Improving the Quality of Non‑Formal Adult Learning

4. Ensuring quality in adult learning through additional support structures

Abstract

Ensuring the quality of the adult education sector requires a holistic approach. Certification and evaluation of providers of adult learning are a necessary but not sufficient condition to ensure the highest possible quality of the sector. Validation of prior learning and lifelong guidance are central to the quality of adult education since they enable access, participation and progression, which are all intrinsic to quality in the field. Similarly, the professionalisation of the teaching staff is paramount to improve the overall quality of the adult education system, especially in the non-formal sector. Involving the social partners in quality assurance is also key to make sure that all stakeholders are fully involved in the (re)training of adults. Finally, information on quality should be publicised so that prospective learners, employers and institutions can make informed choices about which training to invest in.

Validation of prior learning and lifelong guidance

By definition, quality assurance represents all “activities involving planning, implementation, evaluation, reporting, and quality improvement, implemented to ensure that all education and training (content of programmes, curricula, assessment and validation of learning outcomes, etc.) meet the quality requirements expected by stakeholders” (Cedefop, 2011[1]). As such, validation of prior learning – i.e. the process of confirmation by an authorised body that an individual has acquired learning outcomes measured against a relevant standard (European Commission, 2013[2]) – becomes a critical element in the quality of adult training in terms of motivation, access, persistence and progression. Over the past few years, this has become more and more important given the increasingly heterogeneous nature of adult learning with its multiple and flexible upskilling pathways. Consequently, participants to the 2013 Thematic Working Group on quality in adult learning of the European Commission unanimously agreed that the availability of guidance and validation is an indispensable dimension of quality assurance of adult education and should form part of quality criteria for the certification of providers (European Commission, 2013[2]).

In fact, adults may have low qualification levels, but may have gained skills through years of work-experience that are equivalent to those associated with formal qualifications. Equally, while many adults may have low literacy and numeracy levels, they might nevertheless possess a range of other valuable skills such as the ability to drive different vehicles or care for customers (OECD, 2019[3]). Recognising these skills through validation and certification can benefit individuals, employers and the economy. For the individual, the validation recognises their (informal) learning effort, which can increase motivation and become a stepping-stone to further (formal) learning. Employers benefit from skill recognition through higher productivity, by being able to better match employees’ skillsets and jobs. The benefits of skill validation and certification for the individual and employer, in turn, improve labour market functioning by making actual skills possessed by adults more visible to prospective employers (Kis and Windisch, 2018[4]). Overall, for these positive effects to materialise, it is important that employers and society at large value certificates that are obtained through skill recognition and see them as equivalent to those acquired through formal learning.

Although there is no unique approach to the recognition of existing skills and the recognition processes vary widely across contexts, they often include four phases: (1) identification of the experiences of an individual through dialogue; (2) documentation to support the individual’s experiences; (3) a formal assessment of these experiences; and (4) certification of the results of the assessment which may lead to a partial or full qualification (cf. Council Recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning, 2012/C 398/01).

There is a clear link between validation and lifelong guidance, since learners need the guidance to embark on a validation pathway. For instance, in Portugal, Qualifica Centres are comprehensive one‑stop shops for guidance on lifelong learning. The centres target adults with low qualifications, the unemployed and young people not in employment, education or training. One of the main responsibilities of the centres is the skills recognition, which is embedded in their overall guidance offer. Any adult seeking advice at one of the 303 Qualifica Centres undergoes a standardised four‑step process: i) information and enrolment; ii) analysis and development of a skill profile; iii) discussion and definition of appropriate education and training path; and iv) referral to recognition procedures or appropriate education and training provision. To enter the recognition procedures, adults must be older than 18 years of age and have a minimum of 3 years professional experience. The process entails the preparation of a skill portfolio and a written, oral or practical exam. A jury awards a certificate of total or partial recognition. Partial recognition can lead to full recognition through the completion of modular training, although local provision may vary and not always be in line with the identified training needs. In 2017, 28 804 adults enrolled in recognition procedures and 10 157 received a certificate.

