The National System for Recognising, Validating and Certifying Competencies

1. The National System for Recognising, Validating and Certifying Competencies • 64,2% of Portuguese working population does not have the compulsory 9 years of schooling; • Only 20% of adult population with ages between 25 and 64, has secondary degree; • Most adults develop function in the labour market that requires knowledge and competencies above their school degree; • This knowledge and competencies were achieved in non-formal and informal learning processes but don’t contribute to their formal school degree

2. 2001- The Creation of a National Centre for Recognising, Validating and Certifying Competences´ Net consists in the making of a CRVCC´s net, promoted by both private and public entities which are known for developing some activities of both recognition and validation of competences adults acquired during their life time, as well as the correspondent certification regulated by the Ministry of Education 91 centres in all country The Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa has a Centre for Recognising, Validating and Certifying school competences since 2004.

3. What are Centres for Recognising, Validating and Certifying school competences? • They are places where adults, over 18 year, that doesn’t, who do not have the compulsory 9 years of schooling, can seek the recognition, validation and certification of lifelong learning • In the RVCC process, the knowledge and competencies recognised and validated can result in a certification degree in according to three levels: Basic 1, Basic 2 and Basic 3, according to the ANEFA´s Guidelines to Key Competencies. The Guidelines, which are structured in the three levels including four key-areas of competencies: • Language and Communication (LC); • Mathematics for Everyday Life (ML); • Information and Communication Technologies (ICT); • Citizenship and Employability (CE). • The certification in a level is achieved when there are validated in all of the four key areas

4. The SCML RVCC Centre • 1. Initial involvement • Welcome/ admission • Diagnosis Session – to analyse the adequacy of the process concerning each candidate whenever a major learning necessity is spotted, the candidate is proposed to continue his/her path by choosing alternate ways of getting his/her certification, such as the professional learning or the recurrent schooling. In those situations in which there are partial learning necessities or needs in one or more of the four main key-areas, the adult may begin his/her process but he/she must attend before the beginning of the process or simultaneously to it (according to each case), learning actions or small learning courses in Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, namely, Acções S@ber +.

5. 2. Competency Assessment Recognition of competencies • During this phase of the process, the main goal is to identify the adult´s competencies concerning the four key-areas in two sequenced moments • the adult begins building his/her personal filewhere they register all his/her life story, as well as its corresponding evidence • With the Training Professional guidance, adults are led to thoroughly think of the difficulties they find themselves in, concerning the subjects and criteria they are faced with in all four key areas 3. Further learning • the adult can be referred to further training, which will allow him/her to conclude certifiable learning paths

6. 4. Validation of competencies • Validation Panel, which consists of key competencies Teachers/Trainers, the RVCC professional and an external examiner • have the competencies he/she acquired in the course of his/her lifetime recognised and fully validated against the four key competencies areas and levels B1, B2 or B3 -registration of the validation in the adult´s Personal Record of Key Competencies and the issue of a Certificate legally equivalent to Basic Education diplomas (3rd, 2nd and 1st cycle certification) • have the competencies acquired in the course of his/her lifetime recognised and partially validated against the four key competencies areas and levels B1, B2 or B3 of ANEFA´s Guidelines to Key Competencies. In this case, the process leads to the registration of the competencies units in the adult´s Personal Record of Key Competencies (validation) 5. Counselling • defining and redesigning their personal project