebel 
Cedefop Executive Director 

Antonio Ranieri 
Head  of  department  for  learning  and 
employability 

1 

 
 
 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

Acknowledgements 

This report was produced by Cedefop, Department for learning and employability, 
under the supervision of Antonio Ranieri. Cedefop experts Ernesto Villalba Garcia 
and Pedro Moreno da Fonseca were responsible for the publication and research 
conducted under the project the Validation of non-formal and informal learning and 
career guidance.  
The research was carried out by a consortium led by 3s Unternehmensberatung 
GmbH  and  includes  ICF  S.A.  Cedefop  would  like  to  acknowledge  the  research 
team who conducted preliminary analysis. 

The work was carried out under Cedefop’s framework service contract 
No 2017-0150/AO/DLE/EVGAR-PMD/Validation&Guidance/003/17 

2 

 
 
 
 
Contents  

Foreword ............................................................................................................... 1 

Contents ................................................................................................................ 3 

Executive summary ............................................................................................... 6 

1. 

Introduction .................................................................................................. 11 
1.1.  Project background ........................................................................ 11 

1.2.  Aims and objectives ....................................................................... 12 

1.3.  Structure of the report .................................................................... 12 

2.  Concepts and methodology ......................................................................... 13 
2.1.  The  concepts  of  career  guidance  and  validation  of  non-formal  and 
informal learning ............................................................................ 13 

2.1.1.  Relationship between validation and career guidance  

activities ................................................................................... 14 

2.2.  Methodology .................................................................................. 19 

2.2.1.  Theoretical and research framework ....................................... 19 

2.2.2.  Data gathering ......................................................................... 20 

3.  Comparative analysis ................................................................................... 24 
Introduction .................................................................................... 24 

3.1. 

3.2.  Forms of relationship between validation and guidance ................ 25 

3.3.  Coordinating validation and guidance: dimensions ....................... 28 

3.3.1. 

Institutional setting and context ................................................ 28 

3.3.2.  Guidance provision .................................................................. 42 

3.3.3.  Coherence of outputs ............................................................... 62 

3.3.4.  Practitioner competences ........................................................ 70 

3.3.5.  Greater coordination between validation and guidance ........... 77 

3.4.  Conclusions ................................................................................... 81 

3.4.1.  What are the necessary conditions to ensure successful 

coordination between validation and guidance activities? ....... 82 

3.4.2.  How can the coherence of the outcomes of guidance and 

validation be assured? ............................................................. 84 

3.4.3.  What are the benefits of increased coordination between the two 
services and what are the challenges? .................................... 84 

4.  Recommendations ....................................................................................... 86 

3 

 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

4.1.  Comprehensiveness ...................................................................... 86 

4.2.  Coherence ..................................................................................... 87 

4.3.  Quality ........................................................................................... 88 

Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... 90 

References .......................................................................................................... 91 

Further reading ................................................................................................... 93 

Annex 1. Core research team and country experts ............................................. 99 

Annex 2. Theoretical and research framework ................................................. 100 

4 

  
Contents 

Tables, figures and boxes 

Tables  

1. 

Relationship between validation phases/activities and types of career 
guidance activity ............................................................................... 16 
2.  Overview of selected practices ......................................................... 21 
3.  
Forms of coordinating validation and guidance services .................. 28 
4.  Overview: aspects of institutional settings ........................................ 30 
5. 
Components of guidance provision .................................................. 43 
6.  Overview: coherence of outputs ....................................................... 63 
7. 

Benefits and challenges of increased coordination between  
validation and guidance .................................................................... 85 

Figures 

1.  General model of linkage between validation and guidance based  

on the practices explored .................................................................. 18 
Dimensions of comparative analysis ................................................ 25 

2. 

Boxes 

Du kannst was!, Austria .................................................................... 49 
1. 
LeerWerkLoketten, the Netherlands ................................................. 50 
2. 
Upskilling through PES, Italy ............................................................ 51 
3. 
Branschvalideringen, Sweden .......................................................... 52 
4. 
Linking poviat labour offices with VNIL in VET, Poland .................... 55 
5. 
Bilan de compétences, France ......................................................... 56 
6. 
7.  Writeon.ie, Ireland ............................................................................. 57 
Flexible guidance delivery, selected practices .................................. 59 
8. 
9.  Multi-channelling, selected practices ................................................ 60 
IÐAN, Iceland  ................................................................................... 61 
10. 
11.  Use of digital platforms, selected practices ...................................... 61 
12.  Upskilling through PES, Italy ............................................................ 65 

5 

 
Executive summary 

How can career guidance and validation  of non-formal and  informal learning be 
better coordinated, so ensuring the most appropriate support to individuals’ career 
decisions  and  personal  development?  What  conditions  will  support  successful 
coordination  between  validation  and  guidance?  How  can  output  coherence 
between  these  two  services  be  developed?  What  are  the  benefits  and  the 
challenges of increased coordination between validation and guidance? 

These  questions  guided  the  2017  Cedefop  study  aiming  to  explore  how  to 

connect validation of non-formal and informal learning and career guidance. 

Scope and methodology  

The  study  featured  13  practices  (case  studies)  of  how  validation  and  career 
guidance are linked in various contexts and institutional settings across Europe. 
The  practices,  selected  from  12  countries  (1),  aimed  to  capture  different 
approaches and the extent of coordination between the two services. 

A  research 

framework  addressed 

the  main  research  questions  and 
considered  macro,  meso  and  micro  factors  that  may  shape  the  relationship 
between  validation  and  guidance.  There  were 
three  main  components: 
background/context (for each of the practices selected); practical operation (how 
things  happen  on  the  ground);  and  overall  assessment  (organisational  and 
individual  benefits,  as  well  as  challenges  and  successes  in  different  forms  of 
relationship  between  validation  and  guidance).  The  research  framework  was 
updated during the study to reflect inputs from the successive research phases: 
(a)  desk  research  (literature  review):  gathering  information  on  guidance  and 
validation  practices  across  the  selected  countries.  Theoretical  literature 
(academic  and  commissioned  research,  government  and  technical  reports) 
was also considered; 
field  research  (site  visits):  elaboration  of  13  case  studies  through  individual 
interviews, focus group discussions and,  where possible, observations. The 
case  studies  also  included  beneficiary  and  practitioner  stories,  brief 
testimonials  illustrating  different  aspects  of  how  practices  were  carried  out. 
They did not aim to describe national approaches to guidance or validation, 
but to focus on how validation and guidance are connected within a practice. 

(b) 

(1)  Austria,  Czechia,  Finland  (two  practices),  France,  Iceland,  Ireland,  Italy,  the 

Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and UK-Scotland. 

6 

 
 
                                                 
Executive summary 

Forms of relationship between validation and guidance 

The  main  analytical  concepts  used  in  the  study  were  ‘coordination’  and 
‘coherence’. ‘Coordination’ relates to governance mechanisms determined by the 
institution(s) shaping the relationship between validation and guidance, including: 
types of actor involved (public employment services (PES), chambers, trade 
(a) 
unions, employers, education institutions, municipalities, NGOs) and division 
of tasks and responsibilities among them; 

(b)  degree of centralisation: either centralised (initiated, managed, monitored and 
mainly financed by the State) or driven by regional/local/sectoral partnerships 
(and  part  funded  by  the  State,  EU,  the  respective  region  or  sector). 
Centralised  practices  may  enshrine  the  connection  between  validation  and 
guidance in national legislation, policy or strategy;  

(c)  degree  of 

formalisation  of 

the  validation  and  guidance  relationship. 

Coordination can be achieved in at least three ways: 
(i)  

formal cooperation between independent services, usually via a shared 
framework  and/or  systematic  referrals  (signposting  between  services) 
including standardised procedures; 
informal cooperation between independent services; without frameworks 
to  ensure  institutional  cooperation,  personal  cooperation  between 
guidance  practitioners  and  validation  provider  staff  plays  an  important 
role; 
integration of services; a single organisation usually provides validation 
and guidance, offering guidance at each stage of the practice.  

(ii)  

(iii) 

Such mechanisms determine how and to what extent coherence is achieved. 
In  this  study,  coherence  reflects  how  well  guidance  and  validation  services 
exchange information with one another (degree of harmonisation of procedures), 
and  how  well  the  two  services  mutually  enable  support  to  individuals.  As  an 
example, guidance outputs, such as skills identification, can support certification if 
they  share  competence  standards  and  if  relevant  information  is  properly 
documented and transmitted, so that it can be used and further developed. 

Factors for successful services coordination 

The  case  study  analysis  found  several  factors  for  consideration  in  assessing 
coordination between validation and guidance: 
(a)  a framework improving coordination between the two. This is defined or driven 
by national/regional legislation, a strategy, or a network of regional/sectoral 
partnerships  between  different  stakeholders  (including  employers  and 

7 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

(b) 

the  contacts/networks  of  a 

employee organisations). It sets up clear principles, rules or procedures and 
systematically  helps  transitions  and  feedback  between  guidance  and 
validation. Cooperation between independent services would not be based on 
goodwill,  and/or 
few  practitioners,  but 
institutionalised,  with  fixed  principles  common  to  all  parties/stakeholders. 
However, the existence of a framework does not necessarily guarantee that 
practitioners will use it;  
flexible and free-of-charge guidance provided through all stages of a practice; 
individualised  support  when  the  client  needs  it,  through  a  combination  of 
delivery  forms.  This  guidance  ensures  that  needs  can  be  updated  or 
readjusted  through  the  stages  of  the  practice.  Practitioners  must  share  a 
common  understanding  of  the  aims  of  the  practice,  their  related  roles  and 
responsibilities.  Particularly  during  formal/informal  cooperation  between 
independent  services,  practitioner  roles  and  responsibilities  must  be  clearly 
assigned: this supports smoother and quicker referrals between the services. 
Fragmented  guidance,  with  unclear  roles  and  responsibilities,  may  have  a 
negative effect, with clients feeling they have insufficient support; 

(c)  coherence of outputs at different stages: using outputs from the early stages 
of a practice as inputs for subsequent stages ensures consistent application 
of  standards,  brings  continuity  in  the  delivery  of  services,  and  saves 
practitioner time and effort. More coherent outputs can simplify operation of a 
shared system, ensure structured interaction among practitioners and deliver 
more effective information exchange. This is typically the case with individual 
portfolios: built from early screening stages, updated and aligned, with shared 
standards  and  clearly  targeted  at  supporting  referrals,  further  training  or 
certification leading to qualification; 

the  specific 

(d)  practitioner  competences:  skilled  practitioners  are  essential  to  successful 
coordination,  which  must  accommodate  both 
technical 
requirements  of  each  activity  and  the  existence  of  overlaps  between  them. 
The  roles  and  competences  of  practitioners  working  in  guidance  and 
validation  may  overlap  to  different  degrees,  especially  in  what  concerns 
provision of information screening/profiling of clients and skills assessments. 
These  overlaps  create  an  opportunity  for  more  efficient  organisation  of 
activities, which should nevertheless not be made at the expense of service 
quality. All practitioners need to be adequately trained in their specific relevant 
roles, while having an understanding of the overall process and practice.  In 
addition to specialised technical competences,  all practitioners should have 
equally  important  soft  skills:  empathy  for  clients,  ability  to  motivate  them, 
communication skills, ability to work in teams, and commitment; 

8 

Executive summary 

(e)  monitoring  and  evaluation  arrangements:  collecting  data  on  participant 
transitions into employment or further education (after validation) can provide 
evidence of the need for follow-up guidance as well as indicating the quality 
of the services provided. 

Policy recommendations 

(a)  The recommendations are based on the main factors ensuring coordination 
between  guidance  and  validation:  comprehensiveness:  provide  adequate 
information and guidance before the decision to undergo validation, through 
the entire validation process and also after it; 

(b)  coherence:  use  common  qualifications  or  competence  standards, 
occupational standards or other reference frameworks through all the stages 
of the practice to identify, document and assess skills; 

(c)  ensure quality of staff resources and competences, as well as tools used.  

Achieving  comprehensiveness  requires  mechanisms  for  coordinating  and 
setting up clear links between validation and guidance. This requires political will, 
agreement  between political  partners  and broad  societal support; the  latter  may 
come from involving practitioners in developing an appropriate overarching policy 
or  a  single  legal  framework,  which  clearly  defines  objectives,  roles  and 
responsibilities.  The  allocation  of  necessary  human  and  financial  resources 
(including joint funding through the ESF) should also be considered.  

Adequate financial and human resources  can help develop comprehensive, 
systematised  and  coordinated  processes,  from  outreach  to  potential  candidates 
and  identifying  their  skills  to  validating/certifying  their  competences.  Services 
coordinating  career  guidance  and  validation  also  add  to  active  labour  market 
policies, including measures for upskilling of low-qualified/skilled adults. 

Coherence  means  developing  a  common  policy  strategy  or  a  single  legal 
framework  linking  guidance  and  validation  across  all  occupation  and  education 
sectors. It requires extensive dialogue and cooperation between a wide range of 
stakeholders, from policy-makers to teachers/trainers and business associations. 
Consensus  is  required  on  what  is  to  be  achieved  and  how  services,  roles  and 
functions of practitioners should be defined. Without this, stakeholders will apply 
different  interpretations  to  guidance  and  validation  and  what  they  are  meant  to 
achieve.  

A common reference framework for qualifications or competence standards is 
also needed. Adherence to such a framework ensures that the different tools used 
to identify, document and assess skills are ‘coherent’, with continuity between the 

9 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

outputs produced as each builds on the previous one.  It guarantees information 
traceability and prevents the duplication of work, as well as ensuring systematic 
coordination between different services supplied by separate entities.  

Any  common  qualifications  or  competence  standards  framework  should  be 
relatable  to  individuals’  non-formal  and  informal  learning  experiences  to  ensure 
coherence  between  outputs  and  continuity  in  the  interpretation  of  career 
development needs and goals.  

Uniform common standards help in delivering consistent quality guidance and 
validation  services.  The  quality  of  services  can  be  improved  by  focusing  on 
individuals, by responding flexibly to needs, and by considering the readiness of 
individuals to get engaged in validation and guidance. 

The specific roles/functions of  guidance and validation practitioners, both in 
respect  of  technical  and  soft  skills,  should  be  subject  to  specialised  training 
throughout all stages. Common training can generate shared understanding of the 
process and its outputs, and improve the coherence and overall quality of services; 
it  can  create  balanced  teams  that  cooperate  and  exchange  information  well. 
Elaboration of common guidelines and quality criteria for services develops healthy 
communication within the team and with clients. 

While  these  recommendations  should  help  improve  how  validation  and 
guidance  services  work  together,  it  will  be  necessary  to  check  that  the  desired 
effects are being achieved. Data collection and monitoring will help demonstrate 
the  quality  and  performance  of  guidance  and  validation  services  and  show  the 
effects  of  any  steps  taken  in  support.  In  turn,  coherence  between  outputs  can 
enable  systematic  monitoring  throughout  all  stages  of  guidance  and  validation, 
providing feedback to suggest further means of improving the services and their 
coordinated actions. 

10 

CHAPTER 1. 
Introduction  

1.1.  Project background  

In  the  transition  to  the  learning  society,  flexible,  continuous  and  more  adaptive 
learning is needed to ensure skills remain relevant to today’s labour market. At the 
same time, the EU currently faces important economic and social challenges which 
greatly affect low-qualified people who often have limited career prospects. Early 
disengagement  from  education  and  training  is  an  acute  issue  in  many  Member 
States,  leading  frequently to unemployment and inactivity among young people. 
The  rate  of  young  people  not  in  employment,  education  or  training  (NEET)  is 
particularly  high  among  the  low-qualified.  The  financial  crisis,  coupled  with 
economic  and  structural  changes,  have  left  many  adults  with  low  qualifications 
(and  obsolete  skills)  unemployed.  Close  to  70  million  Europeans  struggle  with 
basic reading and writing, calculation and use of digital tools in everyday life, as 
shown by the OECD’s survey on adult skills (PIAAC). People lacking these basic 
skills  are  at  higher  risk  of  unemployment,  poverty  and  social  exclusion.  These 
issues explain why schools, universities, trade unions, employers and legislative 
bodies all need to work closely together to ensure a skilled workforce for the future. 
Guidance  and  counselling  can  play  a  major  role  in  getting  low-qualified 
individuals to upskill and gain new qualifications to improve their career prospects, 
according  to  their  personal  ambitions  and  interests.  The  same  is  true  of  other 
groups  looking  to  advance  their  career  prospects.  Therefore,  guidance  and 
counselling  give  purpose  to  the  validation  procedure.  The  Council  resolution  on 
lifelong guidance requests Member States to consider ways of ‘enabling people to 
benefit from support in obtaining validation and recognition on the labour market 
of their formal, non-formal and informal learning outcomes, in order to safeguard 
their employment and maintain their employability, in particular during the second 
part  of  their  careers’  (Council,  2008,  p. 6).  In  addition,  the  European  Lifelong 
Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN) guidelines highlight as good practice the use 
of  policies  and  systems  that  promote  and  support  ‘lifelong  guidance  in  helping 
citizens to identify and have validated  their competences  acquired through non-
formal and informal learning’ (ELGPN, 2015, p. 35). 

The  2012  Council  recommendation  on  the  validation  of  non-formal  and 
informal learning identifies information, guidance and counselling as a cornerstone 
of  validation.  The  European  guidelines  for  validating  non-formal  and  informal 
learning  stress  that  this  requires  functional  validation  arrangements,  including 

11 

 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

‘impartial  and  comprehensive  information,  guidance  and  counselling  throughout 
the process’ (Cedefop, 2015, p. 3). 

In the  Council recommendation  on  upskilling  pathways (Council,  2016), the 
three-step process (skills assessment, a tailored learning offer and the validation 
and recognition of the learning acquired) requires guidance and outreach services 
to support learners’ progression through every step of the upskilling pathway.  

1.2.  Aims and objectives 

The  main  objective  of  this  study  is  to  improve  the  understanding  of  how  career 
guidance  and  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  can  be  better 
coordinated  to  ensure  the  most  appropriate  support  to  career  decisions  and 
personal  development.  More  precisely,  this  refers  to  the  following  key  research 
questions: 
(a)  what are the necessary conditions to ensure successful coordination between 

validation and guidance activities in practice? 

(b)  how can the coherence of the outputs of validation and guidance be assured? 
(c)  what  are  the  benefits  (individual,  organisational)  of  increased  coordination 

between the two services and what are the challenges? 

1.3.  Structure of the report 

The report is structured into four main chapters: following clarifications about the 
background and specific aims and objectives of the study in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 
provides  insights  into  the  main  reference  concepts  such  as  career/lifelong 
guidance, and validation of non-formal and informal learning. The chapter includes 
a  theoretical  discussion  about  the  relationship  between  validation  and  guidance 
and introduces the methodology used.  

Chapter 3 focuses on a comparative analysis based on 13 specific practices 
explored  within  this  study.  The  chapter  outlines  forms  of  coordination  between 
validation  and  career  guidance.  It  also  discusses  different  dimensions  of 
coordination  such  as  context,  conditions,  institutional  setting  of  the  practices, 
coherence  of  outputs  and,  finally,  benefits  and  challenges  to  organisation  and 
individuals.  Findings  from  the  comparative  analysis  are  then  summarised  into 
conclusions.  

Chapter 4 translates the findings into policy recommendations to improve the 

synergies between validation and career guidance. 

12 

CHAPTER 2. 
Concepts and methodology 

The aim of this chapter is to reflect on the key concepts which defined the scope 
of  this  study  and  shaped  its  methodology  (including  a  research  and  theoretical 
framework and data collection methods).  

2.1.  The concepts of career guidance and validation of 

non-formal and informal learning 

Both career guidance and validation of non-formal and informal learning are linked 
to the broader concept of ‘lifelong learning’. While validation aims to assure that all 
learning,  irrespective  of  how  and  where  it  has  been  acquired,  is  valued  and 
considered, lifelong/career guidance (2) focuses more on personal development. 
Guidance is defined as a ‘continuous process that enables citizens at any age and 
at any point in their lives to identify their capacities, competences and interests, to 
make  educational,  training  and  occupational  decisions  and  to  manage  their 
individual life paths in learning, work and other settings in which those capacities 
and  competences  are  learned  and/or  used’  (Council,  2008,  p. 2).  In  this  study, 
guidance  is  used  as  an  overarching  concept:  it  may  be  directly  connected  to 
validation (for instance, guidance provided within/during a validation procedure) or 
it may refer to different career guidance activities (such as counselling, advising, 
assessing) which take place either prior to undertaking the validation procedure or 
after completing validation (Section 2.1.1 and Section 3.3.2.1). 

Although  validation  and  career  guidance  broadly  share  a  similar  aim  (both 
support  an  individual’s  pursuit  of  career  development  and  education),  validation 
has a more pronounced formal component (related to assessment standards and 
certification) and is defined as ‘a process of confirmation by an authorised body 
that  an  individual  has  acquired  learning  outcomes  measured  against  a  relevant 
standard’ (3) (Council, 2012, p .5).  

(2)   The study regards ‘career guidance’, ‘lifelong guidance’ and ‘guidance’ as synonyms.  
(3)   In our understanding, ‘relevant standard’ includes occupational as well as qualification 

standard. 

13 

 
 
 
                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

Relationship between validation and career guidance activities 
2.1.1. 
Findings  from  the  literature  review,  carried  out  as  part  of  the  study,  reveal  that 
theoretical  literature,  including  available  academic  and  commissioned  research, 
government  and  technical  reports,  does  not  systematically  explore  the  link 
between validation and guidance. This is not surprising given the lack of clear-cut 
distinction  between  the  concepts  of  validation  and  career  guidance  (and  their 
activities). Although the thematic report on guidance and counselling of the 2014 
update of the European inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning 
identifies  a  wide  diversity  of  approaches  to  guidance  supporting  validation,  this 
report did not have enough evidence for more specific conclusions (EC, Cedefop 
and ICF, 2014, p. 12). 

To understand the relationship between validation and lifelong guidance, it is 
necessary to compare their distinct activities, bearing in mind that neither service 
has a single standardised method.  

Table  1  compares  validation  and  guidance  activities  and  identifies  their 
similarities  and  differences.  It  shows  that  career  guidance  services  are  more 
diversified and have a larger scope than validation. Career guidance includes four 
main  types  of  activity:  informative;  developing  career  management  skills  (CMS) 
and  autonomy;  direct  support  and  capacity  building;  and  managing  critical 
information  and  assuring  quality.  These  consist  of  many  sub-activities  (4).  In 
comparison,  validation  includes  four  consecutive  phases/activities:  identification, 
documentation, assessment and certification (Council, 2012), although not all  of 
these must be included in all cases.  

While  fragmentation  of  services  is  characteristic  of  both  validation  and 
guidance,  the  trend  is  more  pronounced  for  lifelong  guidance.  This  can  be 
explained by the fact that guidance is offered by many different organisations such 
as  schools,  training  providers,  PES  or  private  employment  services,  hiring 
agencies, local administrations, human resources departments in enterprises, and 
NGOs.  In  comparison,  validation  is  most  commonly  found  within  education  and 
training contexts but is now increasingly carried out by labour market authorities, 
economic  sectors,  enterprises  and  voluntary  organisations.  Also,  validation 
processes differ depending on the subsector of education in which they occur. The 
European  inventory  found  that  validation  practices  are  much  less  common  in 
general education than in vocational training. It also found that, in many countries, 

(4) 

In  the  study  we  use  Ford’s  adapted  classification  (Ford,  2007)  which  covers  the 
definition provided in the EU Council resolution on lifelong guidance (2008) but is more 
structured  and  detailed.  In  the  resolution  definition,  guidance  covers  ‘a  range  of 
individual  and  collective  activities  relating 
information-giving,  counselling, 
competence  assessment,  support  and  the  teaching  of  decision-making  and  career 
management skills’ (Council, 2008, p. 2). 

to 

14 

                                                 
CHAPTER 2. 
Concepts and methodology 

higher  and  adult  education  have  validation  differently  organised  from  that  in 
vocational training (see e.g. EC, Cedefop and ICF, 2017, p. 34). 

One important component of the relationship between validation and career 
guidance is the institutional setting in which  they are embedded (Section 3.3.1). 
these  services  are  provided  independently  (by  different 
For  instance,  if 
organisations/institutions),  career  guidance  may  signpost  individuals  towards 
taking up validation or flexible training offers. In this way, guidance can act as a 
referral  to  validation,  making  people  aware  of  the  opportunities  and  benefits  of 
validation and offering them adjusted learning solutions. In addition to providing a 
referral  to  validation,  guidance  practitioners  can  help  individuals  to  use  relevant 
labour  market  information  and  effectively  choose  occupational  pathways  in  line 
with their preferences and potential. 

Evidence from the literature review and the case studies shows high similarity 
(or even overlap) between the ‘identification’ and ‘documentation’ phases/activities 
of  validation  and  the  counselling  and  assessing  career  guidance  activities.  For 
instance, any lifelong guidance process will start by identifying a person’s strengths 
and  interests.  This  may  involve  identifying  prior  learning  (including  learning  that 
took  place  in  non-formal  and  informal  settings)  and  documenting  the  learning 
needed  before  and  during 
In  a  similar  way, 
documentation collected during the guidance process can be used as an input for 
validation.  Results  from  assessment  developed  in  career  guidance  (particularly 
identifying skills, attitudes and preferences) may support certification to a higher or 
lower degree depending on how they are set (Section 3.3.3). 

the  validation  procedure. 

15 

 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

Table 1.  Relationship between validation phases/activities and types of career 

guidance activity 

Types of career/lifelong guidance activities 

Validation phases/activities 

No equivalent activity 

Informative activities 
•  Advising – helping individuals and groups to 
interpret information and choose the most 
appropriate options 

•  Signposting/referral – ensuring that people have 

accurate information about all the relevant 
agencies and the guidance services they provide 
and, therefore, can select the most appropriate 
resources for their needs  

Developing (CMS) and autonomy 
•  Counselling – helping individuals to discover, 

clarify, assess and understand their own 
experience and explore available alternatives and 
strategies for achievement 

Identification – increasing an individual’s 

awareness of prior learning 
achievements 

Documentation – providing evidence of 

•  Assessing – helping individuals to obtain an 

the learning outcomes acquired 

organised and structured understanding of their 
personal, educational and vocational development 
to allow for informed judgments on the relevance of 
opportunities presented (in work, training, etc.) 

•  Teaching – promoting the acquisition of career 

managing skills, relating to methodologies such as 
CV and presentation letter creation, job search 
methods, time management techniques, 
interpersonal communication techniques. 

•  Mentoring – offering individuals and groups support 

to help them overcome personal barriers and 
realise their potential 

No full equivalent as assessment in career guidance 
tends to be less formalised; it does not have to be 
carried out by a certified assessor 

Assessment – comparing an individual’s 
learning outcomes against specific 
reference points and/or standards 

No equivalent activity. Career guidance may support 
certification, but it is not included as a component in 
guidance provision 

Certification – confirming officially the 
achievement of learning outcomes 
against a specified standard 

•  Direct support and capacity building 

No equivalent activity 

Advocating – negotiating directly with organisations 
on behalf of individuals or groups for whom there 
may be additional barriers to access 

Managing critical information and assuring quality 
•  Following up – keeping in touch with individuals 
after guidance interventions, to assess if further 
guidance is needed and of what type, etc. 

Informing people of future opportunities 
after completing a validation process 

NB:  Overlapping activities are written in blue. 
Source:  Adapted from Cedefop (2015, 2016a, 2016b), ELGPN (2015) and Ford (2007). 