France has a long-standing tradition of recognising and certifying existing skills (Validation des acquis de l’expérience – VAE), which was strengthened by a 2002 law establishing the National Certification Register, a dedicated commission which validates the conformity of certificates awarded through VAE. Adults can now gain recognition for around 1 300 qualifications by demonstrating that they have the relevant skills through work experience. Different bodies are responsible for implementing VAE, and various laws, decrees and frameworks ensure consistency between procedures.

The validation procedure has been described as demanding and lengthy, in particular for adults with low skills (Mathou, 2019[5]). For example, adults must not only be able demonstrate their previous experience in their written skill portfolio, but also be able to verbalise and reflect on their experience in a jury interview panel. In recent years, however, access to the recognition procedure has been made more inclusive for adults with low qualification levels and employers are now obliged to inform their employees about VAE every two years in the context of their professional development. Moreover, since late 2014, adults have the right to receive support during the VAE process, including in the preparation of the portfolio and interview process. In practice, the support is provided by the responsible bodies awarding the qualification or specific counselling providers. Adults also have access to specific VAE leave. The state also pays the cost of validation for unemployed people. For employees, the cost is covered by rights accumulated throughout working life. There is a mix of funding for ‘in-between’ cases; otherwise, the individual pays between EUR 600‑2000. Yet, in spite of these changes, participation in the VAE has remained relatively constant in the past 13 years, and – if anything – it has decreased since 2014: around 25 000 complete certifications are delivered each year, with less than 24 000 in 2018 (French Ministry of Public Actions and Accounts, 2019[6]).

Over the last few years, more and more countries in Europe have attempted to develop quality assurance mechanisms specific to validation processes. For instance, according to Cedefop (2019[7]), the number of countries with explicit quality assurance arrangements for validation of prior learning has more than doubled, from 6 countries in 2014 to 15 in 2018. This implies that, in gradually more and more countries, any general quality assurance mechanism developed for the overall adult learning sector should co-habit with quality assurance systems specific to validation. Moreover, it is also important that any attempt to create a quality framework for the whole adult learning sector also ensures good coordination with career guidance services, in order to guarantee the most effective support to individuals’ career decisions and personal development (Cedefop, 2019[8]).

Improving the quality of the teaching staff to improve the quality of the training

The professionalisation of the teaching staff is one of the most challenging aspects of quality assurance in adult education. Indeed, unlike in compulsory schooling and higher education, where the need for initial and continuous training as a teacher is less questioned, in adult learning there appears to be an assumption that, since a lot of non-formal learning is job-related, teachers’ work experience is more valuable than their pedagogical skills (Broek and Buiskool, 2013[9]). Staff trained to teach at different levels are often hired to teach adults without upskilling in adult-specific teaching methodologies. However, the frequent non-formal dimension of adult learning creates a need to carefully balance the advantages of professionalisation with the potential drawbacks of over-regulation and over-burdening.

In many OECD countries, high-level qualification requirements exist to enter the adult learning sector, but they mostly apply only to formal learning. Exploiting information from ad hoc national reports, in 2009 the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning collected data on the training qualifications required for adult education personnel in several OECD countries (Unesco Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), 2009[10]). As Table 4.1 shows, a secondary education qualification gives access to jobs as an adult trainer in only a few OECD countries. This is the case in Mexico, for example, where trainers simply need to have a junior high-school diploma and an inclination to teach. In the vast majority of countries, postgraduate qualifications are required, as well as a certain number of years of experience. However, these requirements do not typically apply to non-formal training. For instance, in Slovenia, adult educators in the formal sector must have a higher education qualification in the appropriate field and must pass a professional examination, while teachers in non-formal programmes of adult education are not bound to these requirements.

Moreover, even when countries require higher education qualifications, a university degree does not guarantee that trainers have the competencies to teach a public of adults. Requirements on teaching methods adapted to adults are virtually inexistent in most OECD countries. Only a few country require specific training in andragogic methods – among these, Estonia and Ireland are prominent examples.

