Page 45 - increasing-the-value-of-age-guidance-in-employers-age-management-strategies

Increasing the value of age: guidance in employers’ age management strategies

Also consistently with the indications of the Eurofound study, the European
Commission research reveals that enterprises with a higher share of full-time
employees, of employees with a high education level, and of young employees
are more likely to develop training activities.
Training activities are also more likely in innovative enterprises. Innovation is
not only relevant at micro level, but also at macro level: training activities are
used more often by more employees in countries with a higher score on the
Innovation Union Scoreboard 2010 (European Commission, 2011).

3.3.4. Validation of non-formal and informal learning within enterprises
Learning occurs in firms in non-formal ways, outside the context of training
courses. People acquire knowledge as well as personal and technical experience
which carries value for both individuals and organisations. It is important that
these skills and knowledge are identified, signalled and put to good use for both
individuals and firms.
If correctly identified, workers’ skills and knowledge can be complemented
by training and successfully integrated in more complex processes in firms,
fostering innovation and increasing the quality of products, services and
processes. The potential of older workers is very high, given their life and
professional experience, but their knowledge and skills are frequently invisible
and not conveniently valued or used.
Validation of such skills is important in increasing the productive contribution
of older workers to organisations, making skills visible and suggesting potential
areas for career development. This is even more relevant where many of the
older workers, in spite of their relevant experience, have very low qualification
levels. Low qualifications thwart older workers’ labour market participation and
undermine the possibility of late career development.
The Council recommendation of 20 December 2012 on validation of non-
formal and informal learning (Council of the European Union, 2012)
acknowledges the essential role these processes can play for an ageing active
population and prompts Member States to develop comprehensive validation
systems, by 2018. These systems should engage all stakeholders and cover all
sectors, including privately owned firms. A key question is how European
enterprises effectively validate formal and informal learning.
A recent Cedefop study on assessing competences in enterprises concludes
that European enterprises are giving high priority to making knowledge, skills and
competences visible, but the term ‘validation’ is not well known (Cedefop,
forthcoming). The term ‘competence assessment’ is widely accepted and
preferred by most.

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