16 

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHAPTER 2. 
Concepts and methodology 

Assessment  and  certification  within  validation  share  fewer  similarities  with 
career guidance activities compared to identification and documentation. This may 
be  related  to  the  formal  component  included  in  validation  (for  instance, 
requirements for assessment to be carried out by accredited assessors who are 
typically, specialists in a given professional field, requirements for certification to 
be managed by a credible authority/organisation). Many validation processes will 
not  immediately  lead  to  certification,  because  individuals  may  lack  the  needed 
knowledge  or  competences.  Career  guidance  will  play  an  important  role  in 
redirecting individuals to tailored learning experiences so that the validation can be 
completed.  

Although  follow-up  is  not  covered  in  the  four  validation  phases/activities, 
individuals  may  be  informed  of  future  opportunities  or  supported  in  developing 
ideas  for  a  further  career  pathway  upon  completing  a  validation  process  (see 
Section 3.3.2). This may include a referral to guidance services which are provided 
independently from the validation process.  

Validation  procedures  leading  to  certification  will  normally  include  the  four 
stages  in  one  way  or  another  but  the  emphasis  on  certain  stages  will  vary 
depending on the objectives of each process. For instance, validation that takes 
place  in  an  education  institution  (to  obtain  a  formal  qualification)  will  tend  to 
emphasise  assessment  and  certification.  A  validation  process  carried  out  by 
voluntary  organisations  is  likely  to  emphasise  identification  and  documentation. 
This means that the form of relationship between guidance and validation services 
is also determined by the type of organisation involved in their delivery and purpose 
of the activity (Section 3.3.1). 

Figure  1  presents  a  general  model  for  connecting  validation  and  guidance 

based on the practices explored (5).  

(5)   In the model, validation is understood as leading to certification. 

17 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

Figure 1.  General model of linkage between validation and guidance based on the 

practices explored 

Source:  Cedefop.  

One important component of the relationship between validation and guidance 

refers to the starting point of a practice: 

is  the  person  directly  contacting  a  validation  provider  with  the  clear  aim  to 
undergo a validation procedure?  

  does  the  person  first  contact  other  services  to  clarify  the  possibilities  and, 
based on that, make further career or personal development decisions which 
may include undergoing validation? 

In the first case, guidance activities will directly connect to validation (usually 
referred to as ‘guidance within/during validation’); in the second case, guidance will 
precede the decision for validation (‘guidance before validation’). In the first case, 
people usually go directly to a validation provider and may proceed straight away 
to an assessment or examination of their competences to obtain a certification or 
qualification, provided they already possess the required competences. If they do 
not readily possess the required competences to obtain a certification/qualification, 
the validation provider directs people to complementary training before they can 
undergo an assessment or examination. 

In the second case, people may not be aware of the possibility of undergoing 
validation until they receive career guidance (from PES, chambers of commerce 
or other relevant career counselling services). Depending on the practitioners (and 
services) in charge of providing guidance, the activities to clarify a person’s options 
for learning and career development may involve (varying intensity of) screening 
and profiling and/or a skills audit. The person may then be referred to a validation 

18 

 
 
 
CHAPTER 2. 
Concepts and methodology 

provider;  the  referral  may  be  formal  or  informal  depending  on  the  form  of 
cooperation between services (Chapter 3). 

Upon completing  validation, people improve their chances  of (re)integrating 
into  the  labour  market  thanks  to  the  qualifications  or  certifications  obtained.  A 
person receiving only a partial qualification may decide on further training and may 
need follow-up guidance.  

2.2.  Methodology 

This report is based on the findings from 13 practices from 12 countries: Austria, 
Czechia, Finland (two practices), France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, 
Poland, Portugal and UK-Scotland. Table 2 outlines the practices and includes a 
brief  description  of  each.  Country  selection  aimed  to  capture  the  different 
characteristics  in  validation  and  career  guidance,  the  extent  of  coordination 
between  the  two  services  and  broad  socioeconomic  models/indicators  (such  as 
production,  welfare  and  employment  regimes  as  well  as  collective  bargaining 
models). The country selection also aimed to achieve a geographic balance (North, 
South, East and West) across Europe.  

The practices were explored by national experts with substantial expertise in 
validation  and/or  research  related  to  career  guidance  (see  Annex  1).  The  case 
studies  exemplified  different  forms  of  coordination  between  validation  of  non-
formal and informal learning and career guidance services; they were selected in 
accordance  with  a  theoretical  and  research  framework,  developed  in  advance 
(before the start of the field work).  

Theoretical and research framework 

2.2.1. 
The theoretical and research framework was developed based on the three main 
research  questions  (Section  1.2).  Also,  it  considered  elements  of  both  the 
European  guidelines  for  the  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning 
(Cedefop,  2015)  and  the  European  guidelines  for  policies  and  systems 
development in lifelong guidance (ELGPN, 2015).  

The  framework  consisted  of  three  main  components  and  took  account  of 
macro, meso and micro factors that may shape the relationship between validation 
and  guidance.  While  the  paragraphs  below  briefly  review  the  framework’s 
structure, Annex 2 has detailed information.  
(a)  Background/context: this focused on the contextual factors that underpin each 
of  the  practices  selected.  The  factors  referred  to  year  and  rationale  for 
introducing the practice (which may relate to laws and regulations, policies, 
strategies,  national  frameworks  on  validation  and/or  career  guidance), 

19 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

purpose,  institutional  setting  (including  division  of  roles  and  responsibilities 
between major stakeholders), target group, focus and activities. 

(b)  Practical  implementation:  this  part  described  how  things  happen  on  the 
ground  and  captured  all  important  aspects  of  the  relationship  between 
validation and career guidance, including consecutive steps (entry-exit level) 
of the practice, methods and tools used, outputs, type of support provided and 
quality assurance (covering also practitioner competences).  

(c)  Overall assessment: this focused on the organisational and individual benefits 
resulting  from  the  different  forms  of  relationship  between  validation  and 
guidance;  it  covered  challenges  and  successes,  as  well  as  suggestions  for 
improvement that might be transferable to other contexts. 

The  theoretical  and  research  framework  was  updated  during  the  study  and 

provided the basis for the comparative analysis carried out in Chapter 3.  

Data gathering 

2.2.2. 
Information to support the research was obtained in two successive phases:  
(a)  desk research (literature review), carried out from February to June 2018; this 
gathered  information  from  existing  literature  on  guidance  and  validation 
practices across the 12 different countries selected for case studies. In total, 
26  relevant  practices  were  identified  (two  per  country)  from  which  13  were 
shortlisted  for  a  case  study.  Identifying  at  least  two  practices  per  country 
allowed the study to analyse guidance and validation services that had varied 
scopes  and  organisational  setups,  diverse  aims  and  differing  focuses  on 
specific target groups, specific economic contexts or occupational sectors. In 
addition to the literature referring to concrete practices, theoretical literature 
(such  as  academic  research  and  commissioned  research,  government  and 
technical reports) was also considered; 
field  research  took  place  from  August  to  November  2018  and  produced  13 
practice-focused  case  studies.  Table  2  shows  the  practices  selected.  The 
case  studies  did  not  aim  to  describe  national  approaches  to  guidance  or 
validation, but to focus on how validation and guidance are connected within 
a  specific  practice.  Data  was  collected  during  site  visits  through  individual 
interviews,  focus  group  discussions  and  observations  (of  processes,  of 
interactions  between  guidance/validation  practitioners  and  beneficiaries) 
where  possible.  More  than  70  people  were  interviewed,  including  guidance 
practitioners,  validation  experts,  project  managers  and  coordinators, 
methodologists,  national  executives  and  beneficiaries.  Field  research 
included  beneficiaries’  and  practitioners’  stories.  These  brief  testimonials 
illustrate  different  aspects  of  practice  on  the  ground.  The  stories  give 

(b) 

20 

CHAPTER 2. 
Concepts and methodology 

additional  depth  to  the  data  collected  and  make  them  more  realistic  and 
understandable for the reader, so excerpts from some stories were included 
in the form of boxes in Chapter 3. 

Table 2.  Overview of selected practices 

Name of the practice 

Brief description 

Country 

Du kannst was! (DKW)/ You have skills/ You 
can do it  

Centrum vzdělávání všem (CVV)/ Education for 
Everybody Centre  

Maahanmuuttajien ohjauspalvelut ja osaamisen 
tunnistaminen (SIMHE Metropolia)/ Supporting 
immigrants at the Metropolia University of 
Applied Sciences 

Austria 

Czechia 

Finland 1 

Regional initiative (in Upper 
Austria) enabling low-
qualified adults with 
substantial work experience 
to acquire an apprenticeship 
qualification in occupations 
in high demand on the 
regional labour market. 

Regional initiative (in South 
Moravia) funded by the 
regional government which 
provides free-of-charge 
career guidance to people 
aged 14 and above. 

National initiative of the 
Ministry of Education and 
Culture aimed at improving 
and promoting work-related 
migration, tackling labour 
market skills mismatch and 
lack of skilled workers. 
SIMHE Metropolia, is just 
one of several practices 
under the initiative. 

Tampereen ammatillisen koulutuskeskuksen 
toimintamalli opiskelijoiden ohjauksessa ja 
aiemmin opitun tunnistamisessa ja 
tunnustamisessa ammattitutkintojärjestelmän 
viitekehyksessä (TAKK)/ Guidance and 
validation within the competence-based 
qualification (CBQ) system at TAKK 

National initiative to provide 
purposeful educational 
opportunities for adults who 
want to acquire a formal 
vocational qualification, the 
competence-based 
qualification (CBQ). 

Finland 2 

21 

 
 
 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

Name of the practice 

Brief description 

Country 

Bilan de compétences/ Competences 
assessment  

Writeon.ie  

IÐAN/An integrated provision of career 
guidance and validation services with follow-up 
services at IÐAN education centre 

Upskilling through PES  

LeerWerkLoketten/ Learning and Working 
Desks  

France 

Ireland 

Iceland 

Italy 

Netherlands 

National initiative enabling a 
Bilan as a universal right for 
all citizens. It was created to 
achieve a better balance 
between labour supply and 
demand by supporting 
individuals in identifying their 
competences and then in 
developing a professional 
plan that includes their 
individual aspirations and fits 
with current labour market 
needs. 

National tool supporting 
adult learning services, 
aiming to improve the 
literacy and numeracy 
outcomes of adult learners. 
For this purpose, NALA, a 
voluntary sector organisation 
promoting adult literacy, has 
developed a distance 
learning tool (Writeon.ie) 
based on RPL. 

National initiative addressing 
the need for upskilling of 
employees (in certified 
trades) without a completed 
upper secondary school 
level. 

Regional initiative (in Emilia-
Romagna) targeted towards 
upskilling of unemployed 
people registered at PES 
who have a low 
employability profile. 

Regional initiative aiming to 
strengthen people's skills 
and competences to match 
regional labour market 
needs through the brokering 
function of the Desks that 
foster cooperation between 
education providers, local 
authorities, social 
organisations and the 
business community. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
CHAPTER 2. 
Concepts and methodology 

Name of the practice 

Brief description 

Country 

Linking poviat labour offices (local PES offices) 
with the system of validation of non-formal and 
informal learning organised within formal VET  

Programa Qualifica/Qualifica Programme  

Branschvalideringen/Sectoral validations  

My World of Work (MyWoW)  

Source:  Based on the case studies. 

Poland 

Portugal 

Sweden 

UK-Scotland 

National initiative focusing 
on the cooperation between 
PES services and 
examination boards 
responsible for assessment 
and certification in the VET 
sector. The background of 
the initiative relates to 
growing interest in VNIL of 
adults’ competences 
(because of skills gap) and 
reform in the VET system 
(providing more flexible 
access to examinations). 

National initiative aiming to 
raise adult participation in 
LLL and train for an 
upskilled workforce. 

Sectoral initiative initiated by 
labour market stakeholders 
to address skills 
shortcomings and 
bottlenecks in some sectors 
and trades experiencing 
difficulties in this respect. 

Web-based career 
information and advice 
resource used in schools 
and careers centres across 
the country and 
complementing the career 
management skills (CMS) 
framework for Scotland; 
allows users (pupils, young 
people and adults) to profile 
their interests, skills and 
strengths using a range of 
digital tools and activities. 

23 

 
 
 
 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

This  chapter  will  analyse  the  13  practices  covered  by  the  study,  along  several 
dimensions  that  characterise  the  relationship  between  career  guidance  and 
validating non-formal and informal learning. The dimensions have been selected 
in accordance with the main research questions (Section 1.2), the theoretical and 
research framework (Annex 2) and the underlying data. Each of the dimensions is 
further explored in a dedicated section.  

3.1. 

Introduction  

‘Coordination’ is a key reference concept for the comparative analysis in this study; 
the practices reviewed show different forms of coordination between validation and 
guidance. Coordination relates to the governance mechanisms determined by the 
relationship  between  validation  and  guidance. 
institution  shaping 
Characteristics of these governance mechanisms include: 
(a) 

types  of  actors  involved  (including  public  employment  services  (PES), 
chambers,  trade  unions,  employers,  education  institutions,  municipalities, 
NGOs) and division of tasks and responsibilities among them; 

the 

(b)  degree  of  centralisation:  a  practice  may  be  centralised  (initiated,  managed, 
the  State)  or  driven  by 
monitored  and  mainly 
financed  by 
regional/local/sectoral partnerships (and part funded by the EU, State, region 
or  sector).  This  aspect  affects  the  framework  for  coordination  between 
validation and guidance (Section 3.3.1.2). In the centralised practices, national 
legislation, policy or strategy may enshrine the connection between validation 
and guidance. In comparison, the practices driven by regional/local/sectoral 
partnerships  often  have  higher  involvement  of  employers  and  employee 
organisations because they usually aim to address skills mismatches or deal 
with the demand for upskilling in a given region/sector; 

(c)  degree of formalisation of the relationship between validation and guidance 

(Section 3.2). 

The  mechanisms  that  shape  the  coordination  between  validation  and 
guidance determine how and to what extent coherence is achieved. Coherence, 
as used by this study, reflects how well guidance and validation services exchange 
information with one another (degree of harmonisation of processes), and how well 
they  mutually  enable  the  intended  support  to  individuals.  For  example,  outputs 

24 

 
 
 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

from guidance processes, such as skills identification, can support certification if 
they are based on common qualifications or competence standards, occupational 
standards or other reference frameworks and if information at a previous stage of 
the practice is properly documented and transmitted to the next stage, so that it 
can  be  used  and  further  developed.  Coherent  outcomes  are  usually  well 
documented through standardised/harmonised forms used by practitioners. Also, 
a digital system may support information transfer among services. 

The question about how coherence of outcomes can be ensured in different 
contexts relates to the benefits (individual, organisational) and challenges of linking 
validation and guidance services. Benefits and challenges may differ depending 
on the way activities are coordinated. Figure 2Figure 2 summarises the dimensions 
used for comparative analysis in the following subsections.  

Figure 2.  Dimensions of comparative analysis  

Research questions 

Dimensions 

1. What are the necessary conditions to 
ensure successful coordination between 
validation and guidance in practice?  

• Organisations implementing the practice 
• Existence of a framework enabling coordination 
• Rationale and target group 

2. What are the characteristics of 
guidance provision? 

3. How can the coherence of the outputs 
of guidance and validation be assured? 

• Activities 
• Comprehensiveness 
• Prescribed/harmonised procedure 
• Flexibility of access and form of delivery 

• Existence of common standards and reference 

frameworks 

• Use of standardised/ harmonised forms 
• Digital systems 
• Staff competences 

4. What are the benefits and challenges 
of increased coordination between the 
two services? 

• Individual benefits 
• Organisational benefits 
• Challenges 

3.2.  Forms of relationship between validation and 

guidance  

Depending on how the coordination between validation and guidance takes place, 
three  general  forms  of  relationship  can  be  distinguished:  formal  cooperation 
between 
informal  cooperation  between  distinct 
organisations, and integration of services, typically within one organisation (6). 

independent  agencies, 

(6)  The theoretical possibility for absence of cooperation was not observed in any of the 

practices explored. 

25 

                                                 
 
 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

Formal  cooperation  (7)  between  independent  services  may  result  from  a 
framework  setting  up  clear  principles,  rules  and  procedures  on  connecting 
validation and guidance. A framework can be defined or driven by national/regional 
legislation or a strategy from a network of regional/sectoral partnerships between 
different  stakeholders  (including  employers  and  employee  organisations).  The 
Austrian  practice  is  characterised  by  a  regional  network  including  business  and 
labour chambers, regional adult learning providers, regional government  and an 
umbrella organisation coordinating cooperation between the partners. In this form 
of  cooperation,  partners  may  sign  an  agreement  or  create  an  action  plan  for 
regional  development.  In  the  Dutch  practice,  the  activities  of  the  Learning  and 
working desks are based on a biannual regional business plan agreed by regional 
partners. For this form of cooperation, career guidance is usually provided before 
and during validation (8); some cases may have follow-up guidance. Depending on 
the activity (initial screening of competences, client profiling, creation of a portfolio), 
different  stakeholders  may  provide  guidance;  some  services  have  more  or  less 
formalised  referrals  (signposting).  The  formal  component  has  a  systematic 
process, a harmonised procedure which may include standard forms and common 
tools used by practitioners. Outputs created at the different steps of the practice 
may or may not be based on common standards.  

Informal cooperation  between independent services  can be identified in the 
absence  of  an  operational  or  legislative  framework  (to  support  the  formal  link 
between validation and career guidance) and is based on personal contacts and 
relationships among practitioners. This form of cooperation is not institutionalised, 
but  depends  on  the  practitioners  engaging  in  endeavours  without  prescribed  or 
harmonised  procedures  or  internal  guidelines  to  follow.  Guidance  is  typically 
provided  before  validation:  there  is  no  follow-up  of  clients/beneficiaries  and, 
usually, outputs created at the different stages of the practice are not based  on 
common  standards.  In  some  contexts,  informal  cooperation  relates  to  recent 
reforms in the education system; for instance, VET reforms in Poland have enabled 
validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning.  A  PES  counsellor  may  now 
recommend that a client undergoes a validation procedure (based on results of a 
skills  audit),  although  these  results  cannot  be  used  further  in  the  validation 
procedure. The summary report created at the end of the Bilan de compétences in 

(7) 

‘Formal’/‘formalised’,  ‘informal’  and  ‘integrated’  are  value-free  categories  without  a 
rating. One form of coordination might fit better in one specific context than in another, 
therefore it is important to understand the context of the practice.  

(8)  Although  validation  procedures  do  not  always  include  all  four  stages  (identification, 
documentation,  assessment  and  certification),  for  the  purpose  of  comparative 
analysis, we refer here to validation that leads to certification. 

26 

                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

France may also include a referral to Validation des acquis de l’expérience (VAE) 
(leading  to  a  formal  certification).  For  instance,  in  the  Czech  practice,  guidance 
provided  under  this  form  of  cooperation  may  equip  beneficiaries  with  career 
management skills that support their further decisions on work and learning; 

Integration  of  services  is  observed  when  the  same  organisation  provides 
validation and career guidance. The integration of both services can be enshrined 
in legislation and/or follow a long tradition creating a ‘national approach’ in which 
guidance is an essential part of validation. For example, in the Icelandic practice, 
lifelong  guidance  is  an  integral  part  of  the  national  model  of  validation.  In 
accordance with legislation, validation has to include all four stages: identification, 
documentation,  assessment  and  certification.  Validation  should  also  provide 
preparation, information and follow-up (which are career guidance components). 
Another  example  is  the  Finnish  SIMHE  Metropolia  that  has  interwoven  the 
elements  of  career  guidance  and  validation.  Finland  has  a  long  tradition  in 
validating  non-formal  and  informal  learning,  which  can  explain  why  guidance 
provision today forms an integral part of any of its validation arrangements (in VET, 
adult education, higher education). In integrated services, career guidance usually 
takes place before and during validation; in some cases, guidance also occurs after 
validation.  Guidance  practitioners  have  an  important  role  because  they  are 
involved at each step of the practice and sometimes serve as mentors for the client. 
Outputs created within integrated services may be coherent (based on common 
standards, such as in the Icelandic IÐAN and the Finnish TAKK) or not (as in the 
Finnish SIMHE Metropolia).  

Because the study only covers 13 practices, additional forms of coordination 
between validation and guidance are likely to exist. Also, the forms of coordination 
described above should not be understood as ‘pure’ forms. A practice is  usually 
characterised  by  a  mix  of  features,  whereby  some  are  more  pronounced  than 
others. For instance, the Austrian practice Du kannst was! has elements of formal 
cooperation  (such  as  a  shared  operational  framework  and  systematic  referrals 
between services) as well as elements of informal cooperation, which is expressed 
in the project partners’ commitment and will to cooperate. Also, a practice may be 
currently  characterised  by  informal  cooperation  while  some  evidence  (such  as 
organisational reforms) suggests potential for more formalised cooperation (as in 
the  Italian  and  the  Swedish  practices  described  in  Section  3.3.2).  Table  3 
summarises the different forms of coordination.  

27 

 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

Table 3.  Forms of coordinating validation and guidance services 

Forms 

Characteristic features 

l
a
m
r
o
F

n
o
i
t
a
r
e
p
o
o
c

l
a
m
r
o
f
n

I

n
o
i
t
a
r
e
p
o
o
c

n
o
i
t
a
r
g
e
t
n

I

Takes place between independent services; cooperation is supported through a 
shared project/operational framework and/or a network of regional/sectoral 
stakeholders. Guidance is typically provided before and during validation; some cases 
may have a follow-up. Referrals between services are systematic or formalised 
(following standardised procedure). Both services may use common qualifications or 
competence standards, occupational standards or other reference frameworks. This 
increases the coherence between their outputs and enables information 
sharing/transfer. The latter can be supported through a digital system. 
Examples: Du kannst was!, LeerWerkLoketten 

No formal link or institutional cooperation exists between services. However, individual 
practitioners may cooperate on an informal basis; for instance, guidance practitioners 
may recommend clients to undergo a validation procedure. Guidance is usually 
provided before validation and does not include a follow-up of clients. Sometimes 
guidance is fragmented (delivered by practitioners from different organisations). 
Although outputs produced within guidance do not have a formal value for the 
validation process, they can develop the client’s CMS and support further choices 
related to learning and work. 
Examples: Bilan, CVV, Writeon.ie.  

Services are typically provided by a single organisation and integration can be 
enshrined in legislation or be based on lengthy experience in carrying out VNIL. 
Processes, procedures and methods are clearly defined and harmonised and referrals 
between services are not relevant as guidance and validation are integrated. 
Guidance is provided before and during, sometimes also after validation. Outputs can 
have varying coherence: in some cases, they are based on common qualifications or 
competence standards, occupational standards or other reference frameworks; in 
others, they are used to inform the next stage. Guidance practitioners have an 
important role because they are involved at each step of the practice and may 
sometimes act as mentors for the beneficiaries. 
Examples: IÐAN, Qualifica, SIMHE Metropolia, TAKK. 

Source:  Based on the case studies. 

3.3.  Coordinating validation and guidance: dimensions 

This section analyses how practices shape coordination between career guidance 
and validation of non-formal and informal learning. The analysis includes elements 
such  as  institutional  setting  and  context,  characteristics  of  guidance  provision, 
coherence  between  outcomes,  and  benefits  and  challenges  of  the  respective 
approach (Figure 2). 

Institutional setting and context  

3.3.1. 
Evidence from the 13 case studies shows that validation and career guidance may 
connect in considerably different ways depending on their institutional setting and 
context: types of social actors (governing as well as implementing organisations), 
their  historical  relationship  to  prerequisites  for  formal  or  informal  cooperation, 

28 

 
 
 
 
 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

existing  framework  for  coordination  and  the  rationale  for  their  target  groups. 
Table 4 utlines each of the following aspects:  

types of institution involved and their responsibilities: Is the practice managed 
and  carried  out  by  one  or  several  institution(s)?  What  is  their  type:  labour 
market stakeholders, PES, education institutions, NGOs? Who is responsible 
for  what?  In  the  cases  of  several  implementing  institutions,  are  there 
prerequisites for formal/informal cooperation between them, such as creating 
new institutions or modernising institutions that predate the practice (including 
setting up new partnerships)? 

  existence  of  a  framework  to  coordinate  guidance  and  validation:  whether 
institutions  follow  a  framework  for  managing  and  delivering  a  practice.  A 
framework  may  be  defined  or  driven  by  national/regional  legislation  or  a 
strategy  developed  by  a  network  of  regional/sectoral  partnerships  between 
different stakeholders (including employers and employee organisations); 

  rationale  and  groups 

targeted:  does  a  practice  emanate 

the 
organisations’ original rationale and the groups they target or does it introduce 
a  novel  rationale  and  new  target  groups?  Are  the  target  groups  broad  or 
specific? 

from 

3.3.1.1.  Types of institution involved and their responsibilities 
This section focuses on the governance and arrangements to carry out the different 
practices  reviewed.  It  highlights:  the  types  of  institution  involved  in  the  different 
practices and their  respective responsibilities; the extent  to  which links between 
guidance and validation are derived from cooperation among multiple institutions; 
and  the  extent  to  which  links  between  guidance  and  validation  may  shape  new 
forms of institutional arrangements, either through the creation of new structures 
or new forms of interinstitutional cooperation. 

All the reviewed practices show some form of coordination between validation 
and  guidance  services.  In  a  few  cases,  coordinating  validation  and  guidance 
services  led  to  new  structures  or  networks,  such  as  the  Czech  CVV,  the  Dutch 
LeerWerkLoketten, the Finnish SIMHE Metropolia, the Portuguese Qualifica and – 
to  a  lesser  extent  –  the  Italian  Upskilling  through  PES.  The  remaining  practices 
relate to new initiatives emerging from either existing coordination arrangements 
or  new  forms  of  coordination  between  existing  institutions.  A  few  cases  had 
centralised  coordination  of  validation  and  guidance,  as  with  the  Portuguese 
Qualifica and the two Finnish practices, SIMHE-Metropolia and TAKK.  