Table 4.1. Qualifications and training levels of adult education personnel

Country	Area of training	Qualification – Entry	Qualification – Training
Austria	Adult Education	Different previous educational backgrounds, mainly depending on the provider sector	Universities and other institutions have didactically-oriented programmes for trainers and lecturers in their programme
Belgium (Flanders)	Adult Education	Since 2008 teachers in adult basic education need proof of pedagogical competence	Training of trainers programme, consisting of 280 teaching periods, 120 of which are dedicated to practical training
Denmark	Adult Education	Master’s programme at a university or corresponding level; completion of a course in educational theory and practice	N/A
Estonia	Adult Education	Adult educators’ professional qualification has four levels	N/A
Finland	Adult Education	Same qualification requirements as for teachers: degree in the teaching subject, 35 credit points in pedagogic studies (one credit point equal to 40 hours of student’s work)	On average, Finnish teachers participate in continuing professional training for 9‑15 days a year
Ireland	Adult Education	Qualifications for adult education organisers and coordinators employed by Vocational Education Committees are growing. For example, the NALA/WIT Higher Certificate in Arts in Adult Education (NFQ Level 6) or equivalent is required to become an Adult Literacy Organiser	In-service support and training is administered by the Department of Education and Science’s Teacher Training Unit, the Further Education Support Service and a grant to the Vocational Education Committees is provided towards training in specific programmes
Slovak Republic	Adult Education	In general, university education in the field in which the educators lecture, practice in the field and the lecturer’s skills constitute the basic requirement	N/A
Slovenia	Adult Education	Adult educators must have a higher education qualification in the appropriate field and must pass the professional examination; teachers in non-formal programmes of adult education are not bound to these demands	Teachers can receive at least five days of training per year or 15 days every three years
	Literacy	Literacy teachers must have a University degree, need to have finished adult education training and must pass the professional exam	Initial adult literacy teacher training is a 112‑ to 132‑hour programme
Switzerland	Vocational Education and Training	The modular train-the-trainer system comprises four stages, each of which leads to a certificate or diploma which is required for an adult educator	N/A
United Kingdom	Further Education	Teaching qualification based on National Standards for teaching and supporting learning	N/A
Israel	Adult Education	Teacher’s college or university certification is a prerequisite for employment in publicly administered adult education; facilitators require certification by the Division of Adult Education	Participation in periodic in-service training sessions is part of the accepted timetable of teachers
Australia	Vocational Education and Training	National certificate in training and assessment	N/A
	Literacy	Teaching qualification and postgraduate qualification with at least three years’ experience	N/A
New Zealand	Literacy	Specific qualifications for adult literacy and numeracy educators have recently been developed, including a qualification for educators engaged in other vocational learning	N/A
Korea	Adult Education	Lifelong educators are certified by the government. They are neither subject masters nor instructors	Training through undergraduate, graduate courses, or in-service course programmes
Chile	Adult Education	Same requirements as required to practise as a teacher in the school system, namely a university degree	Courses of one week, followed by annual refresher sessions
Mexico	Adult Education	15 years-old or older, must have fulfilled junior high studies, an inclination to teach and availability to travel	The permanent training of these facilitators most cover three stages: orientation, initial training and continuing education

Source: UIL (2009[10]), Global report on adult learning and education, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000186431.

For these reasons, several countries have recently put in place specific projects to improve the quality of the teaching staff of adult learning programmes. For instance, since training for teaching staff in adult education is not regulated in Switzerland, instructors have frequently been working in voluntary or part-time positions without professional training. To solve this problem, following the recent rise in interest in the qualifications of adult trainers, the Swiss Federation for Adult Learning (SVEB) in 1995 introduced the programme “Train the Trainer” (AdA). AdA is a 3‑level core concept of staff quality, which provides a 3‑level certificate of the competences of adult education instructors.

In a similar vein, Austria established its Academy of Continuing Education (WBA) in 2007 as a validation system for the qualification and recognition of adult educators. The WBA is aimed at individuals from one of the four main professions in adult education who are actively involved in adult education in Austria, namely managerial positions, teaching and training, career guidance and counselling, and librarianship. The Academy recognises adult educators’ qualifications according to set standards based on qualification profiles, and it acknowledges prior learning results and offers guidance and counselling for the acquisition of missing skills. It does not offer further education programmes itself but accredits suitable courses offered by various adult education institutions throughout Austria. It awards two degrees: a certificate of basic competences in all four fields of adult education, and a higher-level diploma based on the certificate but focusing on the specific field the educators want to specialise in.

