Whether you’re convincing your boss to fund your project or your preschooler to wipe his own hiney after using the bathroom, persuasion is a skill that's instrumental to your success in life.

Persuasive people have an uncanny ability to get you leaning toward their way of thinking. Their secret weapon is likeability. They get you to like more than their ideas; they get you to like them.

Here are the 15 tricks of the trade that exceptionally persuasive people use to their advantage.

1. They Know Their Audience

Persuasive people know their audience inside and out, and they use this knowledge to speak their audience’s language. Whether it’s toning down your assertiveness when talking to someone who is shy or cranking it up for the aggressive, high-energy type, everyone is different, and catching on to these subtleties goes a long way toward getting them to hear your point of view.

2. They Connect

People are much more likely to accept what you have to say once they have a sense of what kind of person you are. In a negotiation study, Stanford students were asked to reach agreement in class. Without instruction of any kind, 55% of the students successfully reached agreement. However, when students were instructed to introduce themselves and share their background before attempting to reach agreement, 90% of the students did so successfully.

The key here is to avoid getting too caught up in the back and forth of the discussion. The person you are speaking with is a person, not an opponent or a target. No matter how compelling your argument, if you fail to connect on a personal level, he or she will doubt everything you say.

3. They Aren’t Pushy

Persuasive people establish their ideas assertively and confidently, without being aggressive or pushy. Pushy people are a huge turn off. The in-your-face approach starts the recipient backpedaling, and before long, they’re running for the hills. Persuasive people don’t ask for much, and they don’t argue vehemently for their position because they know that subtlety is what wins people over in the long run. If you tend to come across as too aggressive, focus on being confident but calm. Don’t be impatient and overly persistent. Know that if your idea is really a good one, people will catch on if you give them time. If you don’t, they won’t catch on at all.

4. They Aren’t Mousy

On the other hand, presenting your ideas as questions or as though they need approval makes them seem flawed and unconvincing. If you tend to be shy, focus on presenting your ideas as statements and interesting facts for the other party to mull over. Also, remove qualifiers from your speech. When you are trying to be persuasive, there is no room for “I think” or “It is possible that.”

5. They Use Positive Body Language

Becoming cognizant of your gestures, expressions, and tone of voice (and making certain they’re positive) will engage people and open them up to your arguments. Using an enthusiastic tone, uncrossing your arms, maintaining eye contact, and leaning towards the person who’s speaking are all forms of positive body language that persuasive people use to draw others in. Positive body language will engage your audience and convince them that what you’re saying is valid. When it comes to persuasion, how you say something can be more important than what you say.

6. They Are Clear and Concise

Persuasive people are able to communicate their ideas quickly and clearly. When you have a firm grasp on what you’re talking about, it’s fun and easy to explain it to those who don’t understand. A good strategy here is to know your subject so well that you could explain it to a child. If you can explain yourself effectively to someone who has no background on the subject, you can certainly make a persuasive case with someone who does.

7. They Are Genuine

Being genuine and honest is essential to being persuasive. No one likes a fake. People gravitate toward those who are genuine because they know they can trust them. It’s difficult to believe someone when you don’t know who they really are and how they really feel.

Persuasive people know who they are. They are confident enough to be comfortable in their own skin. By concentrating on what drives you and makes you happy as an individual, you become a much more interesting and persuasive person than if you attempt to win people over by trying to be the person they want you to be.

8. They Acknowledge Your Point of View

An extremely powerful tactic of persuasion is to concede the point. Admit that your argument is not perfect. This shows that you are open minded and willing to make adjustments, instead of stubbornly sticking to your cause. You want your audience to know that you have their best interests at heart. Try using statements such as, “I see where you are coming from,” and “That makes a lot of sense.” This shows that you are actively listening to what they are saying, and you won’t just force your ideas upon them. Persuasive people allow others to be entitled to their opinions and they treat these opinions as valid. They do this because it shows respect, which makes the other person more likely to consider their point of view.

9. They Ask Good Questions

The biggest mistake people make when it comes to listening is failing to hear what’s being said because they are focusing on what they’re going to say next or how what the other person is saying is going to affect them. The words come through loud and clear, but the meaning is lost. A simple way to avoid this is to ask a lot of questions. People like to know you’re listening, and something as simple as a clarification question shows not only that you are listening but also that you care about what they’re saying. You’ll be surprised how much respect and appreciation you gain just by asking questions.

10. They Paint a Picture

Research shows that people are far more likely to be persuaded by something that has visuals that bring it to life. Persuasive people capitalize on this by using powerful visual imagery. When actual images aren’t available or appropriate, these people tell vivid stories that breathe life into their ideas. Good stories create images in the mind of the recipients that are easy to relate to and hard to forget.