29 

 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

Table 4.  Overview: aspects of institutional settings  

Practice/ 
year of launch 

Du kannst was!  
2007 

CVV 
2013 

Institutions involved 

New structures* 

Framework 

Rationale 

Target group 

Regional economic chambers, 
social partners and companies, 
education/training providers 

No 

Regional 
partnership-based 

Upskilling mainly, but not 
only 

Education for Everybody Centre 
(CVV), public institution 
financed by the South Moravian 
government 

CVV 

No framework 

SIMHE Metropolia 
2016 

Metropolia University of Applied 
Sciences (UAS) 

SIMHE service 

Initiative of the 
Ministry of 
Education and 
Culture based on 
a 
recommendation 

Tampere Adult Education 
Centre (TAKK) 

No 

Legal 

Making career guidance 
affordable and accessible to 
all 

Improving and promoting 
work-related migration, 
tackling lack of skilled 
workers 

Ensuring skilled workforce 
through providing purposeful 
educational opportunities 

Specific: low-qualified 
adults with substantial work 
experience in a given 
occupational field 
Broad: aged 14+ (mainly 
students, mothers, people 
wishing to change their 
career) 

Specific: immigrants with 
higher education 
background and/or with 
eligibility for higher 
education studies 

Broad: adults in general 
wishing to obtain a formal 
vocational qualification 
(CBQ) 

Centres of the network of the 
interinstitutional centres; 
centres of the adult continuing 
training association, private 
training and career guidance 
centres 

No 

No framework 

Enabling individuals to 
identify their skills and to 
define a career plan 

Broad: all working age 
citizens (employed and 
unemployed)  

30 

TAKK 
1994 

Bilan  
1991 

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Practice/ 
year of launch 

Writeon.ie 
2008 

IÐAN  
2006 

Upskilling through 
PES  
2016 

Institutions involved 

New structures* 

Framework 

Rationale 

Target group 

National Adult Literacy Agency 
(NALA) launched Writeon.ie. 
ETB adult literacy services in 
Ireland frequently make use of 
Writeon. Coordination with adult 
education guidance services 
varies according to local 
arrangements. A local provider 
called Word Aid is a centre 
under the Adult Learning 
Service of Kilkenny and Carlow 
ETB 
IÐAN – private, non-profit 
education and training provider 
supported by the federation of 
employees and unions 
represented by the industries 
Regional authority under the 
national Ministry of Labour, 
regional PES, private 
employment services, 
accredited training providers 

No 

No framework 

Enabling acquisition of a 
Level 2 or 3 accreditation on 
the NQF through RPL 

Broad: adults in general 
including low- 
skilled/qualified, 
unemployed, 
disadvantaged groups 

No 

Legal 

Upskilling of employees in 
certified trades without a 
completed upper secondary 
school 

Specific: low-qualified 
adults aged 23/older 

Active Network 
for Employment 

Regional 
partnership-based 

Modernising labour market 
activation policies and PES, 
focusing on upskilling 

Specific: unemployed low-
skilled adults registered 
with the PES 

LeerWerk- 
Loketten 
2009 

Education providers, local 
authorities, social organisations 
and the business community 

Learning and 
working desks 

Regional 
partnership-based 

Fostering cooperation to 
strengthen people's 
competences to match 
regional labour market 
needs 

Broad: employees, 
pupils/students, jobseekers, 
employers 

Linking poviat 
labour offices with 
VNIL in VET 
2012 

Regional/local PES, and 
regional (VET) examination 
boards 

No 

No framework 

Reintegration into the labour 
market 

Specific: unemployed 
people registered with the 
PES 

31 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

Practice/ 
year of launch 

Qualifica 
2017 

Bransch- 
valideringen 
2009 

MyWoW 2011 

Institutions involved 

New structures* 

Framework 

Rationale 

Target group 

Network of Qualifica centres 
managed by National Agency 
for Qualification and 
Professional Education 

Sectoral trade committees, 
employers, PES, vocational 
schools, training centres or 
private enterprises 

Qualifica 
centres 

Legal 

Raising adult participation in 
lifelong learning and training 
for an upskilled workforce 

Specific: less qualified 
adults, unemployed people 
and NEET 

No. 

No framework 

Addressing skills shortages 
and bottlenecks in sectors 

Skills Development Scotland 
manages MyWoW, carried out 
in schools and career centres 
across the country 

No 

Shared CMS 
framework links 
all relevant 
services along a 
lifelong 
perspective 

More and better use of new 
technologies, including 
online tools and resources 

Broad: unemployed people 
registered with the PES, 
migrants, adults, looking to 
obtain a sectoral 
certification 

Broad: pupils, adults 
transitioning from the army 
to civil life, newly arrived 
migrants and refugees, etc. 

‘New institutions’ refers to those created after the practice had been introduced. 

(*) 
Source:   Case studies.  

32 

 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

In  Czechia,  an  ESF  project  created,  in  2013,  the  Education  for  Everybody 
Centre  (CVV)  to  promote  adult  education  and  increase  participation  in  adult 
learning in the South Moravian Region. The project’s success (expressed in high-
quality and  free career guidance  and a comprehensive online database of adult 
learning courses) led the regional government to provide open-ended support to 
the CVV. The CVV is now funded and governed by the South Moravian regional 
government’s Department of Education which coordinates with the South Moravian 
Department  for  Regional  Development  for  the  planning  and  supervision  of  CVV 
endeavours.  

The  LeerWerkLoketten  practice  in  the  Netherlands  set  up  Learning  and 
working desks in nearly all Dutch regions. These desks create regional alliances 
between education institutions, regional business networks, municipalities, social 
partners,  third  sector  organisations,  validation  providers  (9)  and  regional  PES 
offices.  The  alliances  actively  improve  the  connection  between  their  region’s 
education and the labour market. The institutional makeup of these alliances may 
have regional differences. The social and economic features of its region shape 
each  desk;  it  may  then  act  accordingly  by  involving  specific  partners.  While  the 
desks  have  local  or  regional  practices,  each  regional  desk  has  a  national 
partnership  with  the  Dutch  Ministry  of  Social  Affairs  and  Employment  that  has 
governing and funding responsibilities for the practice. 

In  the  case  of  the  Finnish  practice,  the  Metropolia  University  of  Applied 
Sciences (UAS) existed before the introduction of the SIMHE service. However, 
the  service  is  a  new  structure  within  Metropolia  UAS  and  also  in  the  field  of 
education and employment services in Finland. 

In Italy, the focus of the Emilia-Romagna regional government on upskilling 
the  unemployed  workforce  via  PES  services  came  about  following  a  series  of 
labour market reforms, starting in 2014-15 with the Jobs Act. The reform aimed to 
improve  and  expand  on  the  PES  active  labour  market  policy  in  job  matching, 
vocational guidance, support in job search, and search for training. In the case of 
Emilia-Romagna,  this  has  resulted  in  an  informal  link  between  PES  activation 
services and validation processes (see Section 3.3.2.2). The practice is provided 
and delivered primarily by the PES (mainly involved in client profiling and career 
guidance)  and  by  all  those  bodies  accredited  by  the  Regional  Government  for 
training  and  validation  services.  The  institutional  governance  model  is  complex, 
with both national and regional authorities responsible for the legislation governing 

(9)  Validation  providers  can  be  independent  or  part  of  a  VET  school  or  a  university. 
Independent  providers  are  accredited  and  serve  mainly  in  the  labour  market  while 
‘embedded’ providers work within schools/universities and integrate validation into the 
learning processes. 

33 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

the  practice.  The  government  of  Emilia-Romagna  is  responsible  for  planning  all 
regional  policies  relating  to  training  and  employment.  It  is  supported  in  the 
management  and  delivery  of  services  by  the  Regional  Agency  for  Employment 
(network of regional PES), which carries out the policy guidelines defined by the 
Emilia-Romagna Region. The Upskilling through PES practice is supported by the 
Rete Attiva per il Lavoro (Active Network for Employment) created in 2017 by the 
Emilia-Romagna Region and coordinated by the Regional Agency for Employment. 
The  Active  Network  for  Employment  gathers  both  public  and  private  bodies 
accredited to offer career guidance, validation and job search services supporting 
unemployed citizens. 

Some  of  the  reviewed  practices  relate  to  new  initiatives  emerging  from 
previous interinstitutional cooperation. These include the Austrian Du kannst was! 
and the Irish Writeon.ie. 

In Austria, while the Du kannst was! initiative was a novelty, developed from 
an existing association of social partners in the Upper Austria region. This regional 
partnership served as a legal vehicle for setting up the initiative (through applying 
for  financing  from  the  region).  Du  kannst  was!  strengthens  the  social  dialogue 
between  State  institutions,  regional  providers  of  continuing  vocational education 
and  training  (CVET)  and  a  range  of  regulatory  partners  within  the  national 
vocational education system. The regulatory partners include Regional Chambers 
of  Labour,  Regional  Economic  Chambers,  regional  branches  of  the  public 
employment  service,  the  regional  branches  of  the  Austrian  Trade  Union 
Federation,  the  Federation  of  Austrian  Industry  and  Provincial  Boards  of 
Education. The Apprenticeship Offices  of the Economic Chamber  (the  awarding 
body for apprenticeship certificates in Austria) are responsible for organising and 
providing the validation examinations and the certification. 

In  Ireland,  the  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  is  called  the 
recognition  of  prior  learning  (RPL).  The  initiative  selected  for  this  case  study  is 
Writeon.ie,  which  falls  within  the  scope  of  RPL.  This  is  a  national  initiative 
developed  by  the  independent  charity  NALA  in  September  2008.  It  is  regularly 
used by the staff of over 180 adult learning centres that fall under the remit of the 
16  education  and  training  boards  (ETBs)  across  Ireland.  A  learner  can  register 
directly on Writeon.ie, visit a local adult learning centre or be referred from a local 
adult  education  guidance  service  (AEGS)  under  the  local  ETB.  Guidance  is 
provided  at  different  points  of  the  learning  process;  for  example,  local  AEGS 
guidance counsellors offer guidance sessions in local adult learning centres 

Some  practices  reviewed  have 

to  setting  up  new  cooperation 
arrangements  among  existing  bodies,  notably  those  PES  with  responsibility  for 
career guidance. This is the case in Poland and Sweden.  In Poland, extramural 

led 

34 

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

vocational  examinations  were  introduced  in  2012.  While  these  are  conducted 
within  the  formal  VET  system  by  eight  regional  examination  boards  (REB), 
supervised by a Central Examination Board (CEB), the novelty is that the practice 
has initiated informal cooperation between the CEB and the PES (Section 3.3.2.2). 
In Sweden, the Branschvalideringen (sectoral validation) practice was developed 
organically by national-level sectoral committees (of social partners) by setting the 
sectoral standards and accrediting the training and validation providers (vocational 
that 
training  centres  or  private  enterprises).  The  novelty 
schools, 
Branschvalideringen  also  involves  the  PES,  with  responsibilities  for  providing 
career  guidance,  for  validation  referrals  and  for  covering  the  costs  of  branch 
validation.  

is 

The  Bilan  de  compétences  in  France  was  introduced  by  law  in  1991  well 
before the emergence of validation of non-formal and informal learning (VNIL) as 
a priority in EU policy. While the Bilan de compétences is centrally governed by 
the State, its legal framework allows considerable flexibility for both the State and 
the  social  partners  to  negotiate  and  regulate  the  practice.  Bilan  is  delivered  by 
various types of organisation (public, private and independent); the practitioners 
employed  at  these  organisations  are  accredited  by  joint  collective  bodies  for 
individual training leave (OPACIF). Each economic sector has a different OPACIF 
and practices vary greatly among the accredited organisations. 

Only a few of the practices reviewed have integrated or centralised forms of 
governance.  These  include  the  Portuguese  Qualifica  and  the  UK-Scotland  My 
World of Work (MyWoW) resources. The Qualifica programme is carried out by a 
nationwide  network  of  centres  (Qualifica  centres)  created  in  2017  under  the 
governance of the National Agency for Qualifications and Professional Education 
(ANQEP). Similar structures existed previously under initiatives first introduced in 
2000  with  the  creation  of  centres  for  recognition,  validation  and  certification  of 
competences (RVCC). In the case of  MyWoW, it is entirely managed, promoted 
and developed by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Scotland’s national careers 
service. The MyWoW resource is mainly used in education (specifically in primary 
and secondary education) and by careers guidance professionals and practitioners 
within the national careers service. 

Some case studies focused on one organisation (among others of the same 
type) carrying out a given practice: TAKK and SIMHE Metropolia in Finland and 
IÐAN in Iceland. Two of the practices reviewed are in adult learning centres: TAKK 
and IÐAN. The Tampere Adult Education Centre (TAKK) is a leading provider of 
VET for adults in Finland. It is accredited for carrying out activities governed by the 
competence-based  qualification  (CBQ)  framework  for  validating  vocational  skills 
acquired in non-formal, informal or formal contexts. TAKK predates the introduction 

35 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

of  the  CBQ  framework  used  by  the  formal  VET  system  in  Finland.  In  providing 
CBQs,  TAKK  closely  cooperates  with  companies  and  PES  offices.  TAKK  also 
outsources on-the-job learning to companies and may direct users to the PES for 
labour market training: this is made possible through the use by all stakeholders of 
the common national CBQ framework.  

IÐAN is a non-profit education and training provider  (LLL centre)  owned by 
the  federation  of  employees  and  unions;  it  has  played  an  important  role  in 
developing validation in Iceland. This provider serves as a delegated body of the 
Icelandic  Ministry  of  Education,  Science  and  Culture.  IÐAN  not  only  organises 
validation nationally, but also provides career guidance as an integrated service to 
validation,  along  with  continuing  vocational  education  and  training  (CVET) 
services,  working  together  with  companies  to  offer  company-based  training.  As 
with other LLL centres, IÐAN cooperates with the ETSC (the national coordinating 
body for validation). 

SIMHE  is  an  initiative  launched  by  the  Finnish  Ministry  of  Education  and 
Culture and currently involves six higher education institutions, each of which has 
its own SIMHE service. While all SIMHE services integrate career guidance and 
validation in some form or another, providers (in this case, Metropolia University of 
Applied  Sciences)  are  solely  and  independently  responsible  for  the  design, 
planning, operating and further developing their own SIMHE service. Providers are 
also accountable to the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture from which they 
receive funding for SIMHE (10).  

(10)  The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture has a dedicated steering group tasked 
with monitoring the higher education institutions responsible for recognising the skills 
of immigrants in higher education.  

36 

 
                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Conclusions on institutional setting and context 
(a)  Coordination between validation and guidance exists generally but in diverse 

forms, which has mostly to do with country-specific administrative arrangements 
and traditions. 

(b)  There is high path dependency in the sense that existing institutions shape the 

way coordination between validation and guidance takes place. 

(c)  Centralised coordination of validation and guidance is relatively rare; this can be 
explained by the prevalence of coordination between existing institutions with 
separate remits. 

(d)  Practices involving centralised forms of management and implementation of 

validation and guidance are more likely to have integrated services. 

3.3.1.2.  Frameworks for coordinating guidance and validation activities  
A  framework  is  defined  or  driven  by  national/regional  legislation  or  a  strategy 
developed  by  a  network  of  regional/sectoral  partnerships  between  different 
stakeholders  (including  employers  and  employee  organisations).  It  fixes  clear 
principles,  rules  or  procedures  about  connecting  validation  and  guidance. 
Frameworks are an important aspect of the institutional setting because they may 
determine the extent of centralisation or formalisation of institutional cooperation 
(Section 3.3.2.2). 

Frameworks  set  up  rules  and  processes  to  coordinate  validation  and 
guidance;  they  exist  in  diverse  structures,  varying  between  legal  (legislatively 
defined) and non-legal forms (policy strategies, formal interinstitutional cooperation 
agreements,  business  plans).  Legal  frameworks  govern  the  coordination  of 
validation  and  guidance  in  a  few  of  the  practices  reviewed  (the  Icelandic,  the 
Finnish  TAKK  and  the  Portuguese).  For  most  other  practices,  coordination 
between validation and guidance is based on a diversity of non-legal frameworks. 
Some  practices  have  no  framework  for  coordination  between  validation  and 
guidance, implying that coordination is informal. 

Legal frameworks to coordinate career guidance and validation services are 
in place in Portugal, Finland and Iceland. In Portugal, the  Qualifica programme, 
launched in 2017, is enshrined in national regulations introduced in 2016 covering 
the  national  system  for  recognition,  validation  and  certification  of  competences 
(RVCC).  The  regulations  provide  for  a  clear  mandate  for  the  ANQEP  (National 
agency  for  qualification  and  professional  education)  to  manage  the  Qualifica 
programme and the network of Qualifica centres. ANQEP's Methodological guide 
for  lifelong  guidance  dedicates  a  chapter  to  explaining  the  connection  between 
validation  (RVCC)  and  guidance  (ANQEP  2017,  p. 49).  In  Finland,  TAKK  offers 
competence-based qualifications (CBQ) to adults; its CBQ system is based on a 
legal framework defining guidance as essential to providing the CBQ qualifications 

37 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

while also recognising prior learning (validation). In Iceland, IÐAN provides both 
career guidance and validation services: the link between them is defined in the 
Adult  Education  Act  (2010)  and  the  Regulation  for  Adult  Education,  No  1163 
(2011);  these  legal  regulations  state  that  guidance  should  be  provided  when 
validating prior learning. There is also a quality standard related to guidance in the 
accreditation  system  for  education  providers  (such  as  IÐAN)  working  with  the 
target  group  of  the  national  coordinating  body  for  validation  (ETSC).  The  target 
group includes low-qualified adults aged 23 or older. 

Some  practices  have  been  developed  around  shared  frameworks  that  are 
non-legal  in  nature  but  aim  to  ensure  consistent  cooperation  between  different 
services  or  stakeholders.  This  is  the  case  for  Upskilling  through  PES  in  Italy, 
Learning and working desks in the Netherlands, Du kannst was! in Austria, SIMHE 
Metropolia in Finland and MyWoW in UK-Scotland. 

Upskilling through PES in Emilia-Romagna is based on the regional system 
of qualifications that offers to validate and certify competences acquired in formal, 
non-formal and informal contexts. In this regional framework, PES plays the central 
role  in  planning  the  upskilling  pathways  for  clients.  The  Active  Network  for 
Employment (Rete Attiva per il Lavoro) acts as an ‘umbrella organisation’ within 
the  framework  and  ensures  coordination  between  PES  and  accredited  private 
employment  services.  The  relationships  between  the  PES  and  the  accredited 
providers  of  the  network  are  yet  to  be  fully  formalised;  for  example,  procedures 
must be created to exchange data on beneficiaries (Section 3.3.2.2).  

In  the  Netherlands,  each  learning  and  working  desk  bases  its  actions  on  a 
biannual  regional  business  plan,  signed  by  the  regional  core  partners  at 
administrative level.  Each regional business  plan describes the regional training 
provision and maps the available validation and guidance services for the various 
target  groups.  The  cooperating  partners  contribute  and  are  committed  to  each 
plan.  

The Du kannst was! initiative in Upper Austria is based on a formal agreement 
for cooperation between social partners in the region and their respective CVET 
providers, as well as CVET providers who  participate in the Upper Austria adult 
learning platform. 

The  SIMHE  Metropolia  practice 

in  Finland  was  developed  using 
recommendations  of  the  working  group  on  immigration  issues  at  the  Ministry  of 
Education  and  Culture.  The  working  group  was  set  up  to  improve  integration  of 
asylum  seekers,  including  people  with  higher  education  background  and/or 
eligibility  for  higher  education  studies.  One  recommendation  resulted  in  a  pilot 
project by Metropolia UAS and the University of Jyväskylä; this aimed to identify 
and  recognise  highly  educated  immigrants’  education  achievements  in  their 

38 

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

country  of  origin  so  they  could  swiftly  enter  further  education  or  training.  This 
integration of guidance and validation services in the higher education sector may 
be seen as transferring successful experience from other education sectors (such 
as the CBQ system in VET). 

The MyWoW practice in UK-Scotland is based on a shared CMS framework 
which  uses  a  lifelong  perspective  to  link  all  relevant  services.  It  defines  targets, 
priorities and strategies for career education and guidance in all levels of education 
and training. The framework was developed by SDS, the national skills body for 
Scotland  that  provides  help  to  individuals  of  all  ages  to  build  their  career-
management,  work-based  and  employability  skills  throughout  their  lifetime. 
Schools and career centres carry out the MyWoW practice while the development 
and improvement of content has employer input relating to career opportunities in 
specific industries. 

Some  practices  reviewed  have  no  frameworks  for  coordination  between 
validation and guidance services, so cooperation is informal (Section 3.3.2.2). This 
is  the  case  for  the  Czech  CVV,  the  French  Bilan  de  compétences,  the  Irish 
Writeon.ie, the Polish and the Swedish practices.  

Czechia  does  not  have  laws,  regulations,  policies,  strategies,  guidelines  or 
funding  to  underpin  the  link  between  career  guidance  and  validation.  They  are 
offered  as  separate  services  without  formal  coordination,  cooperation  or 
systematic referrals. However, CVV branches in the South Moravian region can be 
found in upper secondary vocational schools, which are accredited for awarding 
vocational qualifications in areas of their specialisations. Therefore, CVV personnel 
and  education  providers/awarding  bodies  closely  cooperate  on  a  practical  level. 
The  CVV  can  refer  its  clients  to  these  institutions,  although  referrals  are  not 
binding. 

The  review  of  the  Bilan  de  compétences  reveals  that  career  guidance  and 
validation services do not have legal, formal or systemic institutional cooperation 
because  a  separate  regulation  covers  validation  (Validation  des  acquis  de 
l’expérience).  Cooperation  depends  on  the  accredited  practitioners  involved  in 
providing the Bilan. Similarly, in Ireland, Writeon.ie has no official legal or formal 
institutional  cooperation  between  bodies  responsible  for  career  guidance  and 
those delivering RPL through Writeon.ie. However, cooperation takes place on an 
informal or unofficial level. For instance, the AEGS provides guidance support to 
adult  learners  using  Writeon.ie,  although the  way  in  which  it  coordinates  with 
validation is entirely a local business. 

Poland  does  not  have  a  framework  to  coordinate  between  guidance  and 
validation  services;  however,  the  2012  VET  reform  introduced  the  possibility  for 
PES counsellors to refer clients for validation to the VET system. In Sweden, the 

39 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

Branschvalideringen  practice  has,  so  far,  been  based  on  informal  cooperation 
between independent services: PES, companies, validation providers and training 
centres. Guidance, either formal or informal, is provided by all these stakeholders, 
but without a framework with clear guidelines and definition of responsibilities. The 
PES  is  aware  of  this  problem  and  is  currently  trying  to  improve  services  in  this 
respect. 

Conclusions: frameworks to coordinate guidance and validation  
(a)  Different types of framework shape the form of coordination between validation 

and guidance services. 

(b)  Legal frameworks covering validation and guidance tend to lead towards an 

integrated offer of the validation and guidance services.  

(c)  Non-legal frameworks tend to be used in practices involving multiple (existing) 

institutions to guarantee consistent forms of cooperation between guidance and 
validation services. 

(d)  In the absence of a framework, links between validation and career guidance 

occur through informal cooperation between independent services.  
(e)  The existence (or lack) of a framework often indicates the level of political 

commitment to create links between validation and guidance. 

3.3.1.3.  Rationale and groups targeted 
Exploring the rationale of the practices – reasons for targeting particular groups – 
helps explain the scope of institutional responsibility or cooperation and to elicit the 
reasons behind the coordination between career guidance and validation. In most 
of the practices reviewed, existing institutions set the target groups. Regardless of 
whether  the  practice  originates  from  such  institutions,  the  coordinated  guidance 
and  validation  services  predominantly  target  low-qualified/skilled  adults.  Few 
practices target very specific groups, such as newly arrived migrants in the case of 
SIMHE Metropolia, or have a broader target group, as for all citizens in the case of 
the Bilan.  

The Italian and Polish practices help unemployed people (including the low-
skilled) enter the labour market by offering career guidance and the possibility to 
validate  prior  non-formal/informal  learning.  Both  practices  involve  existing 
institutions – the PES – that focus on career counselling and client profiling and/or 
screening (see Table 1).  

Adult learners (including low-qualified adults) are a key target group for the 
Finnish  TAKK  and  the  Icelandic  IÐAN.  The  TAKK  clearly  integrates  career 
guidance with CBQ provision. The IÐAN is unique in that its pilot project contributed 
to developing the policy framework for integrating career guidance and validation 
services.  Du  kannst was! in Austria and  Branschvalideringen in Sweden have  a 

40 

 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

similar  rationale.  To  meet  regional  labour  demand  across  various  sectors,  the 
Austrian practice targets low-qualified adults with substantial work experience in a 
given  occupational  field.  Branschvalideringen  responds  to  labour  demand  in 
sectors  across  the  nation,  but  does  not  have  specific  target  groups  (as  long  as 
profiles  are  suited  to  the  validation  process).  In  practice,  however,  most 
beneficiaries are refugees or immigrants, who are registered at the job centre as 
unemployed  and  whose  profiles  are  often  ill-suited  for  validation.  Both  these 
practices involve sectoral employer organisations and social partners cooperating 
with PES and accredited training and validation providers.  

Two  of  the  reviewed  practices  are  targeted  at  very  specific  groups.  For 
instance,  the  Finnish  SIMHE  Metropolia  targets  all  migrants  with  a  higher 
education background and/or eligibility for higher education studies. This practice 
confers a set of new responsibilities on Metropolia University of Applied Sciences 
while expanding its service offer. In Scotland, MyWoW is mainly targeted at primary 
and secondary school pupils; its next-steps provision targets young people aged 
15-18 transitioning from secondary education without a confirmed career pathway. 
However, MyWow is also available to other groups via the national careers service 
centres: adult provision is targeted at those transitioning from the armed services 
to civil life, those facing redundancy and newly arrived migrants and refugees.  

Of the four practices that led to the creation of a new structure (the Czech, the 
Dutch,  the  Finnish  SIMHE  Metropolia  and  the  Portuguese),  two  are  targeted  at 
specific groups: SIMHE Metropolia (see above) and the Qualifica programme are 
aimed at less qualified adults, unemployed people and NEET. However, the CVV 
in Czechia and the Learning and working desks in the Netherlands target broader 
groups. While PES are involved as partners in both practices, their services are 
open  to  all  individuals  and  not  limited  to  unemployed  people;  this  suggests  that 
new  structures  linking  validation  and  guidance  can  broaden  the  scope  of 
intervention of certain existing institutions.  

The  French  Bilan  de  compétences  is  another  practice  with  a  broad  target 
group, covering the working age population. According to its governing legislation, 
all citizens have a right to the Bilan. Evidence shows that the low-qualified rarely 
undergo the procedures foreseen under this practice; this may be related to lack 
of information or because the Bilan is not directly linked to further training, upskilling 
or acquisition of a qualification. 

41 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

Conclusions: rationale and groups targeted  
(a)  Most of the practices reviewed emanate from the rationale of existing 

organisations (PES, social partners) originally set up to address specific target 
groups, typically the low-qualified and/or unemployed. 

(b)  Coordination between existing institutions with pre-selected target groups might 

constrain a practice’s scope of intervention because including other target groups 
would mean considerable institutional adaptation. 

(c)  Practices resulting in new structures coordinating validation and guidance can 

expand the scope of targeting among existing institutions, such as the Dutch 
practice. 

Guidance provision 

3.3.2. 
The study uses a broad definition of guidance based on the 2008 Council resolution 
on  better  integrating  lifelong  guidance  into  lifelong  learning  strategies.  In  the 
resolution, guidance is defined as a ‘continuous process that enables citizens at 
any age and at any point in their lives to identify their capacities, competences and 
interests, to make educational, training and occupational decisions and to manage 
their  individual  life  paths  in  learning,  work  and  other  settings  in  which  those 
capacities and competences are learned and/or used’ (Council, 2008, p. 2). This 
broad  definition  includes  guidance  before,  during  and  after  validation  (Section 
3.3.2.1) and it  may not necessarily comply with national definitions of guidance. 
However, using such a European definition provides a common basis to compare 
practices with various national definitions. 
Table  5  outlines  different  components  of  guidance  provision  across  the  13 
practices which may influence its link to validation:  
(a)  comprehensiveness:  is  guidance  provided  through  all  stages  of  a  practice, 

before, during and after validation?  

(c) 

(b)  cooperation:  is  there  a  prescribed/harmonised  procedure  that  connects 
guidance and validation? Do services cooperate formally or informally?  
flexible access: is guidance characterised by flexible access or is it offered at 
fixed moments (one or two interventions/actions) within a practice? 
forms of delivery: how is guidance provided: face to face, by phone, online, 
through  a  combination  of  various  forms?  Are  forms  of  delivery  adapted  to 
individual needs? 

(d) 

42 

Table 5.  Components of guidance provision  

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Comprehensiveness 

Cooperation 

Flexible access and forms of delivery 

Before (B)/ 
During (D)/  
After (A) validation 

Prescribed and/or 
harmonised 
procedure 

Formal/ informal 
cooperation 

Readiness of 
target group (+) 

Flexible access 

Forms of delivery 

Practice 

Du kannst was! 

