Recognition of Experience Validation of Experience, Achievements and Learning Erasmus Project

Project Title

Recognition of Experience Validation of Experience, Achievements and Learning

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); Inclusion – equity; Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits)

Project Summary

It is significant that currently only 4.3% of adults with low formal education in the EU participate in lifelong learning. The need to create, promote and support a learning society is currently being hampered by problems such as how to bridge the gap between informal, non-formal and formal learning, how to support and activate hard to reach and underserved learner groups and how to apply technology to social innovations. As the recent response paper from the Lifelong Learning Platform to the EU’s Future of Learning (2018) states: “we urge Member States to broaden[their] scope to the non-formal and informal learning as providers in this area, particularly civil society organisations, are in a strategic position for reaching out to the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in society.”

Objectives
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Everyone belongs to Local Recognition Networks (LRNs) of some sort, which may be a professional, civic or social network, informal or formal (club, association, business, trade union, etc.). Whether for leisure or work pursuits, these LRNs are places where individuals develop a wide range of skills, knowledge, attitudes and values that could be activated beyond those places. But to do so, they would need to be recognised beyond the limits of LRNs.

The objectives of REVEAL (Recognition of Experience Validation of Experience, Achievements and Learning) is twofold:
* providing support to existing informal and formal networks to become active Learning Recognition Networks, i.e. recognising the learning that takes place within in a way that makes it visible beyond
* exploring the potential of loosely coupling (informal) ‘recognition’ and (formal) ‘validation’ as a means to remove current barriers to recognition

REVEAL builds on existing and emerging practices with the support of technologies, Open Badges, open data and their application to social innovation to remove barriers to recognition, encouraging new learning and career pathways based on real life experience with a focus on adults with low levels of formal education in, or expected to be, in precarious job situations, e.g. early school leavers, long term unemployed, women back to work, migrants.

Outcomes
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The project flows from analysis, co-design iterative development and testing to guidelines for action:

* IO1 – LRN Modelling: identification and recognition of existing Local Recognition Networks (LRN) to formalise their practices. The modelling LRNs practices will be used to initially inform IO2 and IO3.

* IO2 – iREVEAL: activating and supporting Learning Recognition Networks with “agile” development of an “Open Access” Open Badge environment supporting the practices identified in IO1. Co-designed during IO3, this IO is primarily focused on technologies (supporting practices).

* IO3 – REVEAL Piloting: activation of a number of LRNs contributing to the co-design of IO2: specification, testing, feedback. This IO is primarily focused on practices (supported by technologies.

* IO4 – REVEAL Exploitation Pack. A range of resources supporting the emergence and operation of LRNs.

* IO5 – REVEAL White Paper. The lessons learned in the course of the project to encourage institutions of further and higher education, public authorities and employers to open their policies to informal recognition practices.

Expected impact
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The impact will be twofold:

* Individual: the project will have a direct impact on people’s lives by offering them a chance to have the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values acquired and activated within those LRNs to be recognised within and beyond those LRNs. This will offer them chances and options to develop economically and socially sustainable life courses even in times of change and interruption or false starts.

* Community: individual and community recognition work hand in hand: the recognition of the community (LRN) as a whole will have a positive impact on the recognition of its members and, conversely, the recognition of individuals beyond the borders of their community will have a positive impact on the recognition of the community as a whole therefore empowering further its individual members.

Long term benefits
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Creating and sustaining an open and learning society where the qualities and contributions of its members is recognised and valued will have a positive impact on social cohesion and economic well-being of all its members.

Participants
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1. Espace Mendès France (France)
2. Open Recognition Netherlands (the Netherlands)
3. AKMI (Greece)
4. Novo Mesto (Slovenia)
5. Cognizone (Belgium)
6. PRISM (Italy)

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 388985 Eur

Project Coordinator

ESPACE MENDES FRANCE-MAISON DES SCIENCES ET TECHNIQUES DU POITOU-CHARENTES & Country: FR

Project Partners

• RAZVOJNO IZOBRAZEVALNI CENTER NOVOMESTO
• Open Recognition Nederland
• PRISM IMPRESA SOCIALE S.R.L.
• AKMI ANONIMI EKPAIDEFTIKI ETAIRIA
• Cognizone