11. They Leave a Strong First Impression

Research shows that most people decide whether or not they like you within the first seven seconds of meeting you. They then spend the rest of the conversation internally justifying their initial reaction. This may sound terrifying, but by knowing this, you can take advantage of it to make huge gains in your likeability and ability to persuade. First impressions are intimately tied to positive body language. Strong posture, a firm handshake, a smile, and opening your shoulders to the person you are talking to will help ensure that your first impression is a good one.

12. They Know When to Step Back

Urgency is a direct threat to persuasion, so tread lightly. When you try to force people to agree instantly, studies show that they are actually more likely to stand by their original opinion. Your impatience causes them to counter your arguments in favor of their own. If your position is strong, you shouldn’t be afraid to back off and give it time to sink in. Good ideas are often difficult to process instantly, and a bit of time can go a long way.

13. They Greet People by Name

Your name is an essential part of your identity, and it feels terrific when people use it. Persuasive people make certain they use others’ names every time they see them. You shouldn’t use someone’s name only when you greet him or her. Research shows that people feel validated when the person they’re speaking with refers to them by name.

If you’re great with faces but have trouble with names, have some fun with it, and make remembering people’s names a brain exercise. When you meet someone, don’t be afraid to ask his or her name a second time if you forget it right after you hear it. You’ll need to keep the name handy if you’re going to remember it the next time you see the person.

14. They Are Pleasers

Persuasive people never win the battle only to lose the war. They know how and when to stand their ground, and yet they are constantly making sacrifices that help their cause. They are always giving in, giving ground, and doing things for other people that make them happy. Persuasive people do this because they know in the long run this wins people over. They know it’s better to be successful than it is to be “right.”

15. They Smile

People naturally (and unconsciously) mirror the body language of the person they’re talking to. If you want people to like you and believe in you, smile at them during a conversation, and they will unconsciously return the favor and feel good as a result. Persuasive people smile a lot because they have genuine enthusiasm for their ideas. This has a contagious effect on everyone they encounter.

Putting It All Together

Persuasive people are adept at reading and responding to other people. They rely heavily on emotional intelligence (EQ) to bring people to their way of thinking. With 90% of top performers high in emotional intelligence, it’s no wonder that persuasive people rely on this skill to get ahead. Add these skills to your repertoire, and you’re on your way to joining this exclusive group.

A version of this article first appeared at TalentSmart.com.

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How is it that certain people are so incredibly persuasive? Can we all harness those skills? After studying the most influential political, social, business and religious leaders, and trying countless techniques out myself, these are the 21 critical lessons I’ve identified to persuading people. This is an overview from a talk I’ve been giving to thousands of entrepreneurs for a few years now on “How to Persuade People.” More detailed examples are explained in the links below.

THE BASICS

1. Persuasion is not Manipulation - Manipulation is coercion through force to get someone to do something that is not in their own interest. Persuasion is the art of getting people to do things that are in their own best interest that also benefit you.

2. Persuade the Persuadable - Everyone can be persuaded, given the right timing and context, but not necessarily in the short term. Political campaigns focus their time and money on a small set of swing voters who decide elections. The first step of persuasion is always to identify those people that at a given time are persuadable to your point of view and focus your energy and attention on them.

3. Context and Timing - The basics building blocks of persuasion are context and timing. Context creates a relative standard of what’s acceptable. For example the Stanford Prisoner Experiment proved that overachieving students could be molded into dictatorial prison guards. Timing dictates what we want from others and life. We chose to marry a different type of person than we date when we’re younger, because what we want changes.

4. You have to be Interested to be Persuaded - You can never persuade somebody who’s not interested in what you’re saying. We are all most interested in ourselves, and spend most of our time thinking about either money, love or health. The first art of persuasion is learning how to consistently talk to people about them; if you do that then you’ll always have their captive attention.

GENERAL RULES

5. Reciprocity Compels – When I do something for you, you feel compelled to do something for me. It is part of our evolutionary DNA to help each other out to survive as a species. More importantly, you can leverage reciprocity disproportionately in your favor. By providing small gestures of consideration to others, you can ask for more back in return which others will happily provide. (TIP: read ”Influence” by Robert Cialdini)

6. Persistence Pays - The person who is willing to keep asking for what they want, and keeps demonstrating value, is ultimately the most persuasive. The way that so many historical figures have ultimately persuaded masses of people is by staying persistent in their endeavors and message. Consider Abraham Lincoln, who lost his mother, three sons, a sister, his girlfriend, failed in business and lost eight separate elections before he was elected president of the United States.

