Page 114 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

6.2.4. Formative validation tools and career management skills
Section 5.2.5 has already examined how validation (identification and recognition
of an individual’s competences, regardless of how they were developed) can be
used as a ‘second chance’ measure to support the reintegration of early school
leavers. However, validation has a dual dimension as it also offers young people
an opportunity to develop their career management skills and can help them to
make informed decisions about their future.
There are a number of examples of validation measures across Europe
which are specifically targeted towards young people, in particular those engaged
in extra-curricular activities (such as sports and other hobbies, voluntary activities
and membership of youth groups). Young people can gain a wide range of skills
and competences through such activities, including ‘soft skills’ (team-working,
communication, organisation and leadership skills), which can be hard to
measure, and which may not be recognised through formal education
qualifications. Validation presents an opportunity to capture and record young
people’s achievements outside formal learning.
In 2004, the European Council recognised the clear distinction between the
identification and the validation of non-formal and informal learning (Draft
conclusions of the Council ..., 2004). While the identification process ‘records and
makes visible the individual’s learning outcomes’, it does not lead to formal
certification or the award of a diploma. However, validation is ‘based on the
assessment of the individuals’ learning outcomes and may result in a certificate or
diploma’. The distinction between identification and validation can also be referred
to as ‘formative’ or ‘summative’ validation and this is the terminology used for this
study. The examples discussed here tend to focus on formative validation and offer
young people a chance to reflect on their competences and strengths and to record
them using tools such as portfolios, rather than enabling them to access a formal
qualification. In other words, formative validation mechanisms can act as a
guidance tool for young people as they help them identify and record their skills and
competences, reflect on the learning from such activities, consider future learning
and employment options, and thereby help them to learn to manage their own
careers. Further, for individuals (such as potential and actual school leavers) who
may have experienced difficulties in taking tests and examinations in a formal
school environment, less ‘formal’ approaches, can prove to be a suitable approach
to identifying key skills and competences.
The German ProfilPASS is an example of a formative validation initiative
based on a competence portfolio. The initiative promotes the concept of career
management skills, enabling young people to reflect on their own activities and

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