CVV 

SIMHE Metropolia 

TAKK 

Bilan 

Writeon.ie 

IÐAN 

Upskilling through 
PES 

B, D 

B 

B, D, A 

B, D, A 

B 

B, A 

B, D, A 

B, D, A 

LeerWerkLoketten 

B, D 

Linking poviat labour 
offices with VNIL in 
VET 

B 

Qualifica 

B, D, A 

Branschvalideringen  B, D 

MyWoW 

B 

Harmonised 

No procedure 

Harmonised 

Both* 

No procedure 

No procedure 

Both  

No procedure 

Harmonised 

No procedure 

Formal  

Informal 

Integrated*** 

Integrated 

Informal 

Informal 

Integrated 

Informal**** 

Formal 

Informal 

Both 

Harmonised** 

No procedure 

Integrated 

Informal**** 

N.a. ***** 

Low 

Mixed 

High 

Mixed 

Mixed 

Low 

Low 

Low 

Mixed 

Mixed 

Low 

Low 

Mixed 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Combined 

Combined 

Combined 

Combined 

Not specified 

Face-to-face 

Yes 

Yes 

Not specified 

Yes 

Not specified 

Combined 

Combined 

Combined 

Combined 

Combined 

Yes 

Not specified 

Yes 

Face-to-face 

Face-to-face 

Combined 

(*) Both = prescribed and harmonised procedure. 
(**) (SE): Harmonised procedure if guidance is organised by the employer, but if it is organised by the PES, the procedure is either prescribed or harmonised.  
(***) In the case of integrated services, the cooperation is between practitioners from the same service which could be both formal and informal. This is noted in the text 
(****) (IT, SE): Informal cooperation between validation and guidance with potential of becoming formal.  
(*****) (UK-Scotland): A recently launched practice; therefore, currently no cooperation between the two services, but there is a potential for such.  
(+) Low level of readiness is typically (but not only) associated with low-skilled/qualified adults needing more comprehensive guidance in contrast to people with high level of readiness 

who are referred to self-help guidance services. ‘Mixed’ means that the practice targets people with different backgrounds in, for example, education and skills levels.  

Source: Based on the case studies.

43 

 
 
 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

3.3.2.1.  Comprehensiveness of guidance provision  
The whole process before, during and after validation is challenging to describe 
because  the  distinction  between  validation  and  career  guidance  is  not  entirely 
clear-cut. Often it is not possible to state exactly where guidance starts and ends 
and where validation begins (Chapter 2.1). In addition, some practices use their 
own definition for validation, such as the Italian initiative Upskilling through PES, 
the Portuguese Qualifica and the Swedish Branschvalideringen. These definitions 
are  explained  later  in  the  relevant  sections.  Because  it  is  important  to  have  a 
common reference point for all  practices, ‘comprehensive guidance provision’ in 
this study is understood as guidance provided through all the stages of validation 
leading  to  certification  (before,  during  and  after  validation).  ‘Guidance  before 
validation’  refers  to  guidance  activities  such  as  signposting,  advising  and 
counselling  (Table  1)  that  precede  the  individual  decision  for  engagement  in  a 
validation  procedure.  ‘Guidance  during  validation’  includes  counselling  and 
assessing and relates to support offered within the validation procedure: examples 
are  portfolio  work  and  mapping  of  competences  against  assessment  standards. 
‘Guidance  after  validation’  is  about  informing  people  of  future  opportunities  for 
learning  and/or  career  pathways  after  assessment  and  certification  processes 
have  taken  place.  In  the  study,  it  is  called  also  ‘follow-up  guidance’  as  it 
corresponds to following up in terms of guidance activities. 

Six out of the 13 practices explored, offer guidance before, during and after 
validation:  the  two  Finnish  practices,  the  Icelandic  IÐAN,  the  Italian  Upskilling 
through  PES  in  Emilia-Romagna,  the  Portuguese  Qualifica  and  the  Swedish 
Branschvalideringen. While all these practices have follow-up guidance, it is most 
pronounced in the case of Iceland; this may be because Iceland’s legislation on 
validating  prior  learning  enshrines  guidance  (11).  Without  considering  legislative 
requirements, IÐAN guidance practitioners are especially committed to providing 
follow-up  guidance  given  the  characteristics  of  the  main  group  targeted  by  the 
practice: employees in certified trades without having completed upper secondary 
education.  The  aim  of  validation  in  this  context  is  to  certify  the  competences 
already  held  by  these  employees  (via  journeyman  exams).  Employees  who 
partially  possess  the  needed  competences  may,  through  further  education  and 
training, still acquire the competences missing after the validation process. At this 
time, follow-up guidance from IÐAN takes place: guidance practitioners will contact 
those  employees  to  assess  whether  they  are  undertaking  further  training  to 

(11)  Validation of prior learning must include all four stages: identification, documentation, 
assessment  and  certification.  Additional  tasks  include  preparation,  information  and 
follow-up. 

44 

                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

complete the  journeyman’s  exam.  Also, they motivate  them and refer them to a 
guidance practitioner or a teacher in a school.  

In  the  Finnish  practice  TAKK,  legislation  also  defines  the  guidance  after 
validation.  The  practice’s  main  output  for  a  client,  the  ‘personal  competence 
development  plan’  (12)  includes  a  plan  for  focusing  on  a  learner’s  transition  to 
working  life  and/or  further  studies  after  completing  the  competence-based 
qualification  (CBQ).  However,  there  is  no  monitoring  and  follow-up  of  clients’ 
progress with their plans (after obtaining the CBQ).  

In practices that include follow-up guidance, validation does not necessarily 
lead  to  acquiring  a  ‘full  qualification’;  additional  training  might  be  needed.  For 
example, in the case of the Finnish SIMHE Metropolia, a feedback session follows 
the  ‘validation  discussion’  at  the  end  of  the  practice  (13);  participants  give  and 
receive feedback on recognising prior learning and are informed about job-search 
practices  and  working  life  in  Finland.  The  SIMHE  recognition  of  prior  learning 
usually  does  not  include  a  certification  phase  (14).  Beneficiaries  can  attend  a 
personal  guidance  discussion  at  any  time  during  the  process  and  after  the 
‘validation discussion’. In the case of the latter, the personal guidance discussion 
will focus on a client’s plans and how to achieve them. Although components of 
follow-up guidance exist, some practitioners acknowledge that more can be done, 
for  example,  through  developing  special  pathways  to  higher  education  studies 
and/or the organisation of internships in companies (15).  

In Portugal, if an adult learner acquires a partial qualification after completing 
a  RVCC  process  (recognition,  validation  and  certification  of  competences),  the 
Qualifica centre in charge has to develop a personal qualification plan and inform 
the  client  about  the  remaining  training  necessary  to  achieve  a  full  qualification. 
RVCC includes: 
(a) 

recognition – adult learners identify competences acquired throughout their 
life via portfolio work; 

(b)  validation – competences are compared with existing standards and 

assessed by practitioners at a Qualifica centre; 

(c)  and certification – adult learners are evaluated through an exam by a 

certification jury appointed by the respective Qualifica centre.  

(12)  This term describes the personalisation of the studies.  
(13)  During  the  ‘validation  discussion’,  field-specific  experts  engage  in  a  dialogue  with 

candidates to identify their previous skills and competences. 

(14)  The document produced during the ‘validation discussion’ can be used as part of the 

RPL process and thus lead to formal recognition and certification.  

(15)  Based on the Finnish (Metropolia) case study. 

45 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

The referral towards further education and training (in this case, understood 

as follow-up guidance) is usually done at the certification stage. 

In the Italian practice, the regional PES (in Emilia-Romagna) plans the entire 
upskilling pathway of a client. This follows the recent labour market reforms in Italy 
(the Jobs Act) which give PES responsibilities for carrying out active labour market 
policies. Upskilling in the practice includes validation and certification, which are 
seen as two distinct steps of the same action; further, validation does not always 
lead to certification. The upskilling process consists of consecutive steps. 
takes  place 

through 
developing  a  ‘portfolio’  (scheda  capacità  e  competenze).  During  this  step,  a 
validation  practitioner  may  support  a  candidate  in  reconstructing  their  previous 
work or learning experience.  

Step  1  (verification/validation 

through  evidence) 

Steps 2 and 3 lead respectively to partial (certificato di competenze) and full 
certification (certificato di qualifica professionale) relating to a specific professional 
area.  After  validation  and/or  certification,  beneficiaries  return  to  the  PES,  where 
their employability profile is revised and usually included in the PES job matching 
database. Additional actions such as career counselling and/or further training can 
then be undertaken to improve the employability of beneficiaries.  

In  the  Swedish  practice,  validation  is  defined  as  ‘a  structured  assessment, 
documentation, and recognition of a person’s knowledge, skills, and competences 
with reference to established standards, irrespective of where and how these are 
acquired’ (16). The sectors develop the fixed standards without reference to IVET 
qualification standards. Guidance in this practice is more fragmented. For example, 
although  PES  provides  guidance,  it  is  not  responsible  for  planning  the  entire 
upskilling pathway of a client (as in the Italian practice). More specifically, the PES 
is  responsible  for  initial  screening,  for  referring  unemployed  beneficiaries  to 
validation, and for covering the costs of the validation procedure. Skills mapping 
(which follows the initial screening) typically includes guidance because it identifies 
a  client’s  levels  of  knowledge,  skills  and  competence  compared  to  a  relevant 
sectoral standard. Skills mapping is carried out by validation providers (mostly VET 
schools, but also private enterprises) appointed by sectoral trade committees (17). 
After  completing  the  validation  procedure,  beneficiaries  acquire  a  certificate  of 
employability based on sectoral standards (18) and return to the job centre (local 
PES),  where  they  receive  information,  advice  and  practical  assistance  to  find 

(16)  Based on a practitioner’s story from the case study. 
(17)  Based on the Swedish case study. 
(18)  Many sectoral organisations believe that curricula in formal VET programmes do not 
sufficiently  consider  labour  market  requirements.  Therefore,  they  prefer  to  develop 
their own standards for employability (based on the Swedish case study). 

46 

                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

employment or continue towards a full (formal IVET) qualification, usually through 
an apprenticeship. The fragmented guidance may have a negative impact on the 
ability of case workers to ensure that clients are progressing in their career plans.  
Practices  characterised  by  informal  cooperation  between  validation  and 
guidance  services  (such  as  the  Czech,  the  French  and  the  Polish  practices), 
usually offer guidance before a client decides to engage in a validation procedure. 
Irish  adult  learners  in  adult  learning  centres  using  Writeon.ie  have  access  to 
qualified  guidance  professionals  before  and  after  validation  through  the  AEGS 
(Adult Education Guidance Service) (Section 3.3.2.2). Upon completing Writeon.ie, 
a  learner  may  be  directed  to  the  AEGS  for  guidance  to  further  education  and 
training  opportunities  on  an  informal  basis  by  the  adult  learning  centres.  During 
validation,  one-to-one  tutor  support  for  learners  (if  requested)  helps  compile 
evidence  for  accreditation  such  as  portfolio  work.  The  one-to-one  support  takes 
place at the adult learning centre carrying out Writeon.ie; the tutors are usually not 
professional career counsellors. 

The  Austrian  and  the  Dutch  practices  provide  guidance  before  and  during 
validation.  In  the  case  of  the  Austrian  Du  kannst  was!,  the  initiative  enables 
beneficiaries  to  acquire  an  apprenticeship  certificate  in  occupations  in  high 
demand on the regional labour market (19). Once clients acquire the certificate, they 
have a relatively small possibility of not finding appropriate employment. However, 
no  data  are  collected  on  the  participant  transition  into  employment  or  further 
education  (after  validation).  In  general,  such  data  could  be  extremely  useful 
because it may provide evidence of the need for follow-up guidance which relates 
also  to  quality  assurance/development  of  a  practice;  collecting  data  would  help 
assess  the effectiveness  of  the  practice.  The  learning  and  working  desks in  the 
Netherlands collect some relevant data; for instance, each desk quantifies the kind 
of  service  provided  to  individuals  (the  number  of  learning  and  working 
arrangements  acquired  per  individual).  However,  these  data  are  not  used  for 
follow-up guidance because it probably needs to be further specified. 

The  MyWoW  (UK-Scotland)  resource  focuses  mainly  on  guidance  before 
validation  (related  to  identification  and  early-stage  documentation),  offered  by 
schools and career centres; it includes the skills profiling of pupils and adults based 
on  a  digital  CMS  framework.  The  conceptualisation  of  MyWoW  entails  a  strong 
lifelong learning component, which makes it different from the rest of the practices 
explored.  MyWoW  ‘provides  individuals  with  the  required  skills  set  to  enable 
subject and career decisions to be taken both in the classroom and beyond, helping 

(19)  The  initiative  targeted  occupations  according  to  the  regional  economy  and  regional 
demand for upskilling. They were chosen by a project consortium in cooperation with 
the regional PES. 

47 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

them  to  identify  and  document  new  and  existing  skills  and  confirming  the 
importance of continuing to do so throughout their working life, with a view to aiding 
employability and providing opportunities for progression’ (20).  

Conclusions: comprehensiveness of guidance provision  
(a)  Guidance can be provided before, during and after validation (leading to 

certification). Guidance offered before validation refers to signposting, advising 
and counselling. Guidance provided during validation includes counselling and 
assessing. Guidance provided after validation refers to follow-up.  
(b)  From the practices reviewed, an existing or developing framework for 

coordinating validation and guidance resulted in more comprehensive guidance 
(before, during and after validation or before and during validation). In 
comparison, when no coordination framework exists, guidance is usually offered 
only before validation. 

(c)  There may not be a framework for coordination, but practitioners may still be 
highly committed to connecting validation and guidance even though the 
connection (cooperation between services) is informal. 

(d)  In cases with fragmented guidance (for instance, no legal framework for 

coordination and unclear division of tasks and responsibilities), the service has 
less capacity to help clients progress towards their career goals. 

3.3.2.2.  Cooperation between services 
Cooperation between validation and guidance varies depending on its degree of 
formalisation;  cooperation  may  be  formal  or  informal  or  a  combination  of  both. 
Formal cooperation includes a harmonised procedure for cross-referrals between 
services, clear distribution of roles among practitioners and guidelines for service 
provision that may or not be based on a specific regulation. 

In the Austrian Du kannst was! procedures are harmonised in the sense that 
practitioners  involved  at  the  different  stages  follow  similar  procedures  when 
communicating with one another and there are systematic referrals between them. 
Usually,  practitioners  at  the  guidance  and  counselling  services  of  the  economic 
chambers/chambers  of  labour  provide  ‘general’  guidance  that  refers  suitable 
candidates  to  a  more  specific  guidance,  directly  connected  to  Du  kannst  was!, 
which carries out screening. A practitioner highlighted the importance of providing 
‘general guidance’ by a separate organisation (Box 1). 

(20)  Quotation from the executive summary of the UK-Scottish case study. 

48 

 
 
 
                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Box 1.  Du kannst was!, Austria 

Practitioner’s story: ‘It was important for all project partners to have an independent 
organisation offering the general guidance and counselling. We also saw that we get 
more interest after organising general career fairs where we present Du kannst was!, 
than if we organise specialised events. Many clients do not want others to know about 
their “lack of qualifications” or their will to do further training, so we can reach the 
target group better by offering general ‘career/further training events.’ 

Source:  Austrian case study. 

After  screening,  candidates  are  referred  to  guided  workshops  where, 
supported  by  adult  educators,  they  develop  a  skills  portfolio.  As  a  next  step, 
candidates take an exam (a ‘first competence check’, which is the first part of the 
final  apprenticeship  examination)  at  the  apprenticeship  offices  at  the  economic 
chambers  (21).  In  addition  to  the  exam,  staff  at  the  apprenticeship  offices  also 
assess the portfolio of candidates. If some competences are missing, the person 
is referred to further training. After completing the training, a ‘second competence 
check’  takes  place;  it  focuses  mainly  on  competences  lacking  during  the  first 
‘check’ and possibly leads to certification. A harmonised procedure (expressed in 
the clear division of roles and responsibilities between guidance practitioners, adult 
educators and validation/field experts) may improve the coherence of stages and 
outputs  created  in  the  different  steps  of  the  practice  (see  Section  3.3.3).  Some 
informal aspects of cooperation between guidance and validation services results 
from  highly  committed  partners,  regular  and  frequent  communication  between 
different practitioners and when guidance practitioners acknowledge the value of 
validation procedures (22).  

The Austrian and the Dutch practices show similarities: both are characterised 
by  formal  cooperation  between  services  and  follow  a  harmonised  procedure. 
However, there are subtle differences between these two practices. The procedure 
followed by the Dutch Learning and working desks has a clear operational logic; it 
is standardised. For instance, when a client first contacts the desk, the individual’s 
question/need  is  categorised,  according  to  a  formal  matrix.  Based  on  that 
categorisation,  a  staff  member  sets  a  date  for  a  one-to-one  consultation  with  a 
guidance practitioner to analyse further the question/need. After the consultation, 
the client can be referred to a validation procedure or to other solutions  such as 
further  education.  Given  that  the  desks  have  a  broad  target  group,  which  may 
encompass many different individual needs (Du kannst was! has a narrow target 
group), the standardised procedures for every kind of referral saves time in service 

(21)  They are the awarding body for apprenticeship certificates in Austria. 
(22)  Based on the Austrian case study. 

49 

 
                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

provision.  Learning  and  working  desks  also  have  a  ‘brokering’  function  in  their 
region because they can quickly match individuals with employer needs, given that 
employers are also clients of the desks (Box 2). 

Box 2. 

LeerWerkLoketten, the Netherlands 

Beneficiary’s story: Mr. D. sent an e-mail to the Leerwerkloket Twente, along the lines 
of: ‘I have worked in the healthcare sector for more than 20 years as a manager and 
advisor and I have experience. I see many jobs in IT and many vacancies for 
programmers. Are there training opportunities for people with my background 
(medical and business administration) and my age (60+)?’ To his surprise, Mr. D was 
called quickly with the invitation for a conversation with a consultant from the 
Leerwerkloket. There would soon be an information meeting at the Leerwerkloket of a 
company that wanted to (re)train people as programmers. 

Source:  Dutch case study. 

The Italian initiative Upskilling through PES in Emilia Romagna presents an 
interesting case of services cooperating informally with the potential of becoming 
more  formal.  The  cooperation  is  characterised  as  informal  because  it  currently 
lacks  harmonised/prescribed  procedures 
for  connecting  validation  and 
guidance (23).  For  example,  PES  is  responsible  for  general  guidance  which 
includes quantitative and qualitative profiling of participants (24) and a three-hour 
‘laboratory of active job search techniques’ (25). During the ‘laboratory’, guidance 
practitioners explore their clients’ competences and attitudes and decide whether 
participants  need  additional  group  or  individual  guidance  sessions.  Thus, 
participants with a high employability profile (those deemed ready to integrate into 
the labour market) can be immediately included in the PES job matching database. 
Participants with a low employability profile are referred either to a training course 
from an accredited VET provider of formal qualifications or an internship/on-the-
job training with accredited private employment services or enterprises (26). In both 

(23)  Based on the Italian case study. 
(24)  Quantitative profiling refers to basic profiling based on data provided by the participant 
(gender, age, education, etc.). After the quantitative profiling, a qualitative proceeding 
based  on  a  30-minute  interview  with  a  PES  operator  helps  identify  a  participant’s 
competences and needs. 

(25)  The  laboratory  (organised  for  groups  of  participants)  offers  tips  on  how  to  behave 
during a job interview, and information on how to undertake an active job search, along 
with immediate feedback on participants’ personal attitudes observed by the guidance 
practitioners. 

(26)  PES and the accredited private employment services form part of the Rete Attiva per 
il Lavoro (active network for employment) which serves as an ‘umbrella organisation’ 

50 

 
                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

through 

the  regional  system 

cases (training or internship), clients will have their competences validated  (and 
for  validation  and  certification  of 
certified) 
competences. PES mainly delivers general guidance; however, the validation and 
certification is provided by accredited private employment services (for internships) 
or VET accredited providers (for training). The informal component of cooperation 
relates to practitioners from the different services communicating with one another. 
If these practitioners were to design a formal, procedural link between guidance 
and skills validation, then this cooperation would be formalised (Box 3). Since PES 
has  the  responsibility  to  plan  the  entire  upskilling  pathway  of  a  client,  this 
‘centralisation’/coordination of the practice may help formal cooperation. 

Box 3. 

Upskilling through PES, Italy 

Practitioner’s story: ‘We are still in the initial phase of the active network for 
employment (formally set up in 2017). Some rules exist but we still lack formalised 
procedures to effectively link the two services. We have not clearly identified 
subsequent steps, so we need to design a formalised and procedural link. When 
serving clients, however, validation and guidance practitioners informally talk to one 
another and have created a link. Further work on these connections could identify 
some improved procedures. These, for sure, could simplify the work of practitioners 
and make the entire procedure more straightforward/linear.’  

Source:  Italian case study. 

In  the  case  of  Swedish  sectoral  validations,  two  different  settings  are 
observed. There is a harmonised  procedure to connect guidance and validation 
and, despite the lack of a prescribed or harmonised procedure, actions are taken 
(such  as  developing  national  strategies,  guidelines)  to  improve  (and,  in  a  way, 
formalise) the link between services. In the first setting, enterprises use the practice 
for  their  employees  and  generally  consider  it  successful.  For  guidance  and 
counselling,  this  is  hardly  surprising,  given  that  employers  refer  to  and  closely 
follow participants throughout the process, despite the involvement of other bodies 
(validation  providers  and  training  centres).  In  the  second  setting,  the  practice 
targets  unemployed  persons  registered  at  PES,  with  different  actors  offering 
guidance in the different steps of the practice. In principle, a case worker of the job 
centre (local PES) should follow a client throughout the process, but this does not 
always happen. For example, job centre case workers screen and make referrals 
(to  a  validation  provider)  in  a  career  guidance  setting,  but  often  do  not  follow 
through  after  the  beneficiaries  move  on  to  the  next  steps  (skills  mapping  and 

ensuring  the  coordination  between  the  different  services  provided  to  the  client  and 
supervised by the Regional Agency for Employment. 

51 

 
                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

validation). Also, individual job centres have relative autonomy in referring clients 
for validation; regional/local priorities and resources result in inconsistent service 
among job centres (Box 4). 

Box 4. 

Branschvalideringen, Sweden 

Practitioner’s story: ‘Individual job centres have significant differences in addressing 
the issue [referring clients for validation], which results in an uneven service level.’ 

Practitioner’s story: ‘I do not have a vocational qualification or experience from the 
building and construction sector, so I can’t make a qualified decision about a person’s 
vocational competence. I have, however, over the years developed a knowledge base 
and a feeling for the subject which enables me to get a reasonable impression of 
whether the beneficiary is a possible candidate for validation or not. If I’m in doubt, I 
always send him or her for a skills mapping [which is carried out by the validation 
provider] ... Also, if a candidate whom I consider not suited for validation insists, I will 
always refer him or her for a skills mapping process. This procedure is one that I have 
developed myself out of my personal experience, however, I am not aware of how 
other job centres actually go about it.’ 

Source:  Swedish case study.  

PES  in  Sweden  is  currently  revising  practices  for  career-guidance  services 
and  has  elaborated  a  national  strategy  paper  (2018).  The  strategy  foresees 
coordinating  PES  services  with  other  actors  and  stakeholders  who  also  offer 
guidance (27).  

Practices characterised by integrated services (those in Finland, Iceland, and 
Portugal) are likely to have harmonised and/or prescribed procedures connecting 
validation and guidance. Given that services are integrated (interwoven guidance 
and validation), the issue of cooperation relates to interactions among staff of the 
same  service.  This  cooperation  can  be  both  formal  (following  certain  internal 
guidelines and/or legal requirements) and informal. The Finnish SIMHE Metropolia 
has  harmonised  procedures  through  the  staff,  clearly  communicating  and 
interacting to distribute roles and develop understanding of aims and contents for 
procedures and what is to be done, how, by whom and when.  

In the second Finnish practice (TAKK), legislation defines the CBQ process 
and different phases that must each include guidance. Legislation does not define 
the  exact  procedures  or  methods  to  be  used  at  each  stage.  Providers  (such  as 
TAKK) decide independently on their involvement in processes to provide CBQs 
in  order  to  fulfil  the  legislative  requirements.  This  individual-centred  and  flexible 

(27)  Based on the Swedish case study. 

52 

 
 
                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

approach  (in  CBQ  provision)  means  that  agreed  decisions,  solutions  or 
suggestions are all based on the individual’s specific needs and own choices.  

The  Icelandic  practice  is  very  similar  to  the  Finnish  one  (TAKK)  because 
integration of services is based on legislation which defines the national validation 
model  sequence  of  activities:  preparation,  information,  screening  (identification), 
documentation,  assessment,  certification  and  follow-up.  A  handbook  offers 
guidelines  to  clarify  the  roles  of  stakeholders  and  each  staff  member  (project 
manager,  guidance  practitioner  and  assessor).  Although  the  standardised 
procedure  is  organised  in  steps,  it  is  still  flexible  enough  to  adapt  to  individual 
needs through the guidance component. If needed, more tailored guidance can be 
provided; in some cases, guidance practitioners contact participants  regularly to 
keep  them  motivated  during  the  validation  procedure.  Informal  aspects  of  the 
interaction are expressed in the fact that assessors consult guidance practitioners. 
For example, if there are doubts about the assessment interview (28), the assessor 
reviews it with the guidance practitioner who was also present at the interview. 

Both SIMHE Metropolia and TAKK share similarities with the Qualifica practice 
in  Portugal,  whereby  the  guidance  and  validation  stages  are  developed  using 
formal steps and procedures based on a specific regulation. The flexible approach 
seems,  however,  to  be  less  pronounced  in  Portugal  because  Qualifica  centres 
have less autonomy (compared to TAKK) to decide on the steps to follow when 
considering adult learners’ interests, motivation and expectations. Another insight 
into cooperation is revealed by the Qualifica centres; depending on institutional ties 
(29),  the  centres  can  cooperate  ‘directly’  with  PES  or  employers.  For  example, 
Qualifica  centres  located  within  vocational  training  centres  connected  to  the 
Institute  for  Employment  and  Vocational  Training  (IEFP/PES)  can  easily  set  up 
links  with  PES.  Those  located  within  companies  or  sectoral  organisations  may 
directly  contact  employers  (usually  via  the  human  resources  department)  to 
improve  the  training  courses  for  adult  learners  wanting  to  accelerate  their 
(re)insertion into the labour market after completing a RVCC procedure.  

Practices  characterised  by  informal  cooperation  between  services,  such  as 
the  Czech,  the  Irish,  the  French  and  the  Polish  (30),  do  not  have  prescribed  or 

(28)  At  the  assessment  interview  (leading  to  certification),  assessors  review  the 
beneficiaries’ portfolio and self-assessment lists. They then ask questions related to 
the  curricula  standards  and  seek  to  confirm  competences  based  on  learning 
outcomes. 

(29)  Qualifica centres are mostly located in public and private schools, but also in vocational 
training  centres  connected  to  IEFP/PES,  sectoral  associations,  non-governmental 
organisations and companies. 