7. Compliment Sincerely - We are all so positively affected by compliments, and we’re more apt to trust people for whom we have good feelings. Try complimenting people sincerely and often for things they aren’t typically complimented for, it’s the easiest thing you can do to persuade others that doesn’t cost anything but a moment of thought.

8. Set Expectations - Much of persuasion is managing other’s expectations to trust in your judgment. The CEO who promises a 20% increase in sales and delivers a 30% increase is rewarded, while the same CEO who promises a 40% increase and delivers 35% is punished. Persuasion is simply about understanding and over-delivering on other’s expectations.

9. Don’t Assume - Don’t ever assume what someone needs, always offer your value. In sales we’ll often hold back from offering our products/services because we assume others don’t have the money or interest. Don’t assume what others might want or not want, offer what you can provide and leave the choice to them.

10. Create Scarcity – Besides the necessities to survive, almost everything has value on a relative scale. We want things because other people want these things. If you want somebody to want what you have, you have to make that object scarce, even if that object is yourself.

11. Create Urgency – You have to be able to instill a sense of urgency in people to want to act right away. If we’re not motivated enough to want something right now, it’s unlikely we’ll find that motivation in the future. We have to persuade people in the present, and urgency is our most valuable card to play.

12. Images Matter – What we see is more potent that what we hear. It may be why pharma companies are now so forthcoming with the potentially horrible side effects of their drugs, when set to a background of folks enjoying a sunset in Hawaii. Perfect your first impressions. And master the ability to paint an image for others, in their minds eye, of a future experience you can provide for them.

13. Truth-Tell – Sometimes the most effective way to persuade somebody, is by telling them the things about themselves that nobody else is willing to say. Facing the hard truths are the most piercing, meaningful events that happen in our lives. Truth-tell without judgement or agenda, and you’ll often find others’ responses quite surprising.

14. Build Rapport - We like people who we are like. This extends beyond our conscious decisions to our unconscious behaviors. By Mirroring and Matching others habitual behaviors (body language, cadence, language patterns, etc.) you can build a sense of rapport where people feel more comfortable with you and become more open to your suggestions.

PERSONAL SKILLS

15. Behavioral Flexibility - It’s the person with the most flexibility, not necessarily the most power, who’s in control. Children are often so persuasive because they’re wiling to go through a litany of behaviors to get what they want (pouting, crying, bargaining, pleading, charming), while parents are stuck with the single response of “No.” The larger your repertoire of behaviors, the more persuasive you’ll be.

16. Learn to Transfer Energy - Some people drain us of our energy, while others infuse us with it. The most persuasive people know how to transfer their energy to others, to motivate and invigorate them. Sometimes it’s as straightforward as eye contact, physical touch, laughter, excitement in verbal responses, or even just active listening.

17. Communicating Clearly is Key - If you can’t explain your concept or point of view to an 8th grader, such that they could explain it with sufficient clarity to another adult, it’s too complicated. The art of persuasion lies in simplifying something down to its core, and communicating to others what they really care about.

18. Being Prepared Gives you the Advantage - Your starting point should always be to know more about the people and situations around you. Meticulous preparation allows for effective persuasion. For example, you dramatically improve your odds in a job interview being completely versed in the company’s products, services, and background.

19. Detach and Stay Calm in Conflict - Nobody is more effective when they are “On Tilt.” In situations of heightened emotion, you’ll always have the most leverage by staying calm, detached and unemotional. In conflict, people turn to those in control of their emotions, and trust them in those moments to lead them.

20. Use Anger Purposefully - Most people are uncomfortable with conflict. If you’re willing escalate a situation to a heightened level of tension and conflict, in many cases others will back down. Use this sparingly, and don’t do it from an emotional place or due to a loss of self control. But do remember, you can use anger purposefully for your advantage.

21. Confidence and Certainty - There is no quality as compelling, intoxicating and attractive as certainty. It is the person who has an unbridled sense of certainty that will always be able to persuade others. If you really believe in what you do, you will always be able to persuade others to do what’s right for them, while getting what you want in return.

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Example on an introductory letter to companies/organisations 

Find it also here (PDF)

Theme: Introduction on the project Workplace guidance /Career counseling in the workplace

In the beginning of the year X and by the initiative of X the project Workplace guidance/ Career counseling in the workplace was launched. Employee X takes care of the coordination in cooperation with career counsellors at Mímir-símenntun Life Long Learning Centre.

The target group of this project are X. Those who have not completet any formal educational level are a special target group. The main objective is to motivate members to seek education or courses with the aim of strengthening their personal skills, employability skills and/or enhance in general the quality of their lives. Participation in the project is without cost both for the organisations as well as for the employees.

