National quality assurance on APL in the Netherlands

1. National quality assurance on APL in the Netherlands Quality Assurance in validation of non-formal and informal learning Gent, 13 September 2007 Stieneke Boerma, Dutch Knowledge Centre on APL

2. History • 90ties - APL started without national regulations • 2002 - 1000 flowers were blooming • 2003 - research on ‘what do stakeholders mean by quality assurance on APL’? • 2004 - a first model for quality assurance was presented • 2005 - Dutch Cabinet & Social Partners decided on a covenant for quality assurance. • 2006 - the covenant ‘A quality code for APL’ signed by all national stakeholders on our National APL day. • 2007 - implementation started. National covenant a quality code for APL

3. Research programme in 2002:What do stakeholders mean by quality? National vocational standards Systems & procedures must be perfect, no mistakes are allowed in validation Validation is not a goal in itself. Needs to support careers or organisations Quality of Validation Contribution to development Holistic approach on personal development Quality of supervisors & assessors Individual standards National covenant a quality code for APL

4. National covenant a quality code for APLParties involved • The State Secretary of Education, Culture and Science, also on behalf of the State Secretary of Social Affairs and Employment • The Labour Foundation (Stichting van de Arbeid), trade union federations and employers’ associations. • The CWI, Public Employment Service on behalf of the UWV (National organisation for reintegration and temporally income unemployed people), VNG (Association of Netherlands Municipalities) and Divosa (Association of managers with municipal services). • The Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (HBO-raad), on behalf of all 44 Universities of Applied Sciences. • The Netherlands Association of Vocational Education and Training Centres (MBO-raad), on behalf of all 42 vocational education and training centres and all vocational schools. • The Council for Agricultural Education Centres (AOC-raad), on behalf of all 11 agricultural education centres. • The Open University, institute for distance learning at university level. • Colo, the Association of Centres of Expertise on Vocational Education, Training and the Labour Market. • PAEPON, the Platform of Accredited Private Educational Institutions in the Netherlands. National covenant a quality code for APL

5. Target groups for APL Most important target groups are: • People without any formal qualification for the labour market • People with a VET qualification developing to higher education level • People who want to change their profession (2nd career option) But APL is open to anyone who can raise the funding National covenant a quality code for APL

6. The APL Quality Code & Toolbox • The APL-code, based on: • Our own research, • the European principles, • CH-Q (Swiss model for career counselling) • and an existing private APL quality code • A checklist for APL providers • APL providers develop their own procedures, based on the National APL-code. • This checklist supports APL providers in developing, describing & check on their APL procedures. National covenant a quality code for APL

7. The APL Quality Code & Toolbox • Evaluating organisations • External evaluation of APL providers whether their APL procedure is according to the APL-code. • Accreditation/quality organisations evaluate APL providers periodically. Accredited APL providers are registered. • A standard for assessing APL providers • The text of the APL code itself is not measurable. It needed a standardisation so that APL providers can be assessed National covenant a quality code for APL

8. APL Quality Code1. The objective of APL The goal of APL is to define, evaluate and accredit individual competencies. The accreditation of prior learning has a value in and of itself and contributes to employability. In many cases, APL can be a benefit to further career-related personal development. National covenant a quality code for APL

9. APL Quality Code2. Individual Entitlements The APL process answers to the need of the individual. Entitlements and arrangements with the APL-offering organizations are clearly defined. National covenant a quality code for APL

10. APL Quality Code3. Procedures and instruments Procedure and instruments are reliable and based on solid standards Trust is the key issue. Trust has to do with civil effect, properly defined standards, and clear information on the way in which assessments are conducted and the arguments on the basis of which conclusion are drawn. National covenant a quality code for APL

11. APL Quality code 4. Expertise of assessors and supervisors Assessors and supervisors are competent, independent and impartial. Independence and impartiality are critical factors within the assessment and are rooted in the roles and responsibilities of the assessors involved. It is of major importance to avoid unnecessary confusion of roles. Impartiality can be reinforced through training and through the use of networks. National covenant a quality code for APL

12. APL Quality code5. Assurance and improvement of quality The quality of APL procedures is guaranteed and is being improved on an ongoing basis The quality of the APL procedure and the set of Instruments used is guaranteed. Evaluations are conducted regularly. The results are incorporated into improvement actions. National covenant a quality code for APL

13. The covenant: results and challenges(1) The use of the code is voluntary, signing parties (most umbrella organisations) dedicated themselves on promoting APL and the use of the APL-code • About 125 recognised APL providers are registered • This register is the place where CWI and regional learning & working desks seek APL procedures • Fiscal measurement (€ 300) for clients from registered APL providers Challenge: does the offer of the registered APL providers correspond to the needs of the APL-seekers? National covenant a quality code for APL

14. The covenant: results and challenges (2) Everyone who starts with an APL procedure agreed on the reasons for doing so. APL is not a standard process but an individualized series of arrangements. • With every candidate an agreement will be made about the objective associated with the APL procedure • If available the employer & workplace are involved in the procedure Challenge: most APL procedures now are dominated by education, not focussing on broader individual needs National covenant a quality code for APL

15. The covenant: results and challenges (3) Every APL procedure ends with an APL report. This report states that the individual has documentation of the competencies he possesses.. • This APL report is a partly standardised document only distributed by registered APL providers. • Individual competencies against a standard supports transparency, exchange of APL results between providers; can be exchanged for diploma’s and certificates. • Can be used as a document in the labour market underpinning a CV. Challenge: is a completely new document. Will it become as valuable as we expect it to be? National covenant a quality code for APL

16. The covenant: results and challenges (4) Accredited APL providers are listed in a directory • VET and HE providers can have themselves provisionally registered as accredited APL providers without first being evaluated by an evaluating organization • Other APL providers can have themselves registered as "accredited APL providers” but they must submit the evaluation report of an evaluating organization to the APL Knowledge Centre. Challenge: The accreditation procedure & costs are rather complex, the number of providers is growing fast. Is this accreditation system sustainable enough? National covenant a quality code for APL

17. The covenant: results and challenges (5) Only professionals can be supervisors or assessors. • Independence of the assessors is guaranteed • The roles of supervisor and assessor are separate • The supervisors are able to present procedures and to interview, coach and give feedback to individuals; they are professionals in the fields in which their coaching specializes. • The assessors are able to interview, give feedback to individuals and evaluate competencies; they are able to communicate assessment results; they are professionals in the fields in which they conduct assessments. Challenges: system of quality assurance, costs… National covenant a quality code for APL

18. The covenant: results and challenges (6) The quality of APL procedures is always being improved, both at the level of the providers of APL and at the level of the code itself. • APL providers are expected to align APL procedures with their quality management systems. Evaluation of candidates & their employers is needed. • Knowledge Centre EVC will evaluate the introduction of the code. Report August 2007. National covenant a quality code for APL

19. REPORT AUGUST 2007 YES !!! National covenant a quality code for APL

20. Dutch Knowledge Cetre on APL www.kenniscentrumevc.nl Info@kenniscentrumevc.nl Stieneke Boerma boerma@kenniscentrumevc.nl National covenant a quality code for APL