A new European Community of validation and guidance professionals

European projects like TRANSVAL-EU supports the creation and animation of a European Community of validation and guidance professionals. This community already exists thanks to the periodic organisation of peer learning activities within the European Qualification Framework Advisory Group, an expert group with Ministry representatives and EU stakeholders run by the European Commission (EC), the Validation Festival organised by the EC, and the Validation for Prior Learning Biennale at international level.

TRANSVAL-EU intended to contribute to the existence of the community with additional online and offline activities such as events, webinars, podcasts, and peer learning. There are two main dissemination channels for news about validation and guidance: the project Linkedin page as well as the dedicated newsletter run by the Lifelong Learning Platform with a mailing list of over 400 subscribers active in the field.

After 30 months of project work between partners who in some cases knew each other and in some other cases, didn’t know each other helped to reinforce the ties of the community between EU partners and national or regional partners. It involved a diversity of organisations and sectors: vocational training, adult education, schools, career guidance centres, universities, research centres, civil society organisations and supported the idea that despite having different target groups and context, transnational and national cooperation can greatly contribute to innovate and learn from each other. 

In the long-run, it is expected that the community will have more resources to organise activities. One of the currently available options is for the Lifelong Learning Platform to enlarge participation in its Validation Task Force (Working Group) to more participants, particularly from the TRANSVAL-EU partnership. The Task Force gathers already over 20 organisations and experts from LLLP membership and key partner organisations such as the European Youth Forum, Cedefop, Salto Youth and the Centre for European Volunteering. The next meeting will take place in the autumn (2023). There are also considerations to add several layers to the community to not just focus on EU cooperation but also to increase intra-national cooperation. Existing networks from TRANSVAL-EU partner countries and regions, such as in Italy, Austria, Poland, Lithuania, or Belgium are crucial for this community to arise. 

In the future it is hoped that the community will have a more formal structure which would consist in a coordinating team, active participants, and observers (see figure below).

How to join the community?

More news will soon be shared about future community activities.