Procedure:  

(NB it‘s possible to tailormake the procedure to organisation‘s needs and situation).

1.  Introductory meeting with employees in the worktime  (30 min.).  

It‘s preferable that as many employees as possible get the opportunity to attend this introductory meeting. (NB: Having those meetings in the morning before the shops/workplace open has turned out to be successful).

Agenda:

a)    Introduction on the value of lifelong/continuing learning and the role of a career counsellor (20 min.).

b)    Introduction of the educational fund X which provides funding for educational and leisure courses as well as funding for travelling (5 min). 

After the introduction, employees, if they wish, can register for an individual counselling interview with a career counsellor.  

2. Individual counselling interview with a career counsellor.

The interviews will be held several days after the introductory meeting at the workplace. Decisions on time and arrangement will be made in cooperation with managers or other contact at the workplace. The duration of each interview is approx. 30-40 min.

The main goal of the interviews is to give employees individual assistance for example to figure out their current situation, explore possiblities for courses and educational paths, set their own goals and make a plan for their next step.

                 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A growing emphasize is laid on educational and career counseling as a way to enhance people‘s participation in lifelong learning both in Iceland as well as abroad. By creating the flexibility for employees to participate in this project, organisations are providing service which until now has not been accessible for people in the labour market. Organisations‘ own benefits should for example be increased competence and wellbeeing at the workplace as well as a better quality of the lives of their employees.

During this year X organisations and companies within the Capital area have held introductory meetings and almost X individuals have attended those meetings. Around half of them have accepted an offer of a following individual counselling interview.

With best regards, xxx xxx 

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(To be continued...) 

Check out an Icelandic example on how to intoduce career guidance services at the workplace to employees.

Powerpoint -slides: Motivation to participate in competence/career development and lifelong learning

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As work is increasingly becoming knowledge work, and the expertise of employees becomes more important, a more inclusive and instructive approach should also be adopted in managerial work. It is important for supervisors to have interaction and guidance skills. However, managerial training in Finland (including the popular Specialist Qualification in Management) does not recognise guidance as one of the expertise areas of a manager, but concentrates on broader management themes (leadership, customer accounts, production, networks, personnel). Managerial training provided by universities focuses on high-level theoretical knowledge. With respect to the leadership of organisations, there is a clear need for practical guidance skills training that is closely linked to the daily work of managers. Oulu Adult Education Centre has provided a training programme called “More professionalism in workplace guidance” between 2011 and 2013. A new series of sessions begins in autumn 2015. The programme concentrates on the development of guidance skills by managers, executives and HR specialists. 

Training programme: More Professionalism in Worklife Guidance, 7 ECTS 

The More Professionalism in Worklife Guidance training programme (7 ECTS) was arranged between 2011 and 2013 as part of TOKI – Project for the Development of Guidance Skills in Working Life that was administered and implemented by the Oulu Adult Education Centre. The TOKI project is taking place between 2010 and 2015 in Northern Ostrobothnia. It is funded by the European Social Fund / Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Northern Ostrobothnia and the workplace communities involved in the project. The purpose of the project is to develop career counselling in workplace communities. The objective of the training programme is to develop knowledge, skills, tools and competences not only for maintaining, updating and improving employees’ professional skills, but also providing educational information and career counselling. The people responsible for planning and organising the training programme and providing expertise for the training sessions were: 

• Teea Oja, project manager, Master of Education, educational psychologist, career counsellor, Oulu Adult Education Centre
• Marja Keväjärvi, project coordinator, Master of Education, certified solution focused coach, developer, Oulu Adult Education Centre

[Read more about the national adult education development programme Opin Ovi at www.opinovi.fi and about the TOKI project at www.tyoelamaohjaus.fi]

Themes of the More Professionalism in Worklife Guidance training programme: 

Future skills needs in professional life and managerial work
•  The cultural revolution in professional life and the new leadership framework   •  How young people and new generations challenge the leadership of workplace communities and the competences of their supervisors – now and in the future  •  How to become and how to stay one of the best companies in Finland (case studies of companies and workplace communities nominated as the best in Finland in the Great Place to Work competition and elsewhere)  •  The relevance of competence management and training in the future 

Worklife guidance – what, why, how?  •  What is worklife guidance, why is it needed and how is it provided?  •  Worklife guidance as a concept and in academic literature, the historical perspective   •  Guidance as a tool for superiors  • Supervisors' guidance skills: information, discussion, exercises  •  Examples of worklife guidance: mentoring and peer-group mentoring supporting professional growth, workplace coaching as an opportunity to support leadership and guidance work 