(30)  These practices do not show strong indications for future formalisation of cooperation 
between guidance and validation. Therefore, they are described separately from the 

53 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

harmonised procedures to link validation and guidance. The informal cooperation 
is  determined  by  a  practice’s  institutional  setting  (Section  3.3.1)  and  their 
practitioners’  knowledge,  skills  and  competences  (Section  3.3.4).  In  the  Czech 
context, validation relates to taking an exam on a vocational qualification included 
in the national register of qualifications; it does not require guidance or identifying 
and  documenting  evidence.  CVV  guidance  practitioners  consider  clients’ 
competences  and 
the  vocational  qualification  and  assessment  standards 
accessible  from  the  Register;  they  can  simply  refer  suitable  candidates  to  the 
appropriate validation exam.  Only clients  whose competences  fully match those 
set  in  qualification  and  assessment  standards  are  referred  to  the  appropriate 
organisation offering examinations for vocational qualifications. Clients registered 
as unemployed, whose competences only partially match those in the standards, 
may be referred to PES, which funds retraining courses. Czechia’s current public 
opinion, that formal education has much greater value than validation of non-formal 
and informal learning, may be a reason that validation and guidance services only 
cooperate on an informal level. Although the practice only has informal cooperation 
between  services, 
is  distinguished  by  highly  committed  practitioners 
(Section 3.3.4). 

it 

The  Polish  practice  has  similarities  to  and  differences  from  the  Czech  one. 
The institutional similarities include that Poland’s formal VET system validates non-
formal and informal learning through regional examination boards organising VET 
exams  leading  to  a  certification.  Also,  guidance  is  not  considered  as  part  of 
validation  provision  and is  delivered separately.  Cooperation  between  validation 
and guidance remains informal because of its novelty: no such cooperation existed 
until VET examination reforms enabled the link between validation and guidance 
and  the  promotion  of  validation  within  career  guidance  and  counselling  (31).  In 
contrast  to  the  Czech  practice,  where  regional  government  funds  a  career 
guidance  service  that  signposts  clients  to  a  validation  procedure,  Poland  has 
mostly the local (poviat) PES offices that refer potential candidates to validation. 
Cooperation between the services relies more on individual practitioners and less 
on  institutional  cooperation  between  local  PES  offices  and 
the  regional 
examination boards. Informal cooperation emerges if a PES counsellor identifies 
(through screening and skills audit) a client who would benefit from taking a VNIL 
procedure. The PES counsellor then informs  the  client  about  the possibility and 
refers that person to the closest regional examination board (Box 5). Clients not 
qualifying for validation might be directed to further training. The Czech CVV did 

Italian and Swedish practices, where measures have already been taken to make the 
relationship more formal. 

(31)  Based on the Polish case study. 

54 

                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

not  mention  the  issue  of  guidance  practitioners  not  knowing  about  validation 
procedures;  however,  the  Polish  practice  recognised  that  the  limited  synergies 
between validation and guidance resulted partly from inadequate communication 
with PES staff and client about VNIL solutions. Publicly available information about 
VNIL on the local PES websites is not enough. Also, skills audits are rarely focused 
on validation (32). 

Box 5. 

Linking poviat labour offices with VNIL in VET, Poland 

Beneficiary’s story: ‘I graduated from a secondary school and did not think of gaining 
professional qualifications. However, because of my personal circumstances I had to 
start work after completing secondary school and found employment at the coal mine. 
After working there for three years, I was released because of the company’s difficult 
financial conditions. I approached the PES office where I learned that my 
competences might be recognised by taking an exam conducted by a regional 
examination board and this might help me to find employment in another coal mine 
company. As a result, I received a VET qualification without attending formal training.’  

Source:  Polish case study. 

The  French  Bilan  de  compétences  does  not  have  a  prescribed/harmonised 
procedure  connecting  validation  (33)  and  guidance  because  its  main  aim  is 
supporting  an  individual’s  capacity  and  confidence  to  move  forward  with 
professional development. The Bilan does not entail further training or education 
and validation or evaluation of skills is not related to any specific qualification or 
standard of competence (see Box 6). While individuals may be referred to a Bilan 
de compétences provider by a range of actors (PES operators such as Pôle emploi, 
Missions locales, Cap emploi, non-profit organisations, educational services or a 
private company’s human resource services), practitioners carrying out the Bilan 
rarely  propose  validation  leading  to  a  certification  (VAE)  (34).  The  case  study 
reveals  an  apparent  need  to  improve  information  dissemination  on  VAE 
possibilities  among  Bilan  practitioners  through  events  such  as  organised 
discussions or regular workshops. The Bilan is delivered by a complex network of 

(32)  Based on the Polish case study.  
(33)  This refers to Validation des acquis de l’expérience (VAE). Qualifications which can 
be obtained via the VAE procedure are registered in the national qualification directory 
(RNCP)  which  covers  all  vocationally  or  professionally  oriented  qualifications, 
including  all  higher  education  qualifications  with  a  vocational  and  professional 
orientation and purpose. In addition to vocational qualifications awarded by Ministries, 
sectoral vocational qualifications can also be awarded through VAE and are included 
in the RNCP. 

(34)  Based on the French case study. 

55 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

accredited organisations (35); some may have a double accreditation for delivering 
Bilan as well as for providing VAE. The double accreditation can be a prerequisite 
for organisations to allow participants from one service (Bilan) to transition quickly 
to the other (VAE).  

Box 6. 

Bilan de compétences, France 

Practitioner’s story: ‘In some cases, when people wish to enter a validation process, I 
suggest beginning with a competence assessment through the Bilan de 
compétences. Not systematically, however. The point is that the Bilan de 
compétences can bring up some interesting results that can be further explored.’ 

Source:  French case study. 

In comparison to the Bilan, which focuses more on identifying competences 
and  does  not  include  training  and  certification,  the  Irish  Writeon.ie  practice  has 
developed a distance learning tool in literacy which allows adult learners to obtain 
qualifications based on the recognition of their prior learning. Informal cooperation 
takes place at various points. The AEGS (Adult Education Guidance Service) and 
the local PES can inform suitable clients about several tools, including Writeon.ie. 
In  practice,  the  AEGS  provides  individuals  with  an  opportunity  to  identify  and 
explore  available  education  and  career  options,  enabling  them  to  decide  about 
their  future  learning  and/or  career  progression.  During  their  meetings,  a  staff 
member  profiles  the  individual  to  determine  their  existing  skills,  experience  and 
education level (36). NALA staff, who are directly responsible for  Writeon.ie, can 
offer  information  and  support  to  clients  to  help  them  understand  their  own 
experiences  and  explore  available  learning  opportunities  (typically  by  directing 
them to the local ETB and the AEGS). Staff organise sessions with representatives 
of  the  AEGS  to  visit  the  centre  and  inform  clients  about  available  guidance 
services. In this practice, a clear distinction of roles is observed: staff at AEGS are 
professional guidance counsellors; staff at local adult learning centres are qualified 
educators; and Writeon.ie providers are qualified and experienced in a number of 
education related fields (Box 7). 

(35)  It is carried out by public organisations, the centres of the network of the 

interinstitutional centres (Centres interinstitutionnels de bilan de compétences, CIBC, 
250 centres) and the centres of the Adult Continuing Training Association 
(Association pour la formation professionnelle des adultes, AFPA, 274 training 
centres), as well as by private training centres and private career guidance centres.  

(36)  Based on the Irish case study. 

56 

 
                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Box 7.  Writeon.ie, Ireland 

Practitioner’s story: ‘If the staff in the Word Aid centre, [a Writeon.ie provider], are to 
offer more formalised guidance, are we not stepping on the toes of the AEGS? They 
are professional guidance counsellors. We’re not. For some of our learners 
progression into employment may never be an option for various reasons. For them, 
information about what guidance services exist and where they need to go to find 
them is what they need.’ 

Source:  Irish case study. 

The UK-Scotland MyWoW resource has potential for signposting to third-party 
institutions able to undertake assessment and certification, most often with a view 
to securing partial exemption from an existing programme or award. However, this 
is a part of the MyWoW resource. 

Conclusions: cooperation between services 
(a)  Cooperation between validation and guidance varies depending on its degree of 
formalisation: cooperation may be formal or informal or a combination of both. 
Elements of formal cooperation include a harmonised procedure for cross-
referrals between services, clear distribution of roles among practitioners 
involved, guidelines for service provision that may or not be based on a specific 
regulation. The clearer the distribution of roles, the smoother and quicker the 
cross-referrals. 

(b)  Practices with integration enshrined in legislation will more likely have 

harmonised and/or prescribed procedures for connecting validation and 
guidance. In these cases, the flexibility of guidance provision varies depending on 
the extent to which institutions involved can design their own procedures. 

(c)  Services characterised by informal cooperation do not follow a 

prescribed/harmonised procedure in linking validation and guidance. Their 
cooperation relies on practitioner (individual) cooperation rather than on 
institutional cooperation. The informal cooperation is determined by factors such 
as the institutional setting of the practice (type of actors involved) and knowledge 
of practitioners about validation procedures.  

(d)  The existence of a harmonised procedure (expressed in the clear division of roles 
and responsibilities among guidance and validation practitioners) may improve 
the coherence of stages and outputs created at the different steps of the practice. 

(e)  Commitment of practitioners is an important factor that ensures successful 
coordination between validation and guidance. More formal cooperation or 
integration of services does not necessarily mean more highly committed 
practitioners. Practices characterised by informal cooperation may also be 
distinguished by highly committed practitioners. 

3.3.2.3.  Flexible access and forms of delivery 

‘Flexible access’ in this study is understood as personal/individualised support at 
any point when the client needs it through a combination of delivery forms such as 

57 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

face-to-face guidance, digital tools and phone contact. Flexible access and forms 
of delivery depend on several interrelated factors, including:  
(a) 

the clients’ level of readiness for decision-making. A low level of readiness is 
typically  (but  not  only)  associated  with  low-skilled/qualified  adults  needing 
more  comprehensive  guidance,  in  contrast  to  people  with  a  high  level  of 
readiness  who  are  usually  referred  to  self-help  guidance  services  (adapted 
from Sampson et al., 1999); 
the  degree  of  formalisation  of  procedures  and  the  degree  of  control  of 
guidance practitioners over individual cases; 
the  resources  of  guidance  provision  measured  by  time  dedicated  by 
practitioners, staff competences and applicability of tools used (Section 3.3.4); 
forms of delivery, for instance use of one or several delivery channels (multi-
channelling). 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

Table  5  shows  a  relationship  between  comprehensiveness  of  guidance 
provision  (guidance  provided  before,  during  and  after  validation)  and  level  of 
readiness of beneficiaries. Usually, clients with a low level of readiness need more 
comprehensive  guidance  compared  to  clients  with  a  medium  or  high  level  of 
readiness.  For  example,  the  Icelandic  IÐAN  case  study  revealed  that  some 
participants  may  need  more  encouragement  than  others  (especially  those  with 
lower readiness which may be due to lack of self-esteem, learning difficulties of 
some kind or because of insufficient belief in one’s own capability to learn) (37). In 
this context, IÐAN guidance practitioners serve as a ‘support net’ for beneficiaries, 
encouraging them during and after validation (see Section 3.3.2.1). Practitioners 
at Qualifica have to be ‘sensitive’ when working with adult learners, to give them 
the  motivation  and  confidence  they  need  to  validate  their  skills  (38).  Hence  an 
important component of flexible guidance provision, particularly in relation to low 
skilled/qualified adults, is practitioner attitude: to show empathy (for an individual’s 
story)  and  an  ability  to  motivate  the  person  to  seek  further  personal  and 
professional development.  

Flexible access to guidance may relate not only to the readiness of the target 
group, but also to its age. For instance, the UK-Scotland MyWoW resource shows 
that,  with  the  ageing  of  the  target  group,  a  more  individual-centred  approach  is 
often needed.  

Box 8 illustrates different examples of flexible guidance delivery. 

(37)  Based on the Icelandic case study. 
(38)  Based on the Portuguese case study. 

58 

                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Box 8. 

Flexible guidance delivery, selected practices 

IÐAN: ‘The process is very focused on the individual and the guidance practitioners 
encourage clients to take part and complete it’ [….]. ‘The guidance is kind of the glue 
in the process; we [the guidance practitioners] are there for the individual, we 
organise the process and contact the assessors. We are the glue from the beginning 
to the end. Always there to answer questions, people call and ask for advice and 
guidance during and after the procedures. And we connect them to other service 
providers after the process.’ 

Qualifica: ‘The adult learner is, most of the time, with the same practitioners who set 
and monitor his/her path during all the stages of the procedure [guidance and 
recognition, validation, and certification]. This ensures, in a certain way, a more 
tailored and flexible intervention and gives adult learners more confidence and 
motivation. The fact that practitioners share the same workplace is a strong 
advantage... When adult learners are sent to education/training providers, guidance 
practitioners have to follow-up on their progress at least for the first four months after 
the referral.’ 

MyWoW: ‘The use of the source [MyWoW] is initiated by teachers or career advisors. 
As pupils progress through primary and secondary education, making subject and 
career choices, the nature and frequency of CIAG provision [career information, 
advice and guidance] also adapts, becoming more individual-centred.’ 

Source:  Practitioners’ stories from the Icelandic, Portuguese and UK-Scotland case studies. 

The  excerpts  from  the  Icelandic  and  the  Portuguese  case  studies  in  Box  8 
highlight the central role of guidance in practices leading to certification, given that 
the  process  may  be  longer  than  expected  and  beneficiaries  may  become 
discouraged  (especially  if  they  are  low-qualified/skilled).  In  both  practices, 
guidance practitioners are likely to have a coordination role and act as mentors for 
the  beneficiaries.  This  is  observed  also  in  the  Finnish  TAKK  and  SIMHE 
Metropolia. The coordination and mentoring role of guidance practitioners may be 
associated with the need for more comprehensive guidance provision; however, it 
may  also  be  related  to  the  fact  that  all  four  practices  (IÐAN,  Qualifica,  SIMHE 
Metropolia and TAKK) are examples of integrated services. 

While most practices offer different forms of guidance, in the cases of Portugal 
and Sweden, face-to-face guidance has a higher priority over other delivery forms, 
possibly because of the clients’ low level of readiness. This form of guidance also 
has a higher priority in the case of the French Bilan, given the personalised nature 
of the service; for example, developing an individual professional project (the main 
output) needs many one-to-one interactions between a client and practitioner.  

People  need  different  guidance  support  and 

the  multi-channelling 
(combination  of  face-to-face  guidance,  digital  tools,  phone)  allows  for  a  flexible 
support  service.  For  example,  multi-channelling  might  be  adequate  for  a  broad 

59 

 
 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

target  group  (such  as  the  Dutch  LeerWerkLoketten)  as  well  as  the  needs  of  a 
specific target group, which is nevertheless heterogeneous, such as immigrants 
with higher education in SIMHE Metropolia (Box 9). 

Box 9. 

Multi-channelling, selected practices 

LeerWerkLoketten: ‘Desks do not always deem digital services as the fastest or best 
solution. For certain parts of the service and for certain target groups, face-to-face 
guidance should be used. Face-to-face guidance can be provided for individuals or 
groups, in one session or as a series of sessions, with or without using specific 
(standardised) tools and instruments. It can be combined with digital/web-based 
guidance offering information about validation and possibly including tools for self-
assessment to help individuals identify their acquired knowledge, skills and 
competences.’ 

SIMHE Metropolia: ‘Various means to provide information, guidance and counselling 
are offered based on the individual’s own needs and preferences. The client can 
receive guidance by email (first contact, information provision, screening), by 
personal guidance discussions and/or by participating in Guidance Generalia lectures 
that are a form of group guidance.’ 

Source:  Practitioners’ stories from the Dutch and the Finnish (SIMHE Metropolia) case studies. 

Different forms of guidance may be suitable for each step of a given practice. 
For example, the practices in this study usually have the initial contact online or 
over  the  phone;  a  guidance  practitioner  then  screens/profiles  a  client  through  a 
face-to-face consultation, possibly supported by digital tools, and portfolio work is 
typically done in a group session(s). Evidence from the Austrian, the Icelandic, the 
Irish, the Italian and the Portuguese case studies shows that beneficiaries need 
guidance that is as flexible as possible when building their portfolio (see Box 10). 
This  may  be  related  to  the  fact  that  portfolio  building  (if  it  leads  to  certification) 
needs  the  appropriate  identification  and  description  of  individual  competences 
against  competence  standards.  Flexible  guidance  at  this  stage  is  particularly 
important for low skilled/qualified beneficiaries as well as for those not familiar with 
the assessment standards/references. For example, trainers/teachers at Qualifica 
assist  beneficiaries  in  developing  a  portfolio  through  decoding/simplifying  the 
complex  competence  standards;  these  are  sometimes  ‘vague’  for  beneficiaries. 
More specifically, teachers and trainers support adult learners in better describing 
their  learning  outcomes  by  giving  examples  of  regular  opportunities  to  develop 
specific competences (39). 

(39)  Based on the Portuguese case study. 

60 

 
                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Box 10. 

IÐAN, Iceland 

Practitioner’s story: ‘When developing the portfolio, some candidates join the group 
session, others fill in the document at home with or without the assistance of 
assessors and guidance practitioners. That is variable and based on the readiness 
and circumstances of individuals. Access to guidance practitioners during this phase 
is not limited and can also be through emails and telephone conversations.’ 

Source:  Icelandic case study. 

Digital  platforms  are  important  in  the  Irish  Writeon.ie  and  the  UK-Scotland 
MyWoW resources. In Ireland, this relates to the nature of the practice (it uses ICT 
to develop adult learners’ literacy and numeracy skills and record their progress) 
and to the need for adult learners to overcome different learning barriers such as 
fears  attached  to  the  early  stages  of  literacy  learning,  access  to  Writeon.ie  in 
remote parts of the region, and family commitments. In comparison, MyWoW is a 
web-based career information and advice platform which does not include training 
and  does  not  lead  to  specific  certifications.  The  MyWoW  platform  supports 
developing career management skills (CMS) and the delivery of career information 
and advice to young people and adults in Scotland (see Box 11). 

Box 11.  Use of digital platforms, selected practices 

Writeon.ie: ‘Writeon.ie is flexible. Depending on the needs of the learner, they can 
undertake Writeon.ie through independent learning online, with telephone tutor 
support (distance learning service), or in face-to-face, blended learning with a tutor 
and a peer group in an adult learning centre. They can work in the privacy of their 
own home and be supported through online tutors or tutors in a centre.’  

MyWoW: ‘Users first need to set-up their individual account on MyWoW. They are 
then encouraged to profile their interests, skills and strengths using a range of 
different activities with certain data sets retained by MyWoW. As the data set is 
completed, user profiles are mapped against different career profiles with the option 
to review career or subject choices, either independently or as part of a guided 
process involving a career adviser.’ 

Source:  Practitioners’ stories from the Irish and UK-Scotland case studies. 

61 

 
 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

Conclusions on flexible access and forms of guidance delivery  
(a)  People need different levels of guidance; flexibility implies adaptation to the 

needs of beneficiaries. For instance, the lower the level of readiness of clients, 
the more comprehensive and individualised guidance they will need. 

(b)  Multi-channelling allows for a flexible support service in accordance with the 

needs of the target group.  

(c)  Beneficiaries need guidance that is as flexible as possible when building their 

portfolio. Flexible guidance at this step is particularly important for low 
skilled/qualified adults as well as for beneficiaries not familiar with the 
assessment standards/references used. 

(d)  Important components of flexible guidance provision, particularly in relation to low 
skilled/qualified adults, are the attitude and soft skills of the practitioners, for 
instance, to show empathy (for an individual’s story) and to motivate the person 
for further personal and professional development. 

Coherence of outputs 

3.3.3. 
‘Coherence’, in this study, is understood as whether outputs produced at a certain 
stage of the practice can be used as inputs for the next stage. The existence of 
coherence  between  outputs  ensures  effective  information  exchange  and  the 
seamless transfer of clients between services or from one stage of the practice to 
another (with integrated guidance and validation services).  

Coherence can be supported through different tools that collect and document 
information about beneficiaries. Initial screening can use digital profiling tools as 
well as web-based self-assessment tools that are complemented by a face-to-face 
interview with a guidance practitioner. Profiling tools (from the practices reviewed) 
usually focus on beneficiaries’ personal characteristics (such as age, education, 
employment status) while the self-assessment tools may go a step further and link 
individual educational and work experience with a certain occupational profile or 
qualification  standard.  The  identification  and  documentation  phase  (counselling 
and  assessing)  typically  uses  a  skills  portfolio  or  a  similar  tool  that  is  based  on 
common qualifications or competence standards, occupational standards or other 
reference frameworks. If the skills portfolio and the self-assessment tool from the 
initial screening refer to the same competence standards, they are ‘coherent’. This 
means  the  information  from  both  steps  (initial  screening  and  identification  and 
documentation) can be transferred to, and further developed at, the next stage of 
the practice. This process would be simplified by using a shared digital system to 
store  the  results  from  the  consecutive  steps  of  the  practice:  initial  screening, 
identification  and  documentation,  assessment  and  certification.  Such  a  system 
would also improve information exchange and cross-referrals between services as 
well as follow-up guidance. 

62 

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Table  6  provides  details  of  several  factors  that  may  influence  the  extent  of 

coherence of outputs in the practices explored. These are: 
(a)  use  of  common  qualifications  or  competence  standards,  occupational 
standards or other reference frameworks through all the stages of the practice 
to identify, document and assess skills; 

(b)  use of standardised tools/forms/records/templates to document the outputs at 

the different steps of the practice; 
(c)  use  of  a  shared  digital  system 
services/stages of the practice. 

Table 6.  Overview: coherence of outputs  

to  exchange 

information  between 

Practice 

Formal/ 
informal 
cooperatio
n 

Prescribed 
and/or 
harmonise
d 
procedure 

Use of 
common 
standard
s through 
all the 
stages 

Use of 
standardised
/ 
harmonised 
forms/tools/ 
records 

Use of 
digital 
systems to 
share 
informatio
n 

Du kannst was! 

Formal  

Harmonised  Yes 

CVV 

Informal 

SIMHE Metropolia 

Integrated 

No  

No 
procedure 
Harmonised  No 

TAKK 

Bilan 

Writeon.ie 

Integrated 

Both 

Informal 

Informal 

No 
procedure 
No 
procedure 
Both  

Yes 

No 

N.a. 

Yes  

IÐAN 

Integrated 

Upskilling through 
PES 
LeerWerkLoketten 

Linking poviat 
labour offices with 
VNIL in VET 
Qualifica 

Branschvalideringe
n 
MyWoW 

Informal 

Formal 

Informal 

No 

No 
procedure 
Harmonised  Yes  

No 
procedure 

No 

Integrated 

Both 

Yes 

Informal 

Harmonised  Yes 

N.a.  

No 
procedure 

No 

Source:  Case studies.  

Yes 

No 

Yes 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes  

No 

No 

Yes 

No 

No 

No 

No 

No 

No 

Yes 

No 

No 

Practices  characterised  by  informal  cooperation  between  validation  and 
guidance  do  not  typically  use  a  common  standard  or  a  common  reference 
framework  for  producing  their  outputs:  examples  include  practices  in  Czechia, 
France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Sweden and UK-Scotland. They also do not have a 
digital  system  to  share  information.  The  organisations  have  varied  use  of 

63 

 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

standardised  forms/tools/records  to  identify  and  document  competences.  For 
instance, when PES is involved with practices, standardised forms tend to be used, 
as in the Italian, the Irish, the Polish and the Swedish cases. Where practitioners 
have  relative  freedom  to  decide  what  forms  and  methods  they  can  use,  no 
standardised  forms  are  applied  (the  Czech  CVV  and  the  French  Bilan  de 
compétences). 

Because  the  Czech  practice  does  not  formally  connect  guidance  and 
validation, it is not surprising that there is no coherence of outputs. Nevertheless, 
this  could  soon  change:  CVV  practitioners  now  compare  clients’  competences 
against those listed in the vocational qualification and assessment standards from 
the  national  register  of  qualifications.  The  comparison  does  not  directly  support 
certification,  but  it  may  support  a  referral  to  an  accredited  validation  body  (that 
performs assessment and certification) or a referral to further training. While they 
always carry out some form of identifying competences (by interviewing a client), 
a portfolio is created only when it is considered useful. Czech employers usually 
do  not  consider  portfolios  when  recruiting  and  portfolios  are  not  used  for 
certification. 

The  Polish  practice  has  similar  coherence 

to  CVV.  Standardised 
questionnaires (developed at the central level) are used by PES staff for profiling 
clients  as  well  as  for  conducting  skills  audits  to  explore  their  professional 
preferences  and  interests.  None  of  these  outputs  are  based  on  vocational 
standards that support certification. The absence of coherence  between outputs 
may be related to the broader national context. For instance, the career guidance 
and  counselling  system  in  Poland  does  not  envisage  validation  and  certification 
procedures (including a connection between outputs), while the VET examination 
system does not provide any guidance and counselling service to adult learners, 
at least not explicitly. Stakeholders and decision-makers consider an examination 
as the only reliable way of assessing skills; therefore, using other methods (such 
as skills portfolio) is not feasible in the near future (40). 

The main output of the French Bilan de compétences is the synthesis report 
drawn  up  by  a  professional  guidance  practitioner  who  summarises 
the 
competences and aptitudes identified by the participants and how these relate to 
their career objectives. The report also includes up to three proposals for career 
development, as well as an action plan. However, it does not refer to occupational 
standards or to formal or sectoral qualifications used in VAE. The synthesis report 
has  no  standard  structure  and  is  personalised  (equivalent  to  an  agreement 
between  a  guidance  practitioner  and  a  client).  The  only  requirement  is  that  the 

(40)  Based on the Polish case study. 

64 

                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

report should include a professional plan. The professional plan may or  may not 
support referral to VAE. 

In  the  Italian  practice,  the  PES  uses  client  profiling  tools  not  based  on  the 
professional validation and certification standards defined in the regional system 
for  validation  and  the  certification  of  competences.  Information  gathered  during 
client  profiling  (general  guidance  stage)  is  uploaded  to  the  service’s  ICT-based 
system  and  remains  available  to  PES  guidance  experts  when  dealing  with  the 
clients.  Their  profiling  uses  a  digital  tool  (dichiarazione  immediata  disponibilità) 
developed  by  the  National  Agency  for  Active  Labour  Policies,  ANPAL)  that 
indicates the clients’ probability of remaining unemployed and their overall level of 
disadvantage  on  the  local  labour  market  (the  digital  tool  connects  a  client’s 
personal  data  with  current  features  of  the  labour  market).  The  profile  is  then 
complemented by a face-to-face interview between the PES guidance expert and 
the client, to understand and identify better the actions needed to help the client 
(re-)integrate into the labour market. The self-evaluation form (scheda capacità e 
competenze),  which  the  client  fills  in  after  completing  a  training  course  or  an 
internship, resembles a portfolio and relates to at least one competence unit of a 
professional  qualification  included  in  the  regional  system  for  validation  and 
certification  of  competences.  Box  12  notes  the  benefits  of  coherence  between 
outputs from the general guidance (profiling) stage and those from the validation 
and  certification  stage.  Also,  improving  information  sharing  between  services 
currently  using  two  different  information  systems  (41)  could  lead  to  improved 
coordination  between  them.  Using  a  shared  digital  information  system  would 
enable structured interaction among practitioners across guidance and validation 
services and would also improve the sharing of information among them (42). With 
this  aim,  an  agreement  concerning  the  use  of  the  two  information  systems  has 
already been concluded, with implementation now pending. 

Box 12.  Upskilling through PES, Italy 

Practitioner’s story: ‘If a thorough analysis of individual competences is already done 
by PES when providing general guidance, the guidance phase during certification 
[self-evaluation step including a reconstruction of previous professional experience] 
can be quicker and simpler, because the individual already has a clear picture of 
personal accomplishments and relevant competences to be validated and possibly 
certified.’ 

Source:  Italian case study. 

(41)  SILER (Labour information system Emilia-Romagna) and SIFER (Vocational training 

information system Emilia-Romagna). 

(42)  Based on the Italian case study. 

