Recognition of Prior Learning
English
ILO
The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org
Lifelong learning
There is a critical need for a greater overall investment in education and training, particularly in developing countries. Education and training investments should be closely linked to economic and employment growth strategies and programmes. Responsibility should be shared between the government (primary responsibility), enterprises, the social partners, and the individual. To make lifelong learning for all a reality, countries will need to make major reforms of their vocational and education and training systems. School-to-work schemes for young people should integrate education with workplace learning. Training systems need to become more flexible and responsive to rapidly changing skill requirements. Reforms should also focus on how learning can be facilitated, not just on training for specific occupational categories.
Other topic
Other knowledge products
Moderators
In the absence of recognized qualifications, a large proportion of people face severe disadvantages in getting decent jobs, migrating to other regions and accessing further education, even though they might have the necessary knowledge and skills. The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process can help these individuals acquire a formal qualification that matches their knowledge and skills, and thereby contribute to improving their employability, mobility, lifelong learning, social inclusion and self-esteem. This E-discussion will highlight the importance of RPL and how such systems contribute to poverty reduction, job-creation and employment.
This discussion will commence on 24 September.
Today’s globalized and fast-changing world is marked by an increasing diversity and flexibility in where people work; how people work; the regularization of; and mobility for work. Because of these developments, workers have been able to obtain skills and knowledge through a wide range of sources and means, both within countries and across developed, developing and emerging economies. Capturing the competencies that individuals acquire over the course of their lives, regardless of where or how they were acquired, is important in ensuring that workers have evidence of all skills obtained. Proof of acquired skills also eases the transition between different jobs and can remove barriers to wage growth.
In developing countries with high school dropout rates, many workers acquire workplace skills via informal means. As a consequence they face significant challenges in gaining decent employment and furthering their education if systems are not in place through which knowledge, skills and competence acquired through non-formal and informal means are recognized. Against this backdrop, ensuring that workers have access to systems that enable them to ‘document’ the worth of their skills for use in the labour market becomes increasingly important. With half of the global labour force working and producing in the informal economy (amidst growing informality in industrialized countries), and with the increasing internationalization of labour markets, the benefits of recognizing prior learning are vast. These include the transfer and recognition of the skills of migrants in new contexts, an easier capacity for workers to…..
(Please read full Guidance Note below.)
We invite you to contribute to this discussion by responding to the following questions:
1. How has your country used RPL systems and what results and lessons have emerged from its use?
2. What challenges has your country experienced in the implementation of RPL systems?
3. Recognition systems can be used to promote more inclusive and sustainable economic growth that benefits everyone. In your view, what potential benefits do RPL systems offer migrant workers/refugees?
4. How can we build trust around the assessments offered via RPL?