Competency mapping as a basis for development  •  What skills development means; competency mapping as a basis for development  •  Competency mapping as a tool for worklife guidance and training planning  •  An overview of competency mapping systems  •  Examples of well-functioning systems that support competence management efforts in workplace communities 

Creative meeting techniques  •  Creativity-inducing exercises, discussion about creativity, laughter yoga exercises  •  Creative and inclusive meetings: How the inclusion of employees could support the guidance practices of the workplace community? Are there any other benefits from creative meetings? How to arrange a creative meeting?  •  A case study of a creative and healthy workplace community; a company tour 

Career planning in the workplace  • Professional growth and career planning in the workplace  •  Options for workplace community competence management; tailored personnel training  •  Tools for career planning guidance: life line, the tree of professional growth, career discussions  

Supervisors’ interpersonal skills: tools for addressing and discussing difficult issues • Succeeding in demanding managerial situations; preventing and managing conflicts in the workplace  • ‘Difficult’ employees and handling hurt feelings at the workplace  • Influencing other people at the personal level 

Development discussions: how to build trust and plan for the future •  Tools and perspectives for high-quality development discussions  •  Development discussions from three perspectives: technique, interaction and relationship to development efforts  • Development discussions as part of the management system  

Longer careers – but how?  •  Flexible professional life in various life situations  • Empowerment and vitality – at work and from work  •  Age management and the specific issues of aging employees  •  Introducing various senior programmes in companies and the public sector; story of a rehabilitation patent; different views of the topic  

Education awareness and funding opportunities for training and development projects • Possibilities for the development of the professional skills of working adults as provided by the education system; funding opportunities for adult students  •  Funding opportunities for employers in personnel training and workplace community development; a review of all possible examples with case studies 

Koulutustreffit (Training and Education Date)  • Koulutustreffit was an informal meeting with the local providers of educational information and career counselling services. The participants included all the major local trainers and experts in the field of adult education, workplace community training and career counselling. At Koulutustreffit, workplace community representatives listened to short briefings and talks by experts, had the opportunity to take a look at their booths and networked with service providers. 

Advanced worklife guidance workshops  • Worklife guidance workshops were an opportunity to gain more in-depth worklife guidance skills around the following themes: • Personalised tailoring of duties at work according to an employee’s life situation and ability to work  •  Many roles of the workplace community, interpersonal skills  •  Competence mapping process in the workplace community   •  Personal guidance skills of a supervisor; the consultative approach to managerial work  •  More guidance at workplace through mentoring  •  Solution-focused workplace coaching  •  Time management for supervisors and managers 

Supervisor, be well and thrive! An adventurous day for well-being at work •  Discussion on the building blocks of well-being at work and glimpses from personal perspectives. With a functional narrative path, everyone’s personal key building blocks of well-being at work were aligned and applied to one’s private and professional life.

* * *

1. Training session: Developmental discussions (duration 2-7 hours) 

More than half of all Finnish organisations use developmental discussions. Thus, it is very popular in organisations to send those in charge of discussions to have some training and learn more in the matter. In the training participants will gain better understanding about guidance and counselling at the workplace and how developmental discussions play a vital role in this big picture. Training will give participants interaction and guidance skills and tools.  Employees will benefit more from developmental discussions, when superior knows what he/she is doing. Developmental discussions are steered into the direction of guidance instead of interview to be able to give employees career support. 

For you, as a guidance service provider, this kind of training sessions serve as a way to network with organisations key personnel, show your know-how in the topic and market your services.  

2. Breakfast meeting (duration 45 min - 120 min) 

Organise a short meeting in the early morning. Invite people in person through email or phone call. Serve nice and warm breakfast and arrange some program, for example interesting key note speaker in a current HR topic that will tempt key personnel in the organisations. Talk to people shortly yourself and introduce your services related to the speaker's topic. Interact, connect, mingle and create acquaintances!  

3. Seminar in an interesting human resource development topic (6-8 hours) 

If only you have enough resources, you can always organise a big event. For example a seminar in an interesting HR topic will serve your purposes well! This needs lots of planning and marketing, but if you succeed, you will be able to market your know-how and services in a very effective manner. 

4. Koulutustreffit / Training and Education Date (1 - 3 hours) 

Koulutustreffit is an informal meeting between the key personnel in the organisations and the local providers of educational information and career counselling services. The service providers include all the major local trainers and experts in the field of adult education, workplace community training and career counselling. At Koulutustreffit, workplace community representatives listen to short briefings and talks by experts, have the opportunity to take a look at their booths and network with service providers. They will be interested to participate, since they will meet all the key players at once! 