In Slovenia, the Institute for Adult Education provides professional training for adult educators with a threefold objective: i) acquire new knowledge and skills in order to perform quality work; ii) share their experience with others and evaluate their own practices under expert guidance in order to improve them; and iii) rethink their own professional identity of adult educator by professionally connecting with others. Three types of programmes are offered: (1) in the general basic training programme, participants acquire and further develop the knowledge of the discipline of adult education; (2) in the basic training for special roles programme, participants acquire basic knowledge for performing special roles, such as mentor in study circles, counsellor in guidance centres, quality counsellor, etc.; and (3) in the further training programme, participants upgrade their knowledge and reflect on their practice. Importantly, the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education allows recognition of prior learning for teachers. An up-to-date website contains all the information on activities, programmes and events organised by the Institute (https://izobrazevanje.acs.si/).

The European Commission has also provided guidance on teacher training in adult learning. In 2013, a Thematic Working Group on quality in adult learning of the European Commission developed a policy checklist in order to provide public authorities with a tool to self-assess existing policies, structures and systems for quality assurance of adult learning staff (European Commission, 2013[2]). The checklist covers: i) legal regulations for the qualifications of adult learning staff; ii) regulatory frameworks for the professional development of staff; iii) career paths/pathways leading to the profession; iv) the employment situation of adult learning staff; v) data collection for policy development; vi) systematic and regular promotion of the nature and benefits of adult learning professions; and vii) quality assurance and quality management. By gathering information under a detailed list of sub-headings on the above areas, the results of such an assessment aim at helping governments identifying gaps in their national framework for the professionalisation of adult trainers. In addition to the checklist on staff quality, the Thematic Working Group also elaborated a preliminary profiling grid for adult learning staff. Using the grid, providers themselves can self-evaluate the key competences required by staff working in the various sub-domains of adult learning. Overall, the aim is to show how different competences have different degrees of importance in different sectors. Creating teacher profiles could support providers in developing training for under-qualified staff and at the same time be in a position to offer validation of non-formal and informal learning to experienced staff lacking a professional qualification to teach adults.

Involving the social partners in quality assurance

The social partners can be involved in quality assurance at different levels, through providing oversight on boards of education providers, as part of local or sectoral quality assurance bodies or having representation on national agencies responsible for the quality assurance of adult learning (OECD, 2019[11]). Indeed, in some countries, the social partners have a role in agencies that ensure the quality of (parts of) the adult learning system. For instance, the Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education (Myndigheten för yrkeshögskolan) ensures the quality of higher vocational education programmes, and its advisory council for labour market issues comprises both trade unions and employers. The role of the advisory council includes the inspections of providers and programmes, including work-based training elements. The inspections entail observational visits, interviews with students, tutors, teachers and head coordinators. Based on the inspection, as well as an assessment of labour market needs, the council advises the National Agency about which training programmes should receive state grants and be included in the higher vocational education offer (Kuczera, 2013[12]).

Similarly, the social partners in Denmark are involved in the 11 continuing training and education committees, which monitor adult vocational training in different sectors of the labour market. One of the key inputs to the monitoring of programmes and providers is information produced through the system VisKvalitet. As discussed above, this system collects data from each participant about their satisfaction with the training via a questionnaire, as well as data from a sample of companies whose employees have attended training. Results are used by the committees to identify quality issues and develop remedial action.

The social partners can also be involved in the certification of adult learning providers: Flanders (Belgium) is currently introducing changes to their certification system to guarantee that training corresponds to labour market needs. Since September 2019, there are three certification streams for adult learning programmes that benefit from government funding: i) automatic certification for some training programmes (often more general or formal), such as the ones provided through adult education centres and higher education institutions; ii) certification through the social partners (Paritaire Comités) for training organised at the sector level; and iii) certification by the Flemish certification commission (Vlaamse erkenningscommissie) for all other training. The certification commission consists of the social partners.

Many countries have complex multi-level quality assurance systems, which are supported by the social partners. In Germany, for example, certification of training programmes in the context of active labour market policies is conducted by certifying bodies (Zertifizierungsstelle). One of the better-known certifying bodies, CERTQUA, is run by the leading German employer organisations. Certifying bodies, in turn, need to be accredited by the German Federal Public Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). An advisory council supports the agency in this work. Trade unions and employer organisations are part of the council.

