A glimpse of the field trials in French-speaking Belgium

The field trials in French-speaking Belgium (BE-FR) started in September 2022 with national trainings focusing mainly on the Transversal Competence Framework and its practical use in the pre-test guidance interview. The guidance interview is a conversation between the field professional and the candidate that will allow the latter to reflect on his/her skills in relation to the task to be performed on the day of the validation test.

As transversal competences are rather implicit in the validation frameworks and not certified as such, these field trials focus on the pre-test guidance interview for better identification of transversal competences in connection to the task that candidates need to perform during the practical test. This is based on the hypothesis that better identification of these competences will increase the candidates’ chances of success in the practical test.

Several face-to-face training sessions have taken place so far, in validation centers belonging to the IFAPME network (Training Agency for the Self Employed and SMEs in BE-FR) and at a Mission locale (local job center). The theoretical part of the trainings helped the validation and guidance practitioners understand the Transversal Competence Framework developed within the TRANSVAL-EU project and based on the solid outcomes of the RECTEC and RECTEC+ Erasmus+ projects. 

In the practical part of the trainings, the validation and guidance practitioners self-assessed the transversal competences that they use in their daily professional activities based on the Transversal Competence Framework. This activity allowed them to get acquainted with the 12 transversal competences of the Framework, as well as the levels of the National/European Qualification Frameworks (NQF/EQF). 

The event “Rencontre des Centres”, organised by CVDC (Consortium for the Validation of Competences)  on the topic of guidance process and hosted by A6K in Charleroi on October 21, 2022, was the perfect occasion to present the TRANSVAL-EU project and make connections with transversal competences. As part of the national trainings, also a TRANSVAL-EU workshop was organised in the afternoon, which gathered around the table validation and guidance practitioners from different validation centers belonging to the Belgian VNFIL network (Bruxelles Formation, FOREM, Enseignement de Promotion sociale).  

The next stage of the field trials has begun in some of the validation centers that took part in the national trainings. These include targeted sessions guiding the practitioners in the identification of the transversal competences that will be mobilized by the candidates during the validation tests. Once identified, these competences will be addressed in the positioning tool that is used during the pre-test guidance interview. At the moment, the experimentation revolves around the validation tests for administrative clerks and roofers.