5. Sauna evening (2-4 hours) 

In Finland, we have this wonderful place to network: sauna. We arranged an evening at "Saunalautta" (Sauna raft) for 12 participants from cleaning service organisations. During the evening, we offered good food and short talk about our services. Some went to sauna and some went to swimming. All participants networked, while the raft sailed up and down the river! 

* * *

(to be continued...)

PDF-file: HRD in the organisation

Something further to read: 

Lifelong learning: the role of human resource development within organisations. PhD Saskia Tjepkema. http://www.pjb.co.uk/npl/bp22.htm

Needs assessment in human resource development. Nancy O. Berger, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. http://www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/c11/e1-10-02-...

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Step 1 

Establish a relationship with employer. •  SME/ESF/WEA consultant or similar working with arranging education for staff introduces guidance services to the employer.  • Guidance officers meets with staff at the workplace, arranges information meetings etc.

Step 2 

Establish a long term relationship with the staff •  Guidance tools are introduced that have been produced exclusively for each type of company and their traditions and way of communicate. •  The guidance officer establish contact with the HR-officers. •  The guidance officers have a by the company fully accepted informal contact with the staff.

Step 3 

Guidance services are a fully accepted long term activity for the staff and a support for their participation in  lifelong learning activities. 

Former project in this topic: http://www.descartesproject.eu/

* * *

In Iceland, career counselors from LifeLong Learning (LLL) centers contact companies (managers, HR mangers) to organize a meeting with the target group (people with little formal education). 

Workplace guidance is an aid in reaching out to as many as possible in the identified target group, where they are located, with information about education/funds and guidance towards an active participation in lifelong learning and competence development (motivate and support the target group to develop their competences). For success it is important to base the guidance on a trusting relationship and an equal ground. 

The service cosists of: 

• Introduction, provided to the target group, about LLL and LL-guidance, competence development, possibilities and funding.  Group introduction takes place at workplace, duration 20-40 min. 
• Interview – the first one at workplace – takes 30–60 minutes. More interviews at the workplace provided in cooperation with employer. More interviews provided at the LLL centres for individuals. 
  
• Formal, informal approach, assistance from union representatives  
• Offer individual interviews – 1st interview organized in the company if possible (more interview either in the company or at LLL center) 
• Free of cost and impartial service 

Career counsellors use variety of guidance tools, f.ex. interest inventories, value test, CV and different tools developed by Norman E. Amundson translated and adjusted to Icelandic circumstances such as drawing up the route of life (Life-line), finding and listing one’s competences (Backpack, Suitcase), finding and listing up the hindrances one experiences either as an unemployed person or within some particular circumstances within the employement (Roadmap). Material for registration of the interview. 

The experiences with this method are excellent, especially for employees with little or no formal education. The counsellor reaches the individual in a safe environment at the workplace, where the individual is at home.  It can be difficult to get the permission from managers to provide this service within the workplace, as they are afraid that the counsellors will be encouraging the employees to train/educate themselves away from the company. It has shown, that the vast minority of employees are actually thinking of leaving the company, and in those rare cases, that could even be the best solution for both parties. 

Article on workplace guidance from Peter Plant

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We are living and working in a very dynamic, often insecure society. A diploma is not a guarantee for a job, a job is not guaranteed for life, lifelong learning is a necessity and many jobs which now exist will disappear and not replaced, while new jobs, often at a higher cognitive or skills level, will arise.

The increasing speed of change in a networked society emphasises the need for the individual to manage his or her own competences in a sustainable way, thus being able to manage his or her career in life and work. This needs a formal validation of competences and a focus on employability (paid work). But it also needs a process of informal valuation and an open market space that supports the changing needs in the flexible market, the different contexts, and the social-psychological changes of a human throughout life. Sustainable self-management of competences and careers is important both from economic and societal perspective. The focus is or should be on the individual developing process. A complicating factor in dealing with this focus is that the formal procedures and instruments in career management - training and testing- addresses and utilise only a limited part of the individual learning potential and competences.

It is important for all stakeholders in life career management (the individual, the employer, educational/training institute, policy, supporting organisations) to be more aware of the advantages of portfolio models, of independent assessment and guidance, of formal and informal valuation, and of available sources of finance. For planning their life career it is most of all important that  individuals are aware and can describe the desired effects for themselves, for the contexts in which they live and work. Personal development and opportunity management should  be customised  for the individual and  organisations/societies can use this to strengthen themselves. The method of CH-Q offers a solution.

What is CH-Q?