65 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

The Swedish practice is the only one (among those characterised by informal 
cooperation)  with  outputs  based  on  common  sectoral  standards  defined  by 
sectoral  committees.  For  the  initial  screening,  the  PES  staff  uses  a  self-
assessment  tool  designed  to  cover  several  job  profiles  defined  by  the  sectoral 
standards. The tool was introduced several years ago and led to significant positive 
changes  because  referral  decisions  now  have  a  more  informed  basis  (some 
candidates  had  been  wrongly  referred  for  validation  without  the  necessary 
qualifications and/or work experience). The tool uses the same standards as the 
next step: skills mapping. A relevant sectoral standard is used in skills mapping to 
identify participants’ knowledge, skills and competence; it is then decided whether 
they need complementary training or can directly proceed to validation. Although 
the Swedes have no digital system to share information between services, the self-
assessment  forms  are  web-based  and  standardised;  some  PES  case  workers 
send them as supplementary information to practitioners involved in skills mapping 
(for  example,  when  there  is  a  doubt  whether  a  client  is  suitable  for  validation). 
These cases have some informal transfer of information between services. 

The  UK-Scotland  MyWoW  resource  includes  early-stage,  career-matching 
tools  which  rely  mainly  on  participants’  values  and  preferences  being  matched 
against  job  types.  The  tools  are  not  based  on  qualifications  or  competence 
standards, occupational standards or other reference frameworks. However, within 
the  MyWoW  resource,  some  elements  of  user  data  can  be  repurposed  (for 
example, using skills  statements  within the CV  builder) or exported (exporting a 
CV or strengths report). These elements can potentially form the basis of a portfolio 
which might then support subsequent assessment and certification steps. 

Practices  that  integrate  validation  and  guidance  (the  Finnish  SIMHE 
Metropolia and TAKK, the Icelandic IÐAN and the Portuguese Qualifica) usually 
use a common standard for their outputs. Typically, practitioners use standardised 
forms  for  some or  all  stages  of a practice.  The TAKK and  Qualifica cases have 
digital systems to share information. Given that the same institution usually hosts 
integrated services, digital systems  would be easier  to develop  and maintain  as 
compared to independent, but connected, services. 

In  the  Finnish  SIMHE  Metropolia,  the  results  from  the  personal  guidance 
discussion’ (which is part of the guidance and counselling  provision) serve as  a 
basis  for  guidance  practitioners  to  decide  whether  to  refer  a  client  to  validation. 
These results are documented in a summary which does not follow a standardised 
structure because guidance practitioners write it as a free text. The summary does 
not  refer  to  qualifications  or  competence  standards,  occupational  standards  or 
other reference  frameworks. In this sense, the summary has no coherence with 
the  subsequent  output  of  the  practice,  which  is  ‘mapping  of  competences’.  This 

66 

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

output  is  based  on  a  field-specific  expert’s  ‘validation  discussion’  with  the 
participants to identify their skills and competences. The skills and competences 
previously acquired by immigrants (the target group of the practice) in their country 
of  origin  are  identified  by  comparing  them  against  an  equivalent  study 
programme/qualification  delivered  at  Metropolia  University  of  Applied  Sciences 
and  against  requirements  from  working  life  in  the  profession.  Mapping  of 
competences is a standardised document which can be beneficial and useful to 
clients, such as in applying for a job, because the employer receives an external 
and documented assessment provided by a recognised education institute and a 
field expert. 

The  Finnish  TAKK  uses  the  national  vocational  qualification  requirements 
(NVQRs) as a reference point for all outputs produced during the CBQ process. 
Formal adult vocational education in Finland is mainly based on the CBQ system 
that  has  candidates  prove  their  vocational  skills  in  competence  tests  arranged 
according to their personal competence development plan (43) for acquiring their 
desired  qualification.  A  personal  competence  development  plan  is  prepared  for 
each candidate seeking a competence-based qualification. The plan sets out the 
necessary  competence  tests  for  candidates  and  whether  their  vocational  skills 
need to be supplemented (for example, through on-the-job learning or preparatory 
training)  to  complete  the  competence-based  qualification.  The  practice’s  main 
output is the personal competence development plan; it integrates all intermediate 
outputs,  such  as  examination  of  client’s  previously  acquired  competences, 
selection  of  a  most  suitable  qualification,  preparatory  training  if  needed, 
tests  and  certification.  TAKK  practitioners  use  standardised 
competence 
documents and store all relevant information in an electronic student administration 
system (a shared digital system), which enables accurate and effective information 
and documentation transfer. The system is helpful because all matters regarding 
students’  studies  are  documented  in  one  place  and  all  parties  involved  have 
access  to  it.  At  any  time,  adult  learners  can  check  the  status  of  their  personal 
competence  development  plan,  to  see  what  has  been  completed  and  the  next 
steps. 

Outputs created during the different steps at IÐAN are coherent in the sense 
that all are based on the curricula standards/subjects related to a specific trade. 
During  the screening  phase, a candidate (supported by a  guidance  practitioner) 
fills in a self-assessment checklist for a specific trade (vocational qualification). At 
the beginning of the self-assessment, the candidate is asked about prior learning 
in general, courses taken, jobs and leisure time interests. Then, the assessment 

(43)  This is the term used in the respective documents.  

67 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

focuses on subjects included in the curricula of the specific trade. As the next step, 
a portfolio is elaborated (within a group session) that builds on the same curricula 
standards  used  for  the  self-assessment  list.  In  the  final  stage  (the  assessment 
interview), assessors review a candidate’s portfolio and self-assessment list and 
ask  questions  related  to  the  subjects  included  in  the  curricula  to  confirm 
competences declared by candidates. This results in a certificate with an outline of 
subjects  validated  by  assessors.  Since  not  all  subjects  included  in  the  curricula 
have  been  validated,  an  informal  personal  plan  outlines  steps  towards  further 
studies.  The  portfolio  and  the  self-assessment  lists  are  both  standardised 
documents. Certification results (manifested in subjects validated) are registered 
into  a  database  for  upper  secondary  schools.  The  database  enables  transfer  of 
information from certification to transition to further studies; to some extent it can 
be seen as a shared digital system.  

following 

recognition  step 

In  the  Portuguese  Qualifica  programme,  the  portfolio  developed  during  the 
the  comprehensive 
(the  step 
competence 
screening/diagnosis) is based on the criteria set out in the national qualifications 
catalogue.  These  criteria  are  also  considered  in  validation  and  certification, 
subsequent to competence recognition. Learners who undergo RVCC can obtain 
a school certification of general education or a professional certification within VET 
(44).  When  Qualifica  candidates  seek  professional  certification,  a  vocational 
development  portfolio  (Portefólio  de  Desenvolvimento  Vocacional)  is  created 
during the screening/diagnosis, providing relevant information to be integrated in 
the portfolio needed for the RVCC procedure (ANQEP 2017, p. 49). The vocational 
development  portfolio  includes  information  about  candidates’  educational  and 
professional  backgrounds,  their  skills  acquired  throughout  life  (in  formal,  non-
formal  and  informal  contexts),  their  motivations  and  expectations.  Although  the 
portfolio may not be directly based on the professional standards referred to in the 
portfolio developed at the competence recognition step, both outputs build on each 
other and are therefore coherent. Their  coherence is also supported  by the fact 
the  same  Qualifica  practitioners  will  often  screen  participants  and 
that 
subsequently  assist  them  in  developing  their  portfolio  during  the  competence 
recognition  step.  The  standardised  assessment  and  monitoring  tools  applied 
during  RVCC  have  been  developed  by  ANQEP  (the  National  Agency  for 

(44)  The result of the certification of competences enables the candidate to obtain a full 
certification (when the candidate certifies all the competence units of the standard) or 
a partial certification. In the school RVCC, full certification enables the candidate to 
obtain a certificate of basic education (four, six or nine years of schooling) or upper 
secondary  education  (12  years  of  schooling).  In  the  professional  RVCC,  full 
certification  testifies  that  the  candidate  holds  the  competences  of  the  professional 
RVCC standard in question 

68 

                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Qualification and Vocational Education). An electronic platform – information and 
management  system  of  the  educational  and  training  offer  (SIGO)  –  gathers 
information about each candidate in the Qualifica centres; it records their progress 
in compliance with data confidentiality requirements. In addition, an online tool – 
Passaporte Qualifica – has been developed to match users’ profiles with possible 
upskilling pathways that consider their qualifications and skills they have already 
acquired  as  well  as  their  career  goals  and  expectations.  The  passport  can  be 
updated and printed at any time, serving as a tool to record adult learners’ progress 
throughout the Qualifica procedure. Both SIGO and the Passaporte Qualifica can 
be seen as elements of a shared digital information system. 

Practices  characterised  by  formal  cooperation  between  services  and  a 
harmonised  procedure  connecting  validation  and  guidance  use  a  common 
standard to create outputs through the different stages; they also use standardised 
forms and may use a shared digital system to exchange information. For example, 
the  outputs of  the Austrian  Du kannst was! are based  on  common occupational 
profiles  laid  out  in  the  training  and  examination  regulations  of  the  respective 
apprenticeship occupation. The outputs include: 
(a)  a  checklist  used  by  guidance  practitioners  to  evaluate  whether  a  potential 

beneficiary matches the occupational profile; 

(b)  a  skills  portfolio,  also  serving  as  a  self-assessment  (created  within  guided 

workshops with the support of adult educators); 

(c)  competence checks carried out by the apprenticeship office of the economic 

chamber; 

(d)  an apprenticeship certificate. 

Standardised forms are used for all outputs of Du kannst was! and a shared 
digital database in the form of an online ‘cloud’ serves as an information pool for 
the practitioners. For example, the checklists filled in during the individual guidance 
counselling sessions  are transferred to cloud storage. The representative of the 
adult training provider (VHS) coordinates the database available to all practitioners. 
The  database  allows  them  to  refer  the  clients  to  suitable  institutions  for  the 
consecutive steps of the validation process. 

The Dutch learning and working desks do not use common qualifications or 
competence standards, occupational standards or other reference frameworks for 
outputs created during the different stages of the practice because these outputs 
vary greatly depending on the clients’ needs. For example, the initial screening of 
clients  is  not  based  on  any  standard  because  it  aims  to  clarify  whether  a  client 
should be referred to validation leading to certification or to formative career advice 

69 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

(45). From the moment it becomes clear that a client will be referred for validation, 
the  outputs  produced  at  each  consecutive  step  are  coherent.  If  clients  want  to 
validate their prior learning in relation to a formal qualification, they are referred to 
a  partner  of  the  desks  (typically  an  accredited  validation  provider).  There,  the 
clients must build a portfolio (a ‘showcase’) showing how their learning experiences 
match  with  the  competences  of  the  qualification  chosen.  The  clients  are  then 
assessed  (informally)  by  the  respective  partner  of  the  desks  and  a  report 
summarises all the learning outcomes of the person that match with those defined 
for the qualification chosen. The client can present the report to an awarding body 
(an exam committee of a VET-school or university). The awarding body can then 
decide  whether  to  grant  exemption  from  a  learning  programme;  the  decision  is 
based  on  the  report  (the  informal  assessment  of  the  portfolio)  produced  by  the 
partner.  There  is  no  common  digital  system  to  transfer  information  between 
services. 

Conclusions: coherence of outputs 
(a)  To identify, document and assess skills, the practices reviewed use tools such as 
digital profiling, web-based self-assessment and skills portfolios. These tools are 
‘coherent’ when all or most of them are based on common qualifications or 
competence standards, occupational standards or other reference frameworks.  
(b)  The form of cooperation between validation and guidance is likely to influence the 
degree of coherence of outputs. For instance, tools used at the different stages of 
a practice are more ‘coherent’ (based on common standard/reference framework) 
in practices characterised by formal cooperation or integration of validation and 
guidance compared to practices characterised by informal cooperation between 
services.  

(c)  Increased coherence of outputs can simplify a shared digital system which would 
enable structured interaction among practitioners across services and effective 
information exchange in cross-referrals between validation and guidance.  

Practitioner competences  

3.3.4. 
The  practitioners  involved  in  guidance  and  validation  have  varied  roles  and 
functions:  some  may  be  more  involved  in  (basic,  brief  or  comprehensive) 
screening/profiling  of  clients,  identification  and  documentation,  while  others 
undertake assessment and certification. While an appropriate level of specialised 
technical  competence  is  necessary  to  develop  these  roles,  several  activities 
significantly overlap between validation and guidance.  

(45)  Formative career advice consists of supporting clients in documenting their learning 
achievements, strengths and weaknesses and deciding on what/where/how to learn 
further.  

70 

 
                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Information functions under validation are frequently provided within guidance 
processes. Practitioners who conduct basic screening/profiling of clients frequently 
provide general information on validation. Client advisors at the local PES offices 
in  Poland  oversee  basic  profiling  including  individual  information  on  age, 
disabilities, competences, work experiences, place of residence, reasons for being 
unemployed  and  for  inability  to  find  employment,  and  motivation  to  find 
employment. Based on the results from the basic profiling, the advisers can then 
refer  clients  to  PES  counsellors  who  carry  out  skills  audits  and  advise  them  on 
engaging in validation arrangements. 

Appropriately trained practitioners for brief screening are able to interview their 
clients better and understand their requests from a perspective of long-term career 
issues. This is the case with services provided under the Italian practice Upskilling 
through PES. 

Practitioners  undertaking  comprehensive  screening/profiling  of  clients  (46), 
can also identify and document the readiness of individuals for validation: identify 
the need for guidance provision, clarify career options, advise clients about suitable 
learning  and  working  pathways.  In  such  cases,  as  in  the  Czech  practice, 
specialised  training  is  needed  in  psychology  or  career  guidance  that  uses 
psychometric and other tools. 

Practitioners more strongly involved in assessment and certification must be 
familiar  with  the  validation  process  and  different  assessment  methodologies,  to 
have  experience  in  the  specific  field  of  work,  to  be  trained  in  assessment  and 
validation processes and to know about quality assurance mechanisms (Cedefop 
2015, p. 34). Examples of this would include the Austrian, Dutch, Finnish (SIMHE 
Metropolia), Icelandic and Italian practices.  

The 

following  subsections  provide  more  details  about  practitioner 
competences,  roles  and  functions  in  relation  to  both  brief  and  comprehensive 
screening, identification, documentation, assessment and certification. The cases 
with overlapping competences, for instance in the two Finnish practices, present 
hybrid types of individualised guidance services. 

(46)  Comprehensive screening uses diagnostic interviews to assess internal and external 
factors  affecting  career  decision-making,  including  self-awareness,  motivation, 
awareness of career-related information and influence of context. In general, it follows 
preliminary brief screening and should be developed by trained practitioners. Source: 
CareersNet.  

71 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

3.3.4.1.  Practitioner involved in screening/profiling of clients, identification and 

documentation  

An  important  distinction  in  relation  to  practitioner  competences  is  their  ability  to 
perform  brief  or  comprehensive  screening/profiling  of  clients  (47).  While  both 
activities involve identifying skills, the procedures differ in relation to the depth of 
skills identification. For brief screening, skills identification can be based on limited 
enquiry into clients’ qualifications and their previous work experience (‘What have 
you done before?’). Comprehensive screening frequently includes psychological 
testing  and  counselling  to  identify  skills,  attitudes  and  to  clarify  career  targets. 
Comprehensive screening allows for a better understanding of the needs of clients 
and enables more individualised and dynamic support, aligned with clients’ needs. 
In a careers services’ organisation this tends to lead to a tiered service, according 
to  client  readiness  to  make  career  choices.  Sampson  et  al.  (2003,  adapted) 
distinguish three general levels: 
(a)  self-help provision. The client has the main responsibility for collecting career 
information, decision-making and career management. This requires  clients 
to  have  good  knowledge  and  command  of  ICT  skills  and  practitioners  to 
prepare the activities and other materials;  

(b)  brief, staff assisted services. In this case, clients need moderate assistance 
from practitioners such as enabling the client’s self-directed decision-making, 
providing guidance on search for career information, proposing participation 
in  workshops  or  short-term  group  counselling.  This  type  of  individualised 
guidance requires enough training of practitioners to enable them to carry out 
brief screening and career assessment;  
individual case-managed services. These services are relevant for clients with 
low level of readiness (typically low-qualified/skilled adults, but not only) and 
who  usually  have  an  undefined  request  for  personal  and  occupational 
development.  The  client  may  face  extra  difficulties  around  work  and  social 
integration.  As  these  cases  need  more  comprehensive  guidance,  the 
practitioners need advanced training.  

(c) 

In  the  practices  analysed  there  is  a  predominance  of  brief,  staff-assisted 
services and some notable cases of individual case management. The latter tends 
to  act  as  an  enabling  factor  for  flexible  guidance  and  counselling  support  at  all 
stages. 

The  Finnish  practice  TAKK  can  be  seen  as  including  both  briefly  assisted 
services  and  individual  case-managed  ones.  ‘Individualisation’  in  Finland  is  an 

(47)  Basic screening/profiling of clients is not discussed here because practitioners do not 

need any specific competences.  

72 

                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

official  concept  defined  in  guidance-related  legislation.  The  individual-centred 
approach  is  associated  with  the  elaboration  of  a  ‘personal  competence 
development plan’ of CBQ (competence-based qualification) candidates and the 
key role of adult trainers. The plan defines how existing vocational skills need to 
be  supplemented  to  complete  a  CBQ.  Trainers  should  coordinate,  prepare  and 
supervise the achievement of the candidates’ ‘personal competence development 
plan’  towards  acquiring  a  CBQ.  They  are  involved  in  examining  the  applicant’s 
previously acquired skills and competences, defining the most suitable qualification 
for the applicant, and assessing the need for guidance and support measures (if 
they are seen as necessary). Elements of the individual case-managed services 
relate to the depth of skills identification carried out in the practice. For example, 
the  candidates’  previous  competences  are  assessed  by  trainers  conducting 
personal  interviews  which  cover  the  following  aspects:  which  of  the  already 
documented competences can be proposed for recognition; whether, on the basis 
of skills already achieved, the individual can be guided towards directly completing 
a suitable qualification or modules of such a qualification; is preparatory learning 
needed and, if so, how will it be organised? Depending on clients’ needs, several 
personal interviews may be necessary. Elements of the briefly assisted services 
relate  to  adult  trainers  not  necessarily  having  training  in  career  guidance, 
counselling  or  testing  methods  frequently  associated  with  comprehensive 
screening. They usually have a higher education degree in the relevant vocational 
field and at least three years of work experience or another relevant qualification 
and  pedagogical  studies 
teacher  qualification).  The  generic 
function/role of adult trainers ensures continuity between the different steps of the 
practice.  This  generic  function/role  (guidance  practitioners  coordinate  the  whole 
process) may be related to TAKK providing validation and guidance as integrated 
services.  

(vocational 

Individualised  guidance  provided  in  the  other  Finnish  practice  (SIMHE 
Metropolia) has proven to be the most suitable way of conducting guidance and 
counselling  for  SIMHE  Metropolia  clients  (immigrants  with  higher  education 
background)  because  of  their  heterogenic  background  and  individual  needs  in 
planning  their  future  in  Finland.  Briefly  assisted  service  is  available  alongside 
individual  case-managed  service.  The  individual-centred  approach  considers  an 
individual’s  needs  and  choices  and  uses  that  as  a  base  for  all  decisions, 
information,  solutions  or  suggestions  (48).  Typically,  guidance  practitioners  at 
SIMHE Metropolia have a higher education degree and most are formally qualified 
to work as student guidance counsellors. They are responsible for conducting the 

(48)  Based on the Finnish SIMHE Metropolia case study.  

73 

                                                 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

personal  guidance  discussion  with  clients,  for  checking  their  suitability  for 
proceeding to validation and for organising the RPL process. Practitioners promote 
individualised interviews and discussions of the clients’ previous studies, as well 
as  their  hopes  and  ideas  for  future  education  and  career.  The  discussion  can 
include  different  lifelong  guidance  activities  (such  as  advising,  counselling);  the 
content  and  the  nature  of  the  discussion  depends  greatly  on  client  needs.  At 
SIMHE Metropolia, guidance practitioners also have a generic function as mentors 
for  the  clients  and  as  coordinators  of  the  whole  process.  Their  role  requires 
management  skills  for  coordinating  communications  with  clients  and  between 
clients  and  field-specific  experts  (arranging  the  ‘validation  discussion’  or  in 
providing  client  information  to  the  experts  and  briefing  clients  in  advance  of  the 
discussion). Soft skills include commitment to work, having empathy for clients and 
experience in working with multicultural communities and people with immigration 
background (49).  

The Czech CVV and the Irish Writeon.ie practices are examples of individual 
case-managed services. The Czech practice carries out comprehensive screening 
to understand clients’ needs better; this includes a diagnostic interview conducted 
by  trained  practitioners  to  assess  client  self-awareness,  motivation  and  external 
issues affecting career decision-making. Staff in CVV have a degree in psychology 
or related fields and use different psycho-diagnostic methods to understand clients’ 
concerns,  interests  and  desires (50).  From  this  they  can  advise  clients  in  their 
career paths and recommend specific courses that would match their wishes and 
skills.  Some  staff  members  are  trained  in  the  Swiss  CH-Q  method,  a 
for  self-management  of  competences  and  personal 
comprehensive 
development  and  for  working  with  clients  to  help  them  grow  and  identify  their 
strengths,  talents  and  passions.  The  method  focuses  on  identifying  clients’ 
competences and on supporting them in their career decision-making; it is often 
used  in portfolio building (as in the Austrian  practice  Du kannst was!). With soft 
skills, the case study highlighted that CVV practitioners embrace new approaches, 
learn together, cooperate closely in teams and devote their attention and expertise 
to individual clients (51). For further training, CVV staff participate in workshops and 
meet with guidance practitioners from other organisations to share and exchange 
new and trending methods in career guidance. 

tool 

In Ireland, staff available to provide support at the Adult Education Guidance 
Service (AEGS) for adult learners using  Writeon.ie, who engage with the AEGS 

(49)  Idem.  

(50)  Based on the Czech case study. 
(51)  Idem. 

74 

                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

locally)  are  qualified 

(engagement  strategy  changes 
to  screen  clients 
comprehensively.  Staff  at  AEGS  must  have  at  least  one  of  the  following 
qualifications:  a  postgraduate  diploma  in  careers  guidance  or  careers  guidance 
and  counselling;  a  masters  of  education  (guidance),  a  master  of  science  in 
counselling  or  an  equivalent  postgraduate  qualification  recognised  by  the  Irish 
Association of Counsellors and Therapists or the Institute of Guidance Counsellors 
(52).  These  requirements  ensure  that  practitioners  are  experienced  in  skills 
assessment and can appropriately refer a client to educational or career pathways. 
The Italian practice Upskilling through PES presents an interesting example 
of  briefly  assisted  services  with  continuing  efforts  to  increase  the  range  of 
competences  of  guidance  practitioners.  PES  guidance  practitioners  have  been 
typically responsible for the delivery of all guidance and counselling services; they 
must have competences acquired through long professional experience in the field. 
The continuing reforms of Italy’s labour market aim to change the role of PES; staff 
should move away from administrative tasks  and carry out active labour market 
policies  (including  upskilling  and,  therefore,  also  validation).  PES  guidance 
practitioners  in  Emilia  Romagna  are  currently  being  trained  to  become  labour 
market  activation  experts  in  order  to  offer  client  measures  suiting  their  personal 
profile  and  get  them  swiftly  back  to  work.  The  training  focuses  on  familiarising 
guidance practitioners with all available resources to help clients (re)integrate into 
the labour market, on their ability to identify clients’ skills and competences, and 
on networking with colleagues in other related services. The national and regional 
accredited  bodies  performing  validation  and  guidance  have  already  developed 
strong competences in this field; many PES guidance practitioners still need to be 
trained to perform certain activities. For instance, in the region of Emilia Romagna, 
all  accredited  bodies  have  some  personnel  accredited  as  experts  of  evaluation 
processes  (who  support  clients  during  portfolio  building).  However,  not  all  PES 
have this kind of accredited personnel yet and continual training for PES guidance 
practitioners should address the issue. 

3.3.4.2.  Competences of practitioners involved in assessment and certification 
Practitioners  involved  in  assessment  and  certification  are  typically  field-specific 
experts who must meet certain formal requirements. In the Austrian initiative Du 

(52)  The  qualification  requirements  to  be  eligible  for  employment  as  an  adult  education 
guidance counsellor or an adult education guidance coordinator are outlined in Circular 
letter  70/04:  Department  of  Education  and  Skills  (2004).  Circular  70/04  -  Pay  and 
conditions  for  adult  education  guidance  counsellors  and  adult  education  guidance 
coordinators. 
https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Archived-Circulars/fe70_04.doc 
[accessed 20.9.2019]. 

75 

                                                 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Coordinating guidance and validation 

kannst was!, examiners carrying out the performance checks must be experts in 
their occupational field, nominated by the apprenticeship offices of the economic 
chambers and must fulfil all the criteria specified by the Vocational Training Act. In 
the  Netherlands,  prior  learning  outcomes  can  be  validated  against  formal 
qualifications  (‘education  route’)  as  well  as  against  sector/industry  standards 
(‘labour market route’). In the education route, the institute (validation provider) has 
responsibility for qualifications requirements. The institute’s exam committees that 
award qualifications will check whether validation has been done with trained and 
certified staff in accordance with the internal quality requirements for validation. In 
the labour market route, according to the quality code for validation, only certified 
professionals with documented competences can be validation assessors. 

Experts  involved  in  assessment  and  certification  may  also  be  involved  in 
identifying  and  documenting  skills  and  competences.  An  expert  in  evaluation 
methods (Esperto dei Processi Valutativi) in the Italian practice Upskilling through 
PES helps the client develop a portfolio while also participating in the examination 
commission responsible for certification. 

Practitioners involved in assessment and certification usually have training on 
assessment methodologies or approaches. Field-specific experts, members of the 
teaching staff at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (UAS), are trained to 
use  the  ‘validation  discussion’.  This  is  a  method  developed  by  the  SIMHE 
Metropolia services for identifying the migrants’ skills and competences acquired 
in  previous  studies,  through  study-related  work  experience  or  in  any  other  way 
(formal, non-formal, informal learning) in their country of origin. The field experts 
usually  have  an  advanced  degree  in  their  field  of  study,  formal  pedagogical 
competences (teacher training) and long experience in using the RPL-procedure 
designed for the higher education sector in Finland.  

Apart from knowledge about assessment methodologies and approaches, soft 
skills are also important. For example, in the Icelandic practice,  the soft skills of 
assessors  (usually  experienced  teachers,  professionals  or  senior  trainers  in  a 
specific  field)  include  good  communication  skills  and  a  positive  attitude  towards 
helping clients validate competences (53). 

(53)  Based on the Icelandic case study. 

76 

 
 
                                                 
CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Conclusions: competences of practitioners  
(a)  Roles and functions of practitioners involved in guidance and validation vary 

depending on the activities they perform. Specialised competences and technical 
training are necessary to perform activities in both guidance and validation, 
particularly at higher levels of complexity. Some practitioners may be more 
involved in screening/profiling of clients, identification and documentation, while 
others may be more involved in assessment and certification. Roles can 
nevertheless overlap. The same practitioners may carry out several activities, 
indicating a significant overlap between validation and guidance. 

(b)  Practitioners who conduct basic screening/profiling of clients’ competences 

frequently provide general information on validation, without any specific training 
for screening. Practitioners undertaking brief screening who are appropriately 
trained, generally have a better understanding of the clients’ needs from a long-
term career perspective. Practitioners who conduct comprehensive screening of 
clients and identification and documentation need to be able to understand the 
readiness of individuals for validation, helping plan guidance provision, clarifying 
career options and advising clients about suitable learning and working pathways. 
In these cases, specialised training in guidance or psychology is generally 
required. Practitioners more involved in assessment and certification must be 
familiar with the validation procedure and different assessment methodologies, to 
have experience in the specific field of work, to be trained in assessment and 
validation processes and to know about quality assurance mechanisms. 
(c)  The different roles and competences of validation and guidance practitioners 

overlap to different degrees. For example, individualised guidance (such as brief 
assistance or individual case-managed services) will normally include the 
capacity to carry out screening/profiling, while a basic understanding of 
assessment might be important for a guidance practitioner to prepare the 
individual for assessment. Because of this overlap of roles and competences, 
practitioner training should be both specific and general. Specific training for a 
particular role/function is important to assure specialisation and adequate 
competences. Common training for all those involved in a practice is also 
important for creating coherence of activities and outputs. 

