Validation of experiential learning is based on the identification, accreditation and certification of acquired abilities in formal and informal contexts. These procedures have raised interest in recent years in trainers, researchers and coordinators of training service from different countries.
Since half 90s, the European Union established a common framework for the development of training practices by attributing equal dignity to formal and informal practices compared to traditional training systems. The Lisbon Treaty also encourages the diffusion of validated and recognized systems for the assessment of acquired competences.
Most of the EU Countries have adopted these directives and develop models for the recognition of experiential learning.
Istituto Italiano di Valutazione has worked with several organizations on the design and implementation of experiential learning projects, carrying out activities such as:
– advisory support to enterprises and public offices interested in approaching the validation of experiential learning (transferability of protocols and assessment tools, management of interviews and procedures, supervision of the assessment process, elaboration of validation methods, etc.);
– support to the validation of the competences for individuals and small groups: information for individual access, preparation to the final skills assessment, production of dossiers, etc.;
– training intervention on validation procedures for professionals, consultants, HR managers, with a particular attention to the necessities of the client and the complexity of the single intervention model.