CH-Q is the name of an integral concept for the recognition of acquired competences in Switzerland. It consists of a wide package of different services in the entire chain of VPL: portfolio, assessment, career formation, quality assurance and accompanying trainings programs. The ‘Qualifizationsbuch’ is the read thread in the chain of the services.

The target of CH-Q is twofold: (1) the individual development or career formation in training and occupation and (2) the development of the flexibility and mobility of that individual on the labour market.

CH-Q aims at:

providing the basis for a goal-directed development and career planning, stimulation of personal development, supporting self managed learning and acting, stimulating young and adults to document continuously their professional- and personal development continuous .

CH-Q addresses with this a wide public: youngsters, starters, adults, re-entering; in short, everybody regardless of origin, training, occupation or social position.

The ‘Qualificationsbuch’

The Qualificationsbuch or – in English – qualification book is an open, individual folder. It forms the red thread through the whole system of CH-Q because the ‘book’  contains both personal portfolio as well as the personal development plan. Each action of the individual is written down and prepared.

The general idea behind the use of the qualification book is: to become conscious of your own, present competences (knowledge, abilities, skills and attitude) and to keep on ordening, writing down and proving these in accordance with your – whether or not changing - professional and personal situation. Profession and profession-crossing competences are weighed equal, also those from volunteer work for instance. Existing differences between different target groups in occupational life are taken away by the logical appreciation of all kinds of competences. The users of the qualification book themselves can decide when they use the documents that they have documented in their own ‘book’, for applying for a job, career formation or to formulate the learning path for further development.

Program for personal career development

The ‘Qualificationsprogram’ can serve several goals:

To deepen activities using the qualification book towards a desired or obligatory (new) level, In the professional building, as well within as outside business training or continuing training By the integration of difficult learning, school dropouts and jobseekers.

For this personal program different type of support can be used. Specialists, teachers from vocational and secondary education, counsellors from regional department of employment and others receive special schooling to support the activities in the program.

History and points of departure

The project began in 1993 with the motion of Member of Parliament Jufith Stamm on basis of action from women and training circles. Main issue was a transparent system for training and retraining in which everybody would have equal chances for development. The instrument of the acknowledgement of acquired competences would have an effective, binding role between personal learning and the offer of formal, non-formal and informal learning. First consideration was the conviction that the employment chances for women and men effective could be supported and expanded through increased transparency between training and education and the labour market on basis of VPL.

Result of this was the start of the national project entitled CH-Q. The original initiating organisations (women organisation and employment offices) were in charge. The project management consists of representatives of initiating organizations, the authorities and of the social partners. The project started in 1995.

CH-Q also develops instruments and procedures to assess competences and to validate them. CH-Q also evaluates national and international developments and the different quality standards that are in use.

The Swiss ‘qualification book’

- Content and application

The use of the Swiss qualification book encompass all steps that the individual can undertake for furtherer development in training and profession, from the description of the actual starting position till the determination of the competencies already present to obtain the training and career goals. It is in fact an open and accessible frame for formulating and executing a personal development plan, a PDP; a person can work on his/her PDP individually, independently or in consultation with the organisation in which that individual is active.

The qualification book is subdivided in three chapters:

Personal development Determine and proof of the present competences Planning and realisation of further development

Concerning the personal development working with the qualification book means that the individual can make concrete choices over his/her own career (professional and social). It is about someone gets insight in the important stages of their own story of life and the professional, personal and knowledge development.

Who can bring about a connection between its personal experiences and the occupation development, can also draw conclusions from him-/herself, e.g. strengthen of the strong side or develop the weak side. Point of departure of this chapter is that, if someone has insight in his/her own learning capacities, he/she also is able (or can be enabled) to draw their personal learning path.

- Determining of acquired competences

Most of the work of the qualification book goes into describing as well possible the competences that someone has and the search to the associated qualifications.

The determination of the actual qualifications has been spread over seven domains:

Education (traditional, formal) Training (non-formal, on the job) Activities within the profession Activities in the private situation Volunteer work Leisure activity Particular occupational and life situations

The work of organising and evaluating the qualifications has been standardised in order to get a balance between all domains. It encompasses the four competence domains:

Professional competences Personal competences Social competences System (Method) competences

An important part of the qualification book is the so-called qualification balance. This ‘balance’ can be use to get an overview of the correct balance of (still) required training and education and a specific career step. For this balance most of the important qualifications within the seven qualification domains are briefly defined. On basis of that someone thus put together a qualification profile, for instance if one wants to apply for a particular job, for further training and for other purposes.

