Transversal Skills for Work and Life: Strengthening Guidance and Validation

The Research Conference took place from April 18-19th, 2023 at the Hotel Maurice Ravel, Paris

Building bridges between research, policy and practice for guidance and validation of transversal competences in Europe

Both in work settings and in daily life, there is a growing need for individuals to develop high-level competences to address complex challenges. Transversal competences set the foundation for personal development, resilience, the ability to communicate and work constructively with others, problem-solving, and the ability to manage one’s learning and career.  Yet transversal competences are not always valued or made visible in guidance and validation processes for adult learners.

The ongoing TRANSVAL-EU project — one of the largest policy experimentations in Europe — has aimed to bridge this gap in guidance and assessment in validation of non-formal and informal learning (VNFIL).

The TRANSVAL-EU research conference was held in Paris 18 – 19 April 2023 with the goal to:

• Share opportunities to explore and debate dimensions of research, policy and practice in this area
• Share and discuss results of the TRANSVAL-EU research study, including findings from the study on the outcomes and impact of validation of transversal skills on adult learners’ daily lives and in the labour market. The impact on practitioner competences and good practices from the pilot study countries (Austria, Belgium, Italy, Lithuania, and Poland) will also be featured.

The Conference Agenda can be found here.

The TRANSVAL-EU research conference provided opportunities for researchers to share and discuss state-of-the-art research in the field of validation of non-formal and informal learning (VNFIL) of transversal skills, including in conference panels, workshops, and a networking reception.

Please find the conference panel presentations here:

• TRANSVAL-EU Project Rationale
• Simplon.co
• Challenge Lab
• Design thinking approach in policy implemetation
• Professionalization of practitioners

Please find the conference workshop presentations here:

• Workshop: Impact of learning & guidance – What do research results tell us?
• Workshop: Skills Audit Method – Supporting Materials
• Workshop: Skills Audit Method – Presentation
• Workshop: Gender Aspects
• Workshop: EQF and Transversal Skills and Competences
• Workshop: Creativity in borderline situations
• Workshop: The bridge between research & guidance and validation practice
• Workshop:_Quality_Compass