(d)  In addition to technical competences, all practitioners should have the equally 

important soft skills such as empathy for clients, ability to motivate, 
communication skills, ability to work in teams, and commitment. Strengthening of 
soft skills may have a positive impact on flexible guidance provision.  

Greater coordination between validation and guidance 

3.3.5. 
This  section  focuses  on  the  benefits  and  challenges  resulting  from  the  various 
processes,  approaches  and  arrangements  that  link  validation  and  guidance,  as 
described in the practices reviewed for this study. 

3.3.5.1.  Benefits  
Greater  coordination  between  validation  and  guidance  services  potentially 
generates  benefits  both  for  the  organisations  involved  and  for  individual 

77 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

beneficiaries. The review of the practices has made it possible to identify common 
organisational and individual benefits that result: 
(a)  different approaches to coordination all generate benefits:  
interinstitutional 

(i) 

to 

individual 

(and  even 

developing 
for  coordination  between 
frameworks 
validation  and  guidance  activities  (often  based  on  regional/local 
partnerships)  allows  for  efficient  allocation  of  responsibilities,  greater 
clarity  in  the  information  produced  and  disseminated  and  smoother 
transitions  between  validation  and  guidance.  This  is  the  case  in  the 
Austrian  initiative  Du  kannst  was!:  the  regional  network  of  educational 
and labour market  stakeholders  can offer an  apprenticeship certificate 
and/or  efficient  transfers  to  further  education  while  matching  learners’ 
local 
expectations  and  employers’  skills  needs.  Regional  and 
stakeholders  involved  in  the  Dutch  Learning  and  working  desks  work 
closely  together  to  provide  VNIL  or  further  education  solutions.  This 
gives  them  greater  visibility,  a  better  understanding  of  their  respective 
roles  and  responsibilities,  and  in  turn  generates  more  clarity  on  the 
services they offer. Also, services provided by the desks can be tailored 
local)  needs,  strengthening 
according 
educational  and  labour  market  outcomes  for  individuals.  In  the  Italian 
Emilia  Romagna  region,  the  Active  Network  for  Employment  was 
recently launched to enable PES to exchange information on the profile 
of  its  clients  with  training  providers  and  regional  employers.  This 
exchange  makes  validation  procedures  more  efficient  as  well  as 
improving the matching of labour demand and supply in the region; 
integrated  provision  of  validation  and  guidance  governed  by  legal 
frameworks can be potentially efficient and practical to organise: in the 
Portuguese  Qualifica,  integrating  validation  and  guidance  leads  to 
efficiencies  in  costs  and  human  resources.  The  fact  that  the  Qualifica 
centres  are  embedded  in  different  types  of  local  entity  (schools,  PES) 
allows them to understand the particularities of their local environment in 
relation  to  the  needs  of  adult  learners  and  the  demands  of  the  local 
labour  market  This  organisational  setup  not  only 
improves 
communication  between  different  local  entities  but  also  generates 
savings on staff and infrastructure costs;  
informal  cooperation  –  not  governed  by  any  frameworks  –  has  its 
benefits, particularly with highly committed organisations, as is the case 
with the CVV in Czechia; 

(ii) 

(iii) 

(b)  by developing VNIL policy and current practice, the PES has an increased role 
in  providing  informed  referrals  between  guidance  and  validation.  The  latter 

78 

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

In 

(c) 

these 

tools  and  procedures. 

has led to improvement of screening and job matching procedures and has 
had  a  positive  effect  on  shifting  from  more  administration/bureaucratic-type 
services to more client-centred career guidance services. The Italian practice 
has developed and now uses profiling tools and procedures to guide clients 
towards  VNIL.  Training  ensures  that  PES  guidance  practitioners  can 
competently  use 
the  Swedish 
Branschvalideringen, the PES has introduced self-assessment tools to ensure 
the correct candidates are referred for validation;  
the linking of guidance and validation services can also bring about innovative 
approaches which benefit organisations by enhancing their specialisation and 
their  policy  influence.  In  the  SIMHE  Metropolia  in  Finland,  the  Metropolia 
University  of  Applied  Sciences  has  introduced  new  ways  of  providing 
guidance  and  counselling  during  RPL  processes.  The  MyWoW  resource 
shows  that  the  Skills  Development  Scotland  (SDS)  is  fully  instrumental  in 
developing career management skills (CMS) within and beyond schools, and 
delivering  careers  information  advice  and  guidance  to  young  people  and 
adults  in  Scotland.  When  promoting  MyWoW  to  those  developing  CMS  in 
schools, SDS highlights how this resource complements delivery of Scotland’s 
national  curriculum  (Curriculum  for  excellence).  A  single  CMS  framework 
helps  individual  beneficiaries  understand  where  they  stand,  what  they  are 
worth and what training and validation supports their professional ambitions; 
(d)  developing  links  between  career  guidance  and  validation  also  improves 
information  and  raises  awareness,  enabling  individuals  to  make  more 
informed  career  decisions.  By  using  the  guidance  counselling  services  of 
regional institutions, individuals taking part in the Austrian initiative Du kannst 
was! benefit from information on career and further education offers as well 
as from efficient placement in the most suited offer. The Czech CVV not only 
helps  participants  to  identify  their  skills,  but  also  recommends  courses  and 
other opportunities to acquire the skills needed for their career ambitions; this 
puts them in a better position to obtain the jobs they want and to keep them. 
Career  guidance  experts  in  the  Finnish  SIMHE  Metropolia  offer  immigrant 
beneficiaries an indication of the suitability of their skills and competences for 
the Finnish labour market and detail options available (further training, RPL) 
to find an occupation suited to their education background and interests. Since 
the reform of VET policies in 2012 in Poland, PES have been providing clients 
with information on validation opportunities within the VET system as part of 
career guidance which improves their ability to make better informed decisions 
about career development. 

79 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

3.3.5.2.  Challenges  
Most of the practices reviewed show that linking career guidance and validation is 
a  relatively  new  focus  in  public  policies.  This  brings  several  challenges  which 
mostly relate to an organisation’s capacity for adapting to this policy trend and also 
to an individual’s readiness for, and attitudes towards, validation. More precisely: 
the  absence  of  systematic  or  formal  cooperation  between  guidance  and 
(a) 
validation services can create fragmentation or asymmetries in the provision 
of  both  services.  In  France,  the  background  and  connections  of  individual 
the  Bilan  de 
guidance  practitioners  shape  referrals 
compétences. As a result, beneficiaries may miss opportunities to undertake 
a helpful validation procedure (VAE). In Ireland, the current review of career 
guidance is also expected to initiate further discussions about strengthening 
cooperation  across  the  nation  between  RPL  and  career  guidance  services. 
The absence of a common definition or understanding of RPL continues to be 
challenging; 

to  validation 

in 

(c) 

(b)  some practices reviewed have identified resourcing and staffing issues which 
can affect the quality of services provided. In Poland, PES counsellors have 
less time for career guidance provision compared to the time they dedicate to 
administrative  tasks.  In  Portugal,  obstacles  to  team  cohesion  have  been 
reported by Qualifica centres in certain contexts. For those Qualifica centres 
located in schools, the high turnover of teachers and trainers each year makes 
it difficult to maintain a well-trained team of practitioners; 
the lack of monitoring and follow up on beneficiaries also creates difficulties in 
assessing  the  effectiveness  of  some  practices  reviewed.  France  does  not 
collect data on the Bilan de compétences, though such monitoring would be 
very useful in assessing the effects of its instruments and outputs on individual 
career  development  and  providing  insights  into  the  relevance  of  linking  the 
Bilan to validation services (VAE). While satisfaction surveys might help with 
monitoring  (done  by  most  of  the  practices  reviewed),  these  usually  do  not 
provide information on clients’ progress towards their career goals. Therefore, 
satisfaction  surveys  do  not  accurately  measure  the  effectiveness  and 
relevance of linking validation and guidance;  
the  general  lack  of  relevance  of  adult  learning  in  policy  for  obtaining 
qualifications  constrains  developing  services  towards  validating  non-formal 
and informal learning. In Poland,  acquiring competences takes place in the 
formal  system;  central  and  regional  examination  boards  focus  primarily  on 
IVET  learners  and less so  on  adults  seeking  to  validate  their  non-formal  or 
informal skills. However, the 2012 reform of the Polish VET system resulted 

(d) 

80 

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

in progress towards facilitating jobseekers’ access to the formal examination 
system; 

(f) 

(e)  some practices reviewed are struggling with a lack of readiness for validation 
among target participants. This is the case of the Finnish SIMHE Metropolia. 
Beneficiaries  from  various  cultural  backgrounds  have  diverse  expectations 
and understanding of how the Finnish education system and labour market 
function; this has caused unnecessary setbacks for some clients with SIMHE 
Metropolia. Such challenges are also  related to the lack of appropriate and 
thorough screening as was noted with Branschvalideringen in Sweden. More 
recently,  the  Swedish  PES  has  new  screening  tools  and  other  corrective 
actions to address the issue;  
the limited relevance of tools and methods to identify and validate the skills of 
individual  participants  can  also  prevent  beneficiaries  from  undergoing 
effective  validation.  In  Portugal,  Qualifica  practitioners  have  commented  on 
the  highly  complex  RVCC  procedures  and  the  fact  that  its  competence 
standards  have  little  relevance  to  real-life  work  experiences.  In  Poland,  the 
skills audits conducted by PES counsellors rarely focus on recognising skills 
within the formal VET system; validation can only take place through formal 
examinations,  which  can  discourage  adults  with  a  negative  experience  of 
formal  education  from  having  their  non-formal  and  informal  skills  validated. 
Unlike some other  European countries, Polish validation  procedures do not 
include portfolio building, practical tests or interviews; 

(g)  some practices reviewed are characterised by long waiting times which can 
discourage  beneficiaries  from  completing  a  validation  process.  This  is  the 
case with the Austrian initiative Du kannst was! where a minimum number of 
participants (deemed suitable for validation in a given occupation) is needed 
for  the  practice  to  begin.  These  delays  mean  potential  candidates  may  not 
follow through to validation, which can make delays even longer. The Icelandic 
practice  also  needs  a  minimum  number  of  participants  before  initiating  a 
validation process. Waiting times may be as long as 9 to 12 months. 

3.4.  Conclusions  

This section presents conclusions in relation to the core research questions from 
Chapter  1.2.,  based  on  forms  of  coordinating  guidance  and  validation  been 
encountered in the practices reviewed. Additional forms  are possible but  further 
research is needed to explore them. 

81 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

3.4.1.  What are the necessary conditions to ensure successful coordination 

between validation and guidance activities? 

the  contacts/networks  of  a 

This  study  understands  ‘successful’  as  coordination  between  validation  and 
guidance  activities  that  benefits  the  individual  as  well  as  the  organisation.  That 
means ensuring appropriate support to an individual’s career decision-making and 
personal development through effective cooperation among independent services 
or integration of guidance and validation activities in one service. Several factors 
determine whether cooperation/integration works well: 
(a)  existence of a framework that improves coordination between validation and 
guidance. A framework is defined or driven by national/regional legislation, a 
strategy  or  a  network  of  regional/sectoral  partnerships  between  different 
stakeholders  (including  employers  and  employee  organisations).  It  sets  up 
clear  principles,  rules  or  procedures  about  connecting  validation  and 
guidance.  A  framework  helps  connect  services  and  systematically  make 
transitions between guidance and validation. With independent services, such 
a framework means that cooperation would not be fortuitous (based on the 
goodwill  and/or 
few  practitioners),  but 
institutionalised and with fixed principles, common to all parties/stakeholders. 
From the practices reviewed, a framework embedded in legislation, national 
policy  or  strategies/frameworks,  is  usually  observed  in  integrated  services 
operating  nationally.  Regional  cooperation  between  independent  services 
typically relies on an agreement between relevant partners in a given region 
(chambers  of  commerce,  education  institutions,  employees)  while  State 
agencies  may  be  involved  in  shared  financing  and  decision-making. 
Frameworks  may  also  be  set  at  sectoral  level  (as  in  Sweden)  where 
employers and PES play an important role in practice. The framework setting 
generally  tends  to  determine  or  influence  how  or  whether  coordination 
between  services  will  work.  The  existence  of  a  framework  does  not 
necessarily guarantee practitioner commitment (see below); 
flexible  and  free-of-charge  guidance  provided  through  all  the  stages  of  a 
practice  (before,  during  and  after  validation)  and  also  connected  to  other 
individual  support  services  that  may  reach  potential  beneficiaries.  Flexible 
guidance is understood as individualised support at any point when the client 
needs  it,  through  a  combination  of  delivery  forms  such  as  face-to-face 
guidance, digital tools, and phone contact. Some countries grant an individual 
right  to  this  access  to  guidance,  the  most  outstanding  example  being  the 
French  Bilan  de  compétences,  through  which  all  working  age  citizens 
(employed and unemployed) have the right to identify their skills and to define 
a  career  plan.  Flexible  guidance  ensures  that  the  needs  or  ambitions  of 

(b) 

82 

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

individuals can be updated or readjusted as they progress through the stages. 
The lower the level of readiness of clients (as with low- skilled/qualified adults), 
the  higher  the  need  for  comprehensive  and  individualised  guidance. 
Practitioners must have a shared understanding of the aims of the practice, 
their  related  roles  and  responsibilities.  During  formal/informal  cooperation 
between  independent  services,  roles  and  responsibilities  must  be  clearly 
assigned 
them. 
Fragmented  guidance,  combined  with  unclear  distribution  of  roles  and 
responsibilities,  may  have  a  negative  effect  on  flexible  access;  clients  may 
feel they have insufficient guidance; 

to  support  smoother  and  quicker  referrals  between 

(c)  coherence of outputs created at the different stages of a practice. If outputs 
produced  at  previous  stages  of  a  practice  can  be  used  as  inputs  for 
subsequent  stages,  this  will  ensure  consistent  application  of  standards, 
continuity in the delivery of services and will save practitioner time and effort. 
More  coherent  outputs  can  simplify  operation  of  a  shared  digital  system  to 
enable  structured  interaction  among  practitioners  across  services  and, 
therefore, more effectively exchange information; 

(d)  practitioner  competences.  Successful  coordination  between  validation  and 
guidance  requires  skilled  practitioners.  Roles  and  functions  of  practitioners 
involved  in  guidance  and  validation  vary  depending  on  the  activities  they 
perform:  some  may  be  more  involved  in  screening/profiling  of  clients, 
identifying  and  documenting  skills,  others  in  assessing  and  certifying 
competences.  The  same  practitioners  may  carry  out  several  tasks  that 
significantly  overlap  between  validation  and  guidance.  Practitioners  who 
conduct  basic  screening/profiling  of  clients  should  also  be  able  to  provide 
general  information  on  validation  of  competences.  This  may  be  done  by 
administrative  staff  without  any  specific  training  for  screening.  Practitioners 
who  carry  out  brief  screenings  should  be  appropriately  trained  to  ‘briefly 
interview clients to understand the level of concreteness of their request and 
gauge the complexity of the career related issues they face’. Practitioners who 
conduct comprehensive screening of clients, identification and documentation 
must  gauge  the  readiness  of  individuals  for  validation:  identify  the  need  to 
provide  guidance,  clarify  career  options  and  advise  clients  about  suitable 
learning and working pathways. In these cases, specialised training is needed, 
for instance, in psychology or career guidance that uses psychometric or other 
tools.  Practitioners  more  strongly  involved  in  assessment  and  certification 
must  be  familiar  with  the  validation  process  and  different  assessment 
methodologies, to have experience in the specific field of work, to be trained 
in assessment and validation processes, and to know about quality assurance 

83 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

mechanisms. The different roles and competences of practitioners overlap to 
different degrees. Because of this overlap, practitioner training should be both 
specific and general. Specific training for a particular role/function is important 
to assure specialisation and adequate competences. Some common training 
for  all  those  involved  in  a  practice  is  also  important  to  create  coherence  of 
activities and outputs. In addition to technical competences, all practitioners 
should have equally important soft skills such as empathy for clients, ability to 
motivate,  communication  skills,  ability  to  work  in  teams,  and  commitment. 
Strengthening of soft skills may have a positive impact on flexible guidance 
provision; 

(e)  monitoring  and  evaluation  arrangements.  Collecting  data  on  participants’ 
transition  into  employment  or  further  education  (after  validation)  can  be 
extremely  useful  as  it  may  provide  evidence  of  the  need  for  follow-up 
guidance,  which  also  relates  to  sustainable  practices.  This  indicates  the 
quality of the guidance and validation services: the higher the success rate in 
transitioning into employment or further education, the greater the quality (and 
effectiveness) of guidance and validation services. 

3.4.2. 

How can the coherence of the outcomes of guidance and validation 
be assured? 

Higher  coherence  between  outputs  of  guidance  and  validation  activities  results 
from  using  common  qualifications  or  competence  standards,  occupational 
standards  or  other  reference  frameworks.  To  identify,  document  and  assess 
clients’  skills,  the  practices  reviewed  use  different  tools  such  as  digital  profiling, 
web-based self-assessment and, skills portfolios. These tools are ‘coherent’ when 
all  or  most  are  based  on  common  qualifications  or  competence  standards, 
occupational standards or other reference frameworks. The form of coordination 
between validation and guidance is likely to influence the degree of coherence of 
outputs. Tools used at the different stages of a practice are more ‘coherent’ (based 
on  common  standard/reference  framework)  in  practices  characterised  by  formal 
cooperation  or  integration  of  validation  and  guidance,  compared  to  practices 
characterised by informal cooperation between services. 

3.4.3.  What  are  the  benefits  of  increased  coordination  between  the  two 

services and what are the challenges? 

Based  on  findings  presented,  the  summary  table  below  provides  an  outline  of 
common benefits and challenges (in relation to the practices explored) at systemic, 
organisational and individual level. 

84 

CHAPTER 3. 
Comparative analysis  

Table 7.  Benefits and challenges of increased coordination between validation 

and guidance 

Level 

Benefits 

Challenges 

Systemic 

Organisational 

Individual  

•  Better policy design (improved targeting of 

• 

• 

the service, distribution of budget across 
services, selection of staff), that allows 
increase in efficiency; 
Increased regional and local service 
coverage improves the relevance of 
guidance and validation services; 
Innovative processes (such as extending 
services to cover a new target group) can 
inspire new policies linking guidance and 
validation; 

•  Higher involvement of stakeholders at all 

levels (local, regional, national). 

•  Efficiencies in service provision resulting 
from frameworks for interinstitutional 
cooperation or for integrated service 
provision, as well as from cooperation 
among committed stakeholders in the 
absence of a framework; 

•  Validation is contributing to changing the 

role of PES, moving away from 
administrative services to more 
personalised guidance services; 

•  Gains in quality assurance; 
• 

Increase in efficacy – services better 
address the needs of people. 

• 

Framework-based practices linking 
guidance and validation give (potential) 
participants clear information on the 
service while enabling them to make 
better informed career decisions; 
•  Coordinated validation and guidance 
services better suit the needs of 
individuals;  
Increased relevance of such coordinated 
services for training and labour market 
integration. 

• 

•  Validation of non-formal and 
informal learning not being a 
policy priority; 

•  Setting up links between guidance 
and validation is not a policy 
priority in certain countries; 
•  Competence acquisition among 

the low-skilled and the 
unemployed outside formal 
education is not a policy priority in 
some countries. 

• 

• 

Lack of common understanding 
(among practitioners involved) 
about the goals of services; 
Lack of appreciation of one 
another’s activities; 

•  Guidance and validation treated 
as separate services in the 
organisational or institutional 
setup, leading to asymmetries of 
information and fragmentation of 
services;  

•  Resourcing issues due to 

• 

• 

organisational changes linked to 
the practice; 
Lack of monitoring and follow up 
to assess the impacts of the 
practices. 

Lack of readiness or suitability for 
validation among individual 
participants, which may be due to 
the nature of the groups targeted 
by the practice or insufficient 
targeting and lack of screening. 

Source:  Case studies. 

85 

CHAPTER 4. 
Recommendations 

The recommendations are derived from the analytical conclusions presented in the 
previous  chapter.  The  findings  are  determined  by  the  explorative  nature  of  the 
study;  they  refer  to  13  practices  selected  from  12  countries:  Austria,  Czechia, 
Finland  (two  practices),  France,  Iceland,  Ireland,  Italy,  the  Netherlands,  Poland, 
Portugal and UK-Scotland. Despite the limited number of practices (compared to 
an  extensive  quantitative  study),  they  still  capture  the  diversity  in  scope  and 
organisational  structures  of  the  guidance  and  validation  services  offered  across 
Europe. They have diverse aims and are tailored to specific target groups, specific 
economic contexts or occupational sectors. National policy strategies (related to a 
national  validation  model)  shape  some  practices,  while  other  practices  may  be 
more strongly affected by a network of regional partners or sectoral committees. 
Some  practices  target  low-qualified/skilled  adults  (including  NEET,  refugees), 
others aim at adults in general or at migrants with higher education background.  
The recommendations reflect the most important factors ensuring successful 

coordination between guidance and validation services including:  
(a)  comprehensiveness (provision of adequate information and guidance before 
the  decision  to  undergo  validation  is  taken,  through  the  entire  validation 
process and also after it); 

(b)  coherence  (use  of  common  qualifications  or  competence  standards, 
occupational standards or other reference frameworks through all the stages 
of the practice to identify, document and assess skills); 

(c)  quality of staff resources and competences as well as tools used. 

The 

following  recommendations  relate 

to 

important 

factors  ensuring 

successful coordination between guidance and validation services. 

4.1.  Comprehensiveness 

Coordinating  validation  and  guidance  would  benefit  from  setting  up  clear  links 
between the two services. This requires political will, agreement between political 
partners  and  broad  societal  support.  The  last  can  be  achieved  by  involving 
practitioners  in  developing,  for  instance,  an  overarching  policy  strategy  (that 
includes a lifelong learning strategy, strategy for adult learning, skills strategy  or 
specific strategy for guidance or validation) or a single legal framework. Whichever 
form  they  take,  strategies  or  frameworks  should  clearly  define  the  tasks  and 

86 

 
 
 
CHAPTER 4. 
Recommendations  

responsibilities of all the stakeholders involved at the national, regional and/or local 
(municipality) level through the development and dissemination of guidelines. The 
allocation of necessary financial resources (including shared funding through the 
ESF)  as  well  as  human  resources  (enough  qualified  staff)  should  also  be 
considered.  

Adequate  allocation  of  financial  and  human  resources  would  help  develop 
comprehensive,  systematised  and  coordinated  processes,  from  outreach  to 
potential  candidates  and  identifying  their  skills  to  validating/certifying  their 
competences. Services coordinating career guidance and skills validation also add 
to the offer of active labour market policies, including measures  for upskilling of 
low-qualified/skilled adults. 

As part of this approach: 

(a)  guidance  should  always  provide  information  on  the  benefits  of  and 
opportunities for validation, as well as on the relevant procedures available to 
people, as per the 2012 recommendation (Council, 2012); 

(b)  guidance  should  involve  screening  and  profiling,  not  only  as  a  way  of 
identifying an individual’s skills, but also to assess their readiness (suitability) 
for validation; 

(c)  guidance  should  be  continuously  available  to  people  undertaking  validation 
(throughout 
and 
validation/certification  stages)  and  continue  after  completing  validation, 
because an individual’s professional development goals or expectations may 
evolve or even change significantly over time.  

documentation, 

identification, 

assessment 

the 

Comprehensiveness  also  implies  that  creating  clear  links  between  (or 
coordinating)  guidance  and  validation  services  should  take  place  for  all 
occupations across all sectors at all levels of education.  

4.2.  Coherence 

Developing a common policy strategy or a single legal framework linking guidance 
and validation across all occupational and educational sectors requires extensive 
dialogue  and  cooperation  between  a  wide  range  of  stakeholders  (from  policy-
makers to teachers/trainers, to business associations) to reach a clear consensus 
on 
job  creation,  growth  and 
competitiveness, and social inclusion. This common understanding should cover 
what is to be achieved and how services, roles and functions of practitioners should 
be defined. Without such a consensus, different stakeholders will ‘pull in different 
directions’ and apply different interpretations to guidance and validation and what 

issues  such  as  unemployment  reduction, 

87 

Coordinating guidance and validation 

they  are  meant  to  achieve.  Coordinating  guidance  and  validation  requires 
(alignment with) a common reference framework for qualifications or competence 
standards.  To  identify,  document,  and  assess  skills,  the  practices  use  different 
tools at different stages of the process: these include digital profiling, web-based 
self-assessment, and skills portfolios. These tools are ‘coherent’ when all or most 
of  them  are  based  on  common  qualifications  or  competence  standards, 
occupational  standards  or  other  reference  frameworks.  This  ensures  continuity 
between the outputs produced, with each new output building on the previous one, 
so the output from one activity (or stage) can be used as an input for the following 
activity  (or  stage).  This  guarantees  information  traceability  and  prevents 
duplication  of  work.  For  example,  individualised  career  development  plans  feed 
into individualised skills portfolios, which are used to tailor training programmes or 
competence  assessment  examinations.  A  common  reference  framework  also 
ensures  systematised  coordination  between  different  services,  especially  when 
separate entities provide the services.  

Any  common  qualifications  or  competence  standards  framework  should  be 
relatable  to  non-formal  and  informal  learning  experiences.  This  also  ensures 
coherence between outputs (especially those produced at the skills identification 
stage) and continuity in the interpretation of career development needs and goals.  

4.3.  Quality 

Uniform  common  standards  are  essential  for  assuring  consistent  quality  when 
delivering guidance and validation services.  

Quality  of  services  can  be  improved  by  focusing  on  individuals,  by  flexibly 
responding to needs (available everywhere and at any time) and by considering 
the readiness of individuals to get engaged in validation and guidance. 

Because  coordinating  guidance  and  validation  remains  a  relatively  new 
practice (at least in some contexts and countries), it is recommended to provide 
adequate training for specific practitioner roles/functions (including technical, but 
also  soft  skills)  throughout  all  the  stages  of  guidance  and  validation.  Training  is 
particularly relevant for entities moving away from administrative services towards 
individual-centred or personalised services (for instance, PES). Common training 
for all those involved in a practice can also improve the coherence of services and 
intended  outputs;  it  can  create  balanced  teams  that  cooperate  and  exchange 
information well. Elaboration of common guidelines and quality criteria for services 
develops healthy communication within the team and with clients. 

The commitment of practitioners (time dedicated to clients, motivational work 
with  specific  target  groups)  should  also  be  considered:  exchange  of  experience 

88 

CHAPTER 4. 
Recommendations  

among practitioners may be beneficial in this respect. Specific incentives (such as 
through training) may be created to increase practitioner commitment. 

Data collection and monitoring (on the outcomes and impacts of validation) is 
important  to  gauge  the  quality  and  performance  of  guidance  and  validation 
services. Coherence between outputs to guarantee the traceability of information 
throughout all stages of guidance and validation will improve the development of 
monitoring mechanisms.  

