New podcast on VPL of transversal skills for all citizens

Our partner the Nordic Network for Adult Learning (NVL) featured the TRANSVAL-EU project in the new episode of their podcast series dedicated to adult education. In this episode titled “VPL of transversal skills for all citizens” Dr. Maurice de Greef from our partner Vrije Universiteit Brussel talks about the TRANSVAL-EU project and why transversal skills are important for finding a better job position, but also for our participation in society and our daily life as citizens.

The latest episode was recorded in Reykjavík where experts in competence development and validation, including some of the TRANSVAL-EU partners, took part in the Validation of Prior Learning Biennale last 19-20th May. Dr. de Greef  talked to Bryndís Skarphéðinsdóttir, the national coordinator of NVL for Iceland. He was among three speakers from the Biennale, interviewed for the NVL podcast series.

He explained that at TRANSVAL-EU we want to show, in Europe, the importance of transversal skills as skills that you can use in your daily life, but also to improve your position at work. TRANSVAL-EU wants to find out if how we validate transversal skills to shorten a learner’s education path, or to show employers that a candidate has achieved these competences. We want to understand if the learners, after the validation of their transversal skills, get a better labour market position or are more socially included. We believe that if you invest in finding out what skills people have already acquired, you save time and resources, and allow these people to be better integrated in the labour market and in society. If people can show their transversal skills, they will have more chances in the labour market but also in life.

Then, he went on to provide examples of the transversal skills that TRANSVAL-EU is working on, as well as their universal application at work and in daily life – problem solving, critical thinking, communication skills. When asked whether transversal skills should be validated separately from job-specific skills, as it is done now in Iceland, or whether these should be integrated, Dr. de Greef pointed out that TRANSVAL-EU adopts a holistic approach. We have observed that people, especially those with lower educational degree, make bigger steps in their progress in the labour market when their transversal skills are also valued. Moreover, as human beings, we are not two separate persons at work and in our daily life, so why separate the validation of our skills?

If you want to hear more about this, listen to this inspiring conversation. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts Nordisk Netværk for Voksnes Læring (NVL).