The Recognition of Prior Learning (i.e., Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning or Prior Learning Assessment) is a central topic within European adult education policies. One of the priorities is to encourage the implementation of arrangements to support people who have been disadvantaged in the education or labour market system. Completed an RPL process, they should have the chance to gain formally recognized qualifications without completing the regular educational pathway of the formal education system (Council of the European Union 2012). Especially outcomes from non-formal or informal learning that emerged in the practice of everyday work and are applied to the same practice of everyday work, should be subject to recognition.

Involving employers and enterprises is important but challenging

Providers of educational and counselling services, interest representations, and third sector organizations are important providers of arrangements for the recognition of prior learning. Policy programmes define their tasks and responsibilities regarding counselling and validation (i.e., identification, documentation, assessment, and certification) of learning outcomes. Enterprises and employers, however, have an equally important but often underestimated role to play. It is them who decide about the recognition of certificates and if a person can valorise on the results of the recognition. Even though enterprises and employers are considered within policies (Council of the European Union 2012), their tasks and responsibilities remain somewhat opaque.

More often than not, connecting employing enterprises with arrangements for the recognition of prior learning is rather challenging. A team from the University of Graz, Austria, addressed some of the challenges in the research project by the name of Valid Holz (Assinger 2022b). Among others, the managerial practice in wood processing enterprises was examined with regard to the recognition of prior learning and the competence development promoted through the practice of recognition. Research results were recently published in an article in the Journal Studies in Continuing Education (Assinger 2022a).

Analysis of recognition in workplace through a new conceptual approach

The article is based on three assumptions: 1) Workplaces reproduce societal power relations. Consequently, interests concerning the recognition of prior learning diverge between employers and employees and not all employees are given equal recognition by managers, supervisors, or colleagues (Berglund and Andersson 2012). 2) The concept of recognition of prior learning along the process of identification, documentation, assessment, and certification of learning outcomes (i.e. validation) is ill-suited for the analysis of workplace recognition. 3) The recognition of prior learning should encourage further learning in informal, non-formal and formal contexts and by this support continuous competence development. Conceptually, these three assumptions suggest that work, recognition, and learning are interconnected and cannot be separated from each other (Andersson 2017).

In a first step, a conceptual framework was sketched out. Workplace recognition was defined in line with Stephen Billett (2016) as a form of workplace pedagogy. As such, workplace recognition refers to a practice that extends existing learning affordances or creates new learning opportunities. Moreover, by reference to Ulrich Weiß (2018), two modes of recognition were defined, that of validation and that of interpellation. Finally, borrowing from Wallo et al. (2021), three practice orientations were integrated in the framework: the performance orientation, the developmental orientation, and the vocational orientation leading to adaptive, developmental, or vocational learning. The conceptual framework was applied to analyse interviews conducted in the wood processing industry.

Recognition as a tool for productive performance development

The performance orientation was predominant in the examined enterprises. Competences or work performance were primarily recognized by managers or supervisors when this contributed to improving the productive performance of the enterprise. Consequent learning processes most often lead to adaptive learning, that means they serve employees to adapt to new tasks or new technical equipment. A side effect of this kind of performance orientation is that those employees that are higher qualified and are expected to have more productive capacity are given more attention and recognition compared to those employees in a more vulnerable position. The developmental orientation tends to be more common in the mode of interpellation rather than the mode of validation. When employees are afforded the chance to take on new tasks and responsibilities or to discuss their ideas in meetings (i.e., competence interpellation), this might contribute to their individual development based on developmental learning. This kind of competence development usually occurs within informal settings in the workplace.

A positive effect on learning and development is possible when employees are supported by more experienced colleagues. For instance, a qualification matrix was used in one enterprise to assess competences and then further develop work practices supported by a mentor. Employee appraisals are also settings in which workplace recognition might occur. It is important, however, that the appraising supervisor is focussed on the strengths of the employee, because otherwise an appraisal can be counterproductive; and so can be competence matrices when no feedback is provided or when individual needs are disregarded. Surprisingly, the vocational orientation was most seldomly identified in the interviews. Formal up-skilling and vocational qualifications seem to have a minor importance for managers and supervisors. Mostly apprentices striving for a career within their employing enterprise are getting supported in terms of formal vocational training.