Publicising information on providers’ quality

For individuals, employers and institutions to be able to make informed choices about which training to invest in, they need to have access to relevant and up-to-date information on the quality of different training providers and programmes. Certification and quality labels can serve as signals of quality, but training providers can also share more in-depth information on evaluations, learning outcomes and user satisfaction with the general public to help them decide which training to invest in. This information should ideally be easily accessible, presented in a user-friendly format. Indeed, consumer protection is an important objective of quality assurance systems.

In some countries, quality assurance bodies make the results from evaluations publicly available. In Norway, for example, Skills Plus makes the results from inspections of Skills Plus programmes and adult training in Study Associations available on its website. In the United Kingdom, the Department for Education publishes summary tables of outcome-based success measures, including sustained employment and learning rates, by provider on its website. In France, certain public institutions that finance training have to review the quality of the training providers they work with, and make the outcomes from the review process publicly available. For training providers that do not hold a specific quality label, the review consists of an evaluation of six quality criteria, including education and training of teachers and sharing of information on training outcomes. Training providers that comply with the criteria are registered in an online database accessible to financers of training (DataDock).

In some of those countries that make use of self-evaluation systems, it is actually compulsory to make the results publicly available. For example, in Denmark, the results from self-evaluations through the national VisKvalitet tool are centralised and published online. To protect learners’ data privacy, answers to the questionnaire are publicly shown only when at least 35 participants have answered. The system provides many opportunities to compare and track developments over time, both for individual labour market education and for schools. Box 4.1 shows how even countries outside Europe, such as Korea and Australia, share information on quality of adult training through online databases.

Box 4.1. Sharing information on quality through online databases: Evidence from outside Europe

Online databases that provide details on existing training programmes can help individuals, employers and institutions make informed adult learning choices. In some cases, these databases also provide quality information, such as learning outcomes or user satisfaction. The Korean HRD-Net website provides a wealth of information for a wide range of different training programmes. In addition to basic information on the duration of the course, the costs and the average age of the participants, the website also provides information on the employment rate and average wages of the graduates from the programmes. It also shows the satisfaction of participants, on a range from zero to five stars, and their reviews. Australia’s national directory of vocational education and training providers and courses (www.myskills.gov.au) allows users to search VET qualifications by industry and access information about average course fees, course duration, available subsidies and average employment outcomes. While employment outcomes are currently available by qualification, a plan exists to make them available at the provider level.

Source: OECD (2019[13]), Getting Skills Right: Future-Ready Adult Learning Systems, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264311756-en.

References

[9] Broek, S. and B. Buiskool (2013), Developing the adult learning sector: Quality in the Adult Learning Sector.

[8] Cedefop (2019), Coordinating guidance and validation, http://dx.doi.org/10.2801/801290.

[7] Cedefop (2019), European inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning 2018.

[1] Cedefop (2011), Glossary: Quality in education and training, Cedefop, Luxembourg, http://dx.doi.org/10.2801/94487.

[2] European Commission (2013), Thematic Working Group on Quality in Adult Learning Final Report.

[6] French Ministry of Public Actions and Accounts (2019), Annexe au projet de loi de finances pour 2020 - Formation professionnelle, https://www.ressources-de-la-formation.fr/doc_num_data.php?explnum_id=22115.

[4] Kis, V. and H. Windisch (2018), “Making skills transparent: Recognising vocational skills acquired through workbased learning”, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 180, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5830c400-en.

[12] Kuczera, M. (2013), A skills beyond school commentary on Sweden, OECD, Paris, http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/ASkillsBeyondSchoolCommentaryOnSweden.pdf (accessed on 19 May 2020).

[5] Mathou, C. (2019), 2018 update to the European inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning, Country Report France.

[3] OECD (2019), Getting Skills Right: Engaging low-skilled adults in learning, http://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/engaging-low-skilled-adults-2019.pdf (accessed on 19 May 2020).

[13] OECD (2019), Getting Skills Right: Future-Ready Adult Learning Systems, Getting Skills Right, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264311756-en.

[11] OECD (2019), Getting Skills Right: Making adult learning work in social partnership, http://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/adult-learning-work-in-social-partnership-2019.pdf.

[10] Unesco Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) (2009), Global report on adult learning and education., UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000186431 (accessed on 19 May 2020).