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“Creating awareness on validation of the acquired competences”

How to give visibility to your competencies.

Contents

According to the European Inventory report, there is a lack of awareness about the value of validation and sometimes there is no access to a proper validation method. It is important that each country develops the right tools for validation. If you want to make sure that your competencies are clearly displayed for a future employer, you should make sure that:

  • The validation tool you use has to measure what it is supposed to measure;
  • The validation tool you use must be reliable, in other words, if you are assessed under the same conditions in the future, you should achieve identical results;
  • The tool has to be free of bias, such as culture bias.
  • Assessors need to be able to judge, through your validation tool, the depth of your learning and knowledge.
  • The assessment tool has to be adequate to the position of purpose you are presenting it to. Depending on the job you are aspiring for, it is convenient to adapt your validation tool highlighting the competencies or degrees that they are asking for.

According to the European guidelines for validation of formal and informal learning, there are different tools you can use to present your competencies.

Source: photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Tools to present competencies:

  • CV and individual declaration of competencies.

This form of documenting the competencies is the most common way to show your capabilities and skills. The problem with the CV is that it may differ a lot from one country to another and that is why the Europass format is so useful in this sense. The CV can contain merely a list with the official qualification and job experience, but it can also contain a declaration of your individual competencies that derive from your life and job experiences. To do so, you must reflect about the experience you have lived and distinguish the skills you have developed thank you to that experience. After this reflection, you can put it in writing, and you can integrate the declaration of competencies in your CV.

  • Reports from third parties

Sometimes you can present a report from a third party that corroborates your skills and competencies. These reports can adopt different formats. They can be letters of recommendation, video or audio declarations from prior supervisors, employer, or work colleagues. Use your imagination and previous contacts. If you are looking for a new opportunity, any life experience may be useful and may have given you some knowledge and skill development.

  • Competencies portfolios

This option is very interesting and at the same time is one of the most complex ways of competency validation. The main objective of this format is to decrease the risk of subjectivity of your competencies using different tools to document them. Some countries have elaborated national guidelines for validation and recommend including the evaluation process of the content of the portfolio by a third party, for example, an external jury. This type of documentation of competencies requires reflexion and investigation of oneself. This makes you more capable to face the validation process and can help you to gain second opportunities. However, it requires a lot of time and effort, and sometimes it needs to be done with an external help and counselling. It is perfect to consider your personal and individual characteristics and competencies. The main risk that this tool presents is the lack of a proper approach. It is essential to dedicate enough time to self-reflection.

The importance of Europass:

Europass is a very interesting tool that was created to standardize the way in which European citizens present their competencies and skills in Europe. It was designed to make it easier for European citizens to move and work abroad in Europe. There are 30 European countries that are currently participating in this initiative. You can design 5 different documents using the Europass format: the curriculum vitae, language passport, Europass mobility, Europass Certificate Supplement, and the Europass Diplomas Supplement.

This initiative is also beneficial for employers, as they will have it easier to understand and validate the skills and qualification of their potential employees.

  • Europass CV

You can create a standardize CV in 29 different languages using this easy template. It is possible to introduce your formal degrees but also competencies that you have acquired in informal settings.

  • Europass Mobility

Maybe you have been traveling and learning in different countries of the European Union. With the Europass mobility you can document your international learning process and you can add this document to your application procedure to start your next experience abroad.

  • Europass Certificate Supplement

This is a way to add information about your vocational training certificates. With the certificate supplement you can provide a deep explanation about the qualification you have acquired, and the learning process in which it is organised. It is a very useful tool because it gives you information about the possible occupations you could perform depending on your qualification and the next level of education open according to your profile.

  • Europass Diploma Supplement

This is the same as the Europass Certificate Supplement, but in this case for higher education degrees. It describes in depth the learning path depending on the degree, but it cannot substitute the original degree or diploma. It is design to properly validate and recognise diplomas different countries of the EU.