From educational policy to labour policy?

The study makes no claims for universal validity or the transfer of results into other industrial branches. A replication study would certainly be useful to assess how managerial practice in other contexts relate to the recognition of prior learning. And still, the are some implications that ought to be of interest to the adult education policy and practice community.

It is necessary to professionalise managers and supervisors so that they appreciate and make use of the value of workplace recognition for employees’ professional and individual development as well as for enterprise productivity. For this to happen, much more effort and resources need to be invested to disseminate information about the recognition of prior learning among enterprises and employers. Information should promote both workplace recognition and arrangement to gain full or partial formal vocational qualifications. It would be of great benefit if the recognition of prior learning would spread and became an actual part of human resource strategies. It is a political question, however, whether the recognition of prior learning remains an exclusive issue of educational policy, as it basically is in the EU and many of its member states, or whether it can become an issue of labour policy as well (Casano 2016). In this respect, it needs a strong adult education community.

This blog post is based on results that have been published and are freely available in the Journal Studies in Continuing Education, 25. October 2022 https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2022.2109615

References

Council of the European Union. 2012. Recommendation of the Council of 20 Dezember 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning. (2012/C 398/01). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32012H1222(01)&from=EN

Andersson, Per. 2017. “Validation as a Learning Process.“ In The Learner at the Center: Validation of Prior Learning strengthens lifelong learning for the learner, edited by Ruud Duvekot, Dermot Coughlan, and Kirsten Aagaard. 121-128. Aarhus: EC-VPL. https://ec-vpl.nl/downloads/book-2017-english-vplbiennale-the-learner-at-the-centre.pdf

Assinger, Philipp. 2022a. “Recognition of Prior Learning in Workplaces: exploring managerial practice by the means of a heuristic conceptual framework.” Studies in Continuing Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2022.2109615

Assinger, Philipp. Ed. 2022b. Betriebliche Bildung in der Holzwirtschaft: Digitalisierung und Kompetenzentwicklung. Bielefled: wbv Media. https://doi.org/10.3278/9783763971589 

Berglund, Leif, and Per Andersson. 2012. “Recognition of Knowledge and Skills at Work: In Whose Interests?” Journal of Workplace Learning 24 (2): 73–84. https://doi.org/10.1108/13665621211201670

Billett, Stephen. 2016. “Apprenticeship as a Mode of Learning and Model of Education.” Education+ Training 58 (6): 613–628. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-01-2016-0001

Casano, Lilli. 2016. “The Future of European Labour Law and the Right to Employability. Which Role for the Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning?” European Labour Law Journal 7 (3), 498-519. https://doi.org/10.1177/201395251600700311

Wallo, Andreas, Henrik Kock, Cathrine Reineholm, and Per-Erik Ellström. 2021. “How do Managers Promote Workplace Learning? Learning-Oriented Leadership in Daily Work.” Journal of Workplace Learning 34 (1): 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-11-2020-0176

Weiß, Ulrich. 2018. “Arbeitsintegrierte Kompetenzentwicklung Ohne Anerkennung? Adressierung und Validierung in Beruflichen und Betrieblichen Anerkennungsverhältnissen.” In Betriebliche Kompetenzentwicklung in Heterogenen Lernkonstellationen Gestalten, edited by Gabriele Molzberger, 13–23. Münster: Waxmann.

Author

Philipp Assinger is Assistant Professor for continuing vocational education and training at the Institute of Educational Science at the University of Graz, Austria. His research and teaching activities are concerned with the role of vocational education as a means to increased workplace participation. His research projects address the validation and recognition of prior learning, workplace learning, second chance education and adult education policy. Personal website: https://homepage.uni-graz.at/de/philipp.assinger/