89 

Abbreviations 

AEGS 

ANQEP 

CBQ 

CEB 

CMS 

CVET 

ETBs 

ETSC 

ESF  

IEFP 

IVET 

LMI 

LLL 

NALA 

NEET 

NGO 

NVQRs 

OPACIF 

PES 

PIAAC 

QQI 

REB 

RPL 

RVCC 

SDS 

VAE 

VET 

VNIL 

VPL 

UAS 

Adult Education Guidance Service 

National Agency for Qualification and Professional Education 

competence-based qualifications 

Central Examination Board 

career management skills 

continuing vocational education and training 

education and training boards 

Education and Training Service Centre 

European Social Fund  

Institute for Employment and Vocational Training 

initial vocational education and training 

labour market intelligence 

lifelong learning 

National Adult Literacy Agency 

young people not in employment, education or training 

non-governmental organisation 

national vocational qualification requirements 

Organisme Paritaire Agréé au titre du Congé Individuel de 
Formation (joint collective bodies for individual training leaves) 

public employment service 

Programme for the international assessment of adult competences 

Quality and Qualifications Ireland  

regional examination board 

recognition of prior learning 

recognition, validation and certification of competences 

Skills Development Scotland 

validation des acquis de l’expérience 

vocational education and training 

validation of non-formal and informal learning 

validation of prior learning 

University of applied sciences 

90 

 
 
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Council of the European Union (2016). Council recommendation of 19 December 
2016 on upskilling pathways: new opportunities for adults. Official Journal of 
the  European  Union,  C  484,  24.12.2016,  pp.  1-6.  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:C:2016:484:TOC 

European Commission; Cedefop; ICF International (2014). European inventory on 
validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning  2014.  Thematic  report: 
guidance and counselling. 
https://cumulus.cedefop.europa.eu/files/vetelib/2014/87237.pdf 

European  Lifelong  Guidance  Policy  Network  (ELGPN)  (2015).  Guidelines  for 
policies  and  systems  development  for  lifelong  guidance:  a  reference 
framework for the EU and for the Commission. ELGPN, Tool No 6. 

91 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Ford, G. (2007). Introduction to the third age guidance pilots. In: Clayton, P. et al. 
(eds). Guidance for life working and learning in the third age. Milano: Franco 
Angeli. 

Sampson, J.P. Jr.; Palmer, M.; Watts, A. G. (1999) Who needs guidance? Derby, 

UK: University of Derby, Centre for Guidance Studies.  
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Sampson, J. et al. (2003). Key elements of the CIP approach to designing career 
services.  Centre  for  the  Study  of  Technology  in  Counselling  and  Career 
Development of Florida State University. 

Website and projects 

Berlin declaration on validation of prior learning, formulated by the VPL community 

at the 3rd VPL Biennale, Berlin, 7 and 8 May 2019: 
https://vplbiennale.org/berlin-declaration-on-validation-of-prior-learning/ 

BRIDGE (Building up regional initiatives to develop guidance for low-skilled adults 
–  Volkshochschulverband  Baden-Württemberg  e.V.).  The  outputs  of  the 
project  recommend  widening  access  to  guidance  (tools,  time,  languages); 
promoting access of specific target groups (profile the services and develop 
evidence-based  policies  to  target  specific  groups);  include  guidance  in  the 
validation process. https://bridgeguidanceproject.wordpress.com/  

CareersNet,  Cedefop's  network  for  lifelong  guidance  and  career  development: 

http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/networks/careersnet  

Competence  cards  for  professional  and  immigration  counselling;  a  Bertelsmann 
Stiftung  project  in  cooperation  with  organisations  responsible  for  providing 
immigration  counselling 
immigrants:  https://www.bertelsmann-
stiftung.de/en/our-projects/careers-via-competences/project-
news/immigration-counseling-for-adult-immigrants/ 

to  adult 

Policy  learning  forum on  upskilling  pathways, Brussels, 7 and 8 February 2018; 
organised  by  Cedefop  together  with  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee  (EESC)  and  in  cooperation  with  the  European  Commission: 
http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/events/policy-
learning-forum-upskilling-pathways-vision-future-0  

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) – Global observatory of recognition, 

validation and accreditation of non-formal and informal learning. 
http://uil.unesco.org/lifelong-learning/recognition-validation-accreditation 

92 

 
 
 
 
Further reading 

Cedefop  (2008).  Career  development  at  work:  a  review  of  career  guidance  to 
support  people  in  employment.  Luxembourg:  Publications  Office.  Cedefop 
panorama series; No 151. https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/5183_en.pdf 

Cedefop  (2009a).  European  guidelines  for  validating  non-formal  and  informal 

learning. Luxembourg: Publications Office. 
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/4054_en.pdf 

Cedefop  (2009b).  Professionalising  career  guidance:  practitioner  competences 
and qualification routes in Europe. Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop 
panorama series; No 164. https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/5193_en.pdf 

Cedefop (2011). Lifelong guidance across Europe: reviewing policy progress and 
future prospects. Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop working paper; 
No 11. https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/6111_en.pdf 

Cedefop  (2013a).  Empowering  vulnerable  adults  to  tackle  labour  market 
challenges:  findings  from  study  visits  2010/11  and  2011/12  and  policy 
implications. Luxembourg: Publications Office.   
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/4122_en.pdf 

Cedefop  (2013b).  Return  to  work:  work-based  learning  and  the  reintegration  of 
unemployed adults into the labour market. Luxembourg: Publications Office. 
Cedefop working paper; No 21.   
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/6121_en.pdf 

Cedefop (2013c). Guidance for immigrants: the labour market potential of diversity. 
Presentations  papers  for  the  peer  learning  event  Guidance  for  immigrants, 
Thessaloniki, 2 December 2013. 
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/final_agenda.pdf  

Cedefop (2014a). Navigating difficult waters: learning for career and labour market 
transitions. Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop research paper; No 24. 
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/5542_en.pdf 

Cedefop (2014b). Career guidance in unstable times: linking economic, social and 
individual benefits. Briefing note; December 2014. Luxembourg: Publications 
Office. https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/9094_en.pdf 

Cedefop  (2015).  Increasing  the  value  of  age:  guidance  in  employers’  age 
management  strategies.  Luxembourg:  Publications  Office  of  the  European 
Union. Cedefop research paper; No 44.  
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/5544_en.pdf 

Cedefop; European Commission; ICF (2016). Validation in the care and youth work 
sectors.  Thematic  report  for  the  2016  update  of  the  European  inventory  on 
validation. Luxembourg: Publications Office. 
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-
resources/publications/4147 

93 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Cedefop; European Commission; ICF (2017). European inventory on validation of 
learning  –  2016  update.  Synthesis  report. 

informal 

non-formal  and 
Luxembourg: Publications Office. 
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/4153_en.pdf 

Cedefop; ETF; UNESCO; UNESCO-UIL (2017). Global inventory of regional and 
national  qualifications  framework,  2017.  Volume  I:  thematic  chapters. 
Luxembourg: Publications Office. 
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/2221_en.pdf 

Commission of the European Communities (2006a).  European credit system for 
vocational  education  and  training  (ECVET):  a  system  for  the  transfer, 
accumulation and recognition of learning outputs in Europe. Brussels, CEC, 
SEC/2006/1431 final.  

Council of the European Union (2017). Council recommendation of 22 May 2017 
on the European qualifications framework for lifelong learning and repealing 
the recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 
2008  on  the  establishment  of  the  European  qualifications  framework  for 
lifelong learning.  Official  Journal  of the  European  Union,  C 189,  15.6.2017, 
pp. 15-28. 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32017H0615%2801%29  

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

Delors, J. (2013). The treasure within: learning to know, learning to do, learning to 
live together and learning to be. What is the value of that treasure 15 years 
after  its  publication?  International  review  of  education,  Vol.  2013/59,  No  3, 
pp. 319-330. 
8#citeas 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11159-013-9350-

Department of Education and Skills (2004). Circular 70/04: pay and conditions for 
adult  education  guidance  counsellors  and  adult  education  guidance 
coordinators. 
https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Archived-
Circulars/fe70_04.doc 

Duvekot, R. (2014). Lifelong learning policy and recognition of prior learning in the 
learning society: the promise of Faure? In: Harris, J.; Wihak, C.; van Kleef, J. 
(eds)  (2014).  Handbook  of  the  recognition  of  prior  learning:  research  into 
practice. Leicester: NIACE, pp. 65-86.   
https://www.learningandwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Handbook-
of-the-Recognition-of-Prior-Learning.pdf 

Duvekot, R (2016). Leren Waarderen. Een studie van EVC en gepersonaliseerd 
leren.  Proefschrift  [thesis  on  VNFIL  and  personalised  learning].  Houten: 
CL3S. 

Duvekot, R.; Joong Kang, D.; Murray, J. (eds) (2014). Linkages of VNIL: validation 
of  prior  learning  as  a  multi-targeted  approach  for  maximising  learning 
opportunities for all. Vught: EC-VNIL. VNIL Biennale Series 2.  

Duvekot, R. et al. (eds) (2014). The power of VNIL: validation of prior learning as 
a multi-targeted approach for access to learning opportunities for all. Houten: 

94 

 
 
 
 
Further reading 

EC-VNIL.  https://ec-vpl.nl/downloads/book-2014-english-vplbiennale-the-
power-of-vpl.pdf 

European  Commission  (EC)  (2012).  Report  on  the  EU-wide  public  consultation 
concerning the promotion and validation of non-formal and informal learning. 
Brussels: EC. https://ec.europa.eu/education/ 

European  Commission  (2014).  Special  Eurobarometer  417  –  European  area  of 

skills and qualifications: report.    
https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/archives/ebs/ebs_417_e
n.pdf 

European  Commission  (2017).  Practitioner’s  toolkit  for  PES  building  career 

guidance and lifelong learning.   
https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/c9033aa1-
f683-11e7-b8f5-01aa75ed71a1/language-en 

European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN) (2012). Lifelong guidance 

policy development: a European resource kit. ELGPN, Tool No 1. 
http://www.elgpn.eu/publications/browse-by-
language/english/ELGPN_resource_kit_2011-12_web.pdf/ 

Gaylor, C. et al. (2016). When competences become occupational opportunities: 
how informal and non-formal learning can be recognised and used in Europe. 
Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung. 
stiftung.de/en/publications/publication/did/when-competences-become-
occupational-opportunities/ 

https://www.bertelsmann-

Guðmundsdóttir, A.G.; Lárusdóttir, F.M. (2017). Guidance in validation within the 
Nordic  region:  challenges  and  recommendations.  Nordic  Network  for  Adult 
Learning 
(NVL).  https://nvl.org/Content/Guidance-in-validation-within-the-
Nordic-region 

Hooley, T. et al. (2013). The ’Blueprint’ framework for career management skills: a 
critical exploration. British journal of guidance and counselling, Vol. 41, No 2, 
pp. 117-131. 
https://www.tandfonline.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1080%2F03069
885.2012.713908 

Hughes, D.; Borbély-Pecze, T.B. (2012). Youth unemployment: a crisis in our midst 
– the role of lifelong guidance policies in addressing labour market supply and 
demand. European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN); concept note 
No 2.  

International Labour Office (ILO) (2010). A skilled workforce for strong, sustainable 

and balanced growth: a G20 training strategy. Geneva: ILO. 
https://www.ilo.org/skills/pubs/WCMS_151966/lang--en/index.htm 

Jarvis,  P.  (2008).  Democracy,  lifelong  learning  and  the  learning  society. 

London/New York: Routledge. 

Jarvis, P. (ed.) (2011). The Routledge international handbook of lifelong learning. 

London/New York: Routledge. 

95 

 
 
 
 
 
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Kettunen,  J.;  Vuorinen,  R.;  Sampson,  J.P.  Jr.  (2013).  Career  practitioners' 
conceptions of social media in career services. British journal of guidance and 
counselling, Vol. 41, No 3, pp. 302-317.  
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2013.781572  

Kidd, J. M. (1996). The career counselling interview. In: Watts, A.G. et al. (eds). 
Rethinking careers education and guidance: theory, policy and practice, pp. 
189-209. London: Routledge.  

Kraatz, S. (2015). Reform of educational systems: European policies for lifelong 
guidance  to  fight  early  school  leaving  and  unemployment.  A  briefing  note 
prepared by the Policy Department A for the Employment and Social Affairs 
Committee of the European Parliament.  
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/536318/IPOL_B
RI(2015)536318_EN.pdf 

Law, B. (1996a). A career learning theory. In: Watts, A.G. et al. (eds). Rethinking 
careers  education  and  guidance:  theory  policy  and  practice.  USA/Canada: 
Routledge. 

Law, B. (1996b). Careers education in a curriculum. In: Watts, A.G. et al. (eds). 
Rethinking  careers  education  and  guidance:  theory  policy  and  practice. 
USA/Canada: Routledge. 

Mackay,  S.  et  al.  (2015).  Maximising  the  impact  of  careers  services  on  career 
management skills: a review of the literature. Derby: University of Derby. 
http://hdl.handle.net/10545/606950  

NICE (2014). Context paper prepared for the European summit on developing the 
career  workforce  of  the  future,  Canterbury,  3  and  4  September  2014, 
organised by the Network for Innovation in Career Guidance and Counselling 
in Europe (NICE) and Canterbury Christ Church University.  

Oomen, A.; Plant, P. (2014). Early school leaving and lifelong guidance. ELGPN, 

concept note No 6.  

OECD (2012). Better skills, better jobs, better lives: a strategic approach to skills 

policies. Paris: OECD. 

Peterson G. et al. (2002). A CIP approach to career problem-solving and decision-
making.  In:  Brown  D.  Career  choice  and  development.  Fourth  edition.  San 
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.  

Rickabaugh, J.R. (2012). Learning independence continuum. Pewaukee: CESA.   
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6A80mT6nthPeUlMZ19pZnJaVVU/view 

Rickabaugh,  J.R.  (2017).  The  dawn  of  a  new  era  for  learners.  In:  Duvekot,  R; 
Coughlan, D.; Aagaard, K. (eds) (2017). The learner at the centre: validation 
of prior learning strengthens lifelong learning for the learner. 2nd validation of 
prior learning (VPL) Biennale, 25 to 27 April 2017, Aarhus, Denmark. Series 
VPL Biennale; No 6. European Centre Valuation Prior Learning/VIA University 
College.  https://www.sefi.be/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2017-
VPLBIENNALE-TheLearnerattheCentre.pdf 

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Further reading 

Schmeißer,  C.  et  al.  (2012).  Identifizierung  und  Anerkennung  informellen  und 
nicht-formalen  Lernens 
in  Europa  Eine  vergleichende  Studie  zur 
Durchlässigkeit  der  Bildungssysteme  in  Deutschland,  Finnland,  Frankreich, 
den Niederlanden, Österreich und der Schweiz [Identification and recognition 
of  informal  and  non-formal  learning  in  Europe:  a  comparative  study  on  the 
permeability  of  education  systems  in  Germany,  Finland,  France,  the 
Netherlands,  Austria  and  Switzerland].  Nürnberg:  Forschungsinstitut 
Betriebliche Bildung.  

Sienkiewicz,  Ł.  (2014).  European  reference  competence  profile  for  PES  and 
EURES  counsellors.  DG  Employment,  Social  Affairs  and  Inclusion.  Paper 
commissioned by the European Community programme for employment and 
social solidarity 2007-13. 

Singh,  M.  (2015).  Global  perspectives  on  recognising  non-formal  and  informal 
learning: why recognition matters. Heidelberg/Hamburg: Springer/UIL.  

Singh, M. (2017).  Organising RVA at national, regional and local levels: making 
RVA the core mechanism of a quality lifelong learning system. Hamburg: UIL. 
https://ec-vpl.nl/wp-content/uploads/gravity_forms/1-
1bd8d4b6ddd4c79d458b83336da881c4/2017/09/B4-Making-VPL-the-core-
mechanism-Madhu-Singh.pdf 

Singh, M.; Duvekot, R.C. (eds) (2013). Linking recognition practices and national 

qualifications frameworks. Hamburg: UIL. 

Souto-Otero, M. (2016). Validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe: 
research, policies, legitimacy and survival. In: Bohlinger, S.; Dang, K.A.; Klatt, 
M. (eds).  Education  policy: mapping the landscape  and scope. Peter Lang. 
https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-05044-8 

Sultana,  R.  (2009).  Career  management  skills.  Reflection  note  prepared  for  the 

Peer learning event, Vilnius, 5 to 7 May 2019. 

Thomsen, R. (2014). A Nordic perspective on career competences and guidance: 
career  choices  and  career  learning.  Oslo:  NVL.  NVL  and  ELGPN  concept 
note. 

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) (2012). UNESCO guidelines for the 
recognition,  validation  and  accreditation  of  the  outputs  of  non-formal  and 
informal learning. Hamburg: UIL. 
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216360 

UNESCO;  UNICEF;  World  Bank;  UNFPA;  UNDP;  UN  Women;  UNCHR  (2015). 
Education  2030:  Incheon  declaration  and  framework  for  action  for  the 
implementation  of  sustainable  development  goal  4:  ensure  inclusive  and 
equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all.  
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000245656 

van  Tartwijk,  J.;  Driessen,  E.W.  (2009).  Portfolios  for  assessment  and  learning: 

AMEE guide No 45. Medical teacher, Vol. 31, No 9, pp. 790-801. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590903139201  

97 

  
 
 
 
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Villalba, E.; Bjørnåvold, J. (2017). Validation of non-formal and informal learning: 
a  reality  in  Europe?  In:  Cedefop;  ETF;  UNESCO;  UNESCO-UIL  (2017). 
Global  inventory  of  regional  and  national  qualifications  framework,  2017. 
Volume I: thematic chapters. Luxembourg: Publications Office. 
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/2221_en.pdf 

Warwick  Institute  for  Employment  Research  –  National  Guidance  Research 
Forum) (n.d.). A four-fold categorisation of theories relevant to guidance. 
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/ngrf/effectiveguidance/improvingpractice/the
ory/making-sense/#A four fold categorisation of theories relevant to guidance 

Watts,  A.  (2001).  Public  policies  and  career  development:  a  framework  for  the 
design of career information, guidance and counselling services in developing 
countries. World Bank working document. 

Watts,  A.G.  (2013).  Career  guidance  and  orientation.  In:  UNESCO-UNEVOC. 
Revisiting  global  trends  in  TVET:  reflections  on  theory  and  practice, 
Chapter 7. Bonn: UNESCO-UNEVOC.   
https://unevoc.unesco.org/fileadmin/up/2013_epub_revisiting_global_trends
_in_tvet_book.pdf 

Whittaker, R. et al (2011).  Streamlining RPL processes: facilitating the award of 
credit  for  prior  informal  learning.  Glasgow:  Glasgow  Caledonian  University, 
Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning (CRILL). 
https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaas/enhancement-and-
development/streamlining-rpl-processes---facilitating-the-award-of-
credit.pdf?sfvrsn=8362f581_8  

Yang,  J.  (2015).  Recognition,  validation  and  accreditation  of  non-formal  and 
informal learning in UNESCO Member States. Hamburg: UNESCO Institute 
for Lifelong Learning. 
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000232656 

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Annex 1.   
Core research team and country experts 

Core research team 

Mariya Dzhengozova, 3s 

Karin Luomi Messerer, 3s 

Michael Richardson, ICF 

Country experts 

Austria 

Julia Fellinger 

Czechia  

Milada Stalker 

Finland - 1 

Jouko Luomi 

Finland - 2 

Jouko Luomi 

France 

Ireland 

Iceland 

Italy 

Cathel Kornig, Isabelle Recotillet 

Ilona Murphy 

Fjóla María Lárusdóttir 

Michela Vecchia 

Netherlands 

Ruud Duvekot 

Poland 

Portugal 

Sweden 

Horacy Dębowski 

Paula Guimarães, Carla Menitra 

Søren Kristensen 

UK-Scotland 

Paul Guest 

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Annex 2.   
Theoretical and research framework 

What was the original NEED of the practice? Why is it believed that it is an adequate 
(‘good’) response? What is the geographic scope (national, regional, local)? Who 
carries out the practice? 

2 

LAWS, FRAMEWORKS and FINANCING 
•  Are there laws and regulations/policies or strategies or other national frameworks 

(‘guidelines’, ‘principles’) in place underpinning career guidance and validation? Do 
they refer (and if yes how) to the linkage between services? 

•  Is there (dedicated) funding to support the integration or coordination of career 

guidance and validation services? 

•  How is the practice financed? By the EU; by the State/regions/municipalities 
(including also subcontracting of services to private, non-profit and voluntary 
organisations); by employers and trade unions contributions; co-funding (please 
explain the sources); other. 

•  Are individuals required to pay fees? 

3  What is the FOCUS of the practice?  

•  Career-guidance-oriented (possibly with elements of validation)  
•  Validation-oriented (possibly with elements of career guidance) 
•  The practice has both focuses (validation may constitute a potential provision in 

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comprehensive career support) 

4  What ACTIVITIES are carried out?  

•  Screening (yes/no, if yes: self-assessment, basic profiling, brief screening, 

comprehensive screening) 

•  Which validation stages are included in the activities? 
•  Which career guidance activities are carried out? 
•  Other activities (training, support activities) 

5  What is the PURPOSE/RATIONALE of the practice? 

•  Prevention and re-engagement (youth employability, early school leavers) 
•  Upskilling 
•  Obtaining a qualification 
•  Enterprise-based programmes (skills/age management)  
•  Integration (migrants, refugees, minorities, people with special needs) 
•  Other 

6 

7 

For WHOM is the practice meant (universal, specific target groups)? 
low skilled/qualified (adults or young people) 
•  Adults in general (may include highly educated/skilled and qualified inactive) 
•  Unemployed  
•  Disadvantaged groups (immigrants/refugees, children of immigrant/refugees, 

people with special needs/disabilities) 

•  Other-please explain 
•  No specific target group 

SECTOR: where does it take place: PES, schools, validation centres, etc.)?  
•  Primarily/ also carried out by educational providers  
•  Primarily/ also by carried out PES and the national careers service 
•  Primarily/also carried out within enterprises 
•  Primarily/also carried out by third sector (volunteering and/or youth organisations) 

100 

 
 
 
 
ANNEX 2. 
Theoretical and research framework 

8 

INSTITUTIONAL SETTING 
•  What types of stakeholder are involved and what is their role?  
•  Which are the major external stakeholders (NGO’s)? 

9 

The Practice STEP-BY-STEP (overall duration vs duration of each step) 

10  What are the METHODS and TOOLS used?  

•  How is identification of prior learning carried out?  
•  What reference point (standard) is being used if any?  
•  Is the process of identification of skills linked to other skills assessment practices 

and if ‘yes’ how/ to what practices?  

•  What formats are used for documenting outcomes? 

11  WHAT are the final and intermediate OUTPUTS of the practice (portfolio, (part of) 

qualification/certification, referral to a specific training (or other learning processes), 
licence allowing the individual to carry out specific tasks, career plan, referral to a 
validation/career guidance service, other)? 
•  To what extent do documentation formats support the transfer and portability of 

outcomes from one service to the other? 

•  Are there any data protection issues (restriction related to information transfer from 

one service to the other) and how were/could they be overcome? 

12  QUALITY ASSURANCE 

•  What quality assurance arrangements/frameworks are in place?  
•  What are the measures implemented to maintain standards? 
•  What kind of measures are in place to quality assure the outputs?  
•  Do validation practitioners have sufficient information related to career guidance 

and vice versa to ensure coordination, cooperation?  

•  Do practitioners have expertise in the possible linkages between education and 

training, the labour market and society that the learner can reach out to? 
•  Is support to the development of career management skills provided to the 

individual along the whole process? 

•  What is the profile of the practitioners involved in the practice (in the case of 

integrated and also coordinated services)?  

•  Are there specific requirements for practitioners/staff members to provide the 

services (specific qualifications, skills)?  

•  Do practitioners receive sufficient training on how to carry out their role (specific 
training: career counselling and assessment, careers education/pedagogy; more 
generic training: recording statistics of career service usage)?  

•  Are practitioners familiar with different assessment methodologies; are they 

knowledgeable about quality assurance mechanisms?  

•  Do they have a capacity to rephrase learning experience into learning outcomes 

that can be matched with existing standards?  

•  Is there guidance provided to individuals all along the process?  

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13  What is the MODEL OF LINKAGE between validation and guidance in the practice? 
•  Integrated model: validation and career guidance form part of the same procedure 
and are delivered by the same organisation/validation and career guidance form 
part of the same procedure; however, they are offered by different organisations; 

•  Coordinated model: validation and career guidance are offered as separate 

services (either by the same or different organisations) but they are connected by 
more or less systematic referrals to each other (completion of a set of career 
guidance activities (by PES) may entail a quasi-systematic referral to a specific 
validation process; completion of certain stages of the validation process may entail 
referral to specific career 57guidance services). This connection or cooperation 
may be more or less formalised; 

•  Non-integrated and not coordinated: validation and career guidance are offered as 

separate services and there is no coordination, no formal cooperation and no 
systematic referrals; 

•  Other. 

14  What are the ACTUAL organisational and the individual GAINS/BENEFITS of the 

integration/coordination of validation and guidance?  
•  Organisational gains: cost saving, smoother and quicker transfer to further 

education/labour market, other; 

•  Individual gains: clarification of choices, experiences, strengths, weaknesses and 

identification of opportunities; increased likelihood of appropriate career choice and 
associated learning processes (when applicable); increased likelihood of successful 
job (re)integration; the practice helps individuals define a professional project and 
develop stable careers; gets people to progress in their careers with motivational 
gains translating into productivity gains; other. 

15  What are the CHALLENGES to integration and cooperation between career guidance 

and validation services? Challenges may be lack of information, insufficient funding, 
different working methods, etc. 
•  Where evidence is available (evaluation reports), what does this tell us about which 
practices/methods in terms of integration/coordination of guidance and validation 
are working well/not so well? 

•  What are the costs and problems of integration/stronger cooperation between 

guidance and validation? 

16  What are the SUCCESS FACTORS and lessons learned? How is ‘successful’ 
integration/coordination between services achieved? Is this documented? 
•  What are the necessary conditions ensuring successful integration and/or 

coordination of services? 

•  How is the coherence of the outcomes of guidance and validation assured? 
•  Is there research available (evaluation reports) in relation to success factors and 

what are the main findings? 
•  What are the lessons learned? 
•  How could the integration/coordination of the services be improved? 

17  Which aspects of the described practice are TRANSFERABLE? 

•  Would this form of integration/cooperation of services work in different sectors of 

learning/with different target groups/in different countries? 

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Coordinating 
guidance and 
validation

Validation and guidance help individuals, organisations 
and  Member  States  adapt  to  career  challenges  and 
create  successful  lifelong  learning  systems.  However, 
little is known about how they are linked in practice and 
how  this  connection  can  be  made  more  efficient. 
Building  on  Cedefop’s  expertise  in  the  two  areas,  this 
study  –  based  on  analysis  of  13  practices  from  12 
countries – explores how coordination between career 
guidance  and  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal 
learning  can  be  improved.  Results  point  to  three 
factors:
(a) comprehensiveness: provision of adequate informa- 
tion  and  guidance  before  a  decision  to  undergo
validation is taken, throughout the entire validation
process, as well as after it;

(b) coherence:  use  of  common  qualifications  or
competence  standards,  occupational  standards  or
other reference frameworks in all the stages of the
practice to identify, document and assess skills;
(c) quality  of  staff,  resources,  competences,  and  tools

used.

The  study  concludes  with  policy  recommendations  on 
how 
link  between  guidance  and 
validation.

improve 

the 

to 

Europe 123, 570 01 Thessaloniki (Pylea), GREECE
Postal: Cedefop service post, 570 01 Thermi, GREECE
Tel. +30 2310490111, Fax +30 2310490020
Email: info@cedefop.europa.eu

www.cedefop.europa.eu