- Composition of the proof

 In the qualification book all personal proof of competences that is considered by the individual as of interest, no matter in which way, is collected and organized by the individual. The most important motto is: “Collect all documents of acquired competencies/qualifications within and outside your occupational practice.” Beside certificates of work relations and diploma’s, it also can be for instance a project description of an associations initiative, messages from the media about managerial positions, certificates/ affirmations of volunteer work, a final assignment of a course, the personal evaluation of a course leader; affirmation of regular neighbour help, etc.

- Planning and realization of the furtherer development

This chapter is directed to the future planning and the realization of the desired training and professional aims. The design of concrete career steps or further training must correspond with their professional and life reality.

This requires the realistic search into the possibilities and determining the targets. This chapter provides the building stones.

- Determination of the action plan

In accordance with the aims (comparable with the PDP) the users define an action plan, that gives answers to the questions such as ‘what to do?’ ‘how?’ and ‘with whom?’. By the starting the plan the qualification book can have different functionalities:

As basis for the job seeker: life story and letter of application can precise be matched to the personal profile

As pieces of evidences for continuation training: the demonstrated qualifications can be recognized and contribute to a abbreviation of the training time. As basis for promotion: as proof of the achievements on which promotion can be based. For getting a (more) appropriate volunteer job Documentation as input for a professional and career advice

The Swiss qualification program for a career

Next to the acknowledgement of qualifications within and outside the profession and the concrete activation of the personal development, CH-Q concentrates also on the support of a personal application: the support of people who would like to work on their own qualification book.

The career program has been put together from a number of learning units that in education or courses, or in special trainings program’s for particular organizations or region’s has been integrated. They have been adapted according to the supplier and to the domain in which it is used. Content, the way it is offered and the work method are thus addressed towards the needs of the target groups.

Suppliers of the CH-Q model are organizations that independently can/may carry out the qualification declaration and evaluation:

Through the state recognized institutions Through branch organizations certified institutions Through institutes and branch organisations qualified suppliers.

For the transfer of the CH-Q program as whole and the guidance while working with the qualification book professionals have been assigned, who have participated in the CH-Q trainings program for supporting persons.

This training is meant for persons that have the responsibility through personnel and/or training/education management. Thus, for persons that in the frame of career formation possesses:

A professional competence (teacher, educator, psychologist active in occupation mediation and adult education, e. a.) An educational experience The possibility to transfer the offer of CH-Q to the basic principles and guidelines in the own field of work or domain. 

More info: http://www.ch-q.nl/

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Validation of Employability and Basic skills

Employability consist of 11 general factors or competencies and 4 basic skills factors.  

General competencies:  •  Adaptability •  Concern for safety •  Continuous learning • Critical judgment •  Equality awareness (valuing cultural diversity) •  Information gathering and processing •  Interactive communication  •  Planning and organizing  • Resource management • T eamwork  •  Work ethics and values  

Basic skills:  •  Reading •  Writing • Numeracy  • Information technology (use of ICT) 

The criteria for the employability skills are on a proficiency level – the same as the NQF qualification framework – from 1a, 1b, 2 – 3. The criteria for all the competencies are described on four proficiency levels, 1a, 1b, 2 and 3, the same as the NQF qualification framework comparable to EQF levels 1 to 4.

The aim/ benefits for the individual:

Helps him prepare for success in the labour market; demonstrate strength and have opportunity to strengthen the elements/ features that need to be strengthened and also compare with requirements of specific jobs. 

The benefits for the employer: 

To highlight the competences important for certain work, also use them to build up skills and competences within the workplace; and to use when recruiting, e.g. within in a description in a job advertisements and /or job interviews. 

For schools and educators: 

To emphasize what competencies are used as basis of learning – in preparation for participation in the economy; help individuals (students) to understand how the various skills development is associated with different aspects of work 

The purpose is 

• to highlight the strengths of each individual - everyone has the opportunity to strengthen own skills (enhancing skills that may need to be promoted) and he chooses to strengthen - and will thus be better prepared for the labor market,  •  get analysis on individual’s position regarding employability skills, •  in search of a job, individual can show the results of the validation, e.g. if it is in her/his benefits, •  to empower the individual to work on strengthening new competencies or skills. 

Being able to know own skills can help the individual to take next steps in his/her career development f.eks. •  decide what kind of work he/she wants to do •  decide which areas of study or training it should be •  write CV e.g. when applying for a job 

Results of the evaluation/validation are always the property of the respective person involved and each individual decides whether and how to use the results (this is seen as very important, that the results and how it’s used will always be the decision of the individual).

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The software includes pre-defined descriptions of competencies needed for a different kind of jobs. By profiling, the jobs are analysed by a group of stakeholders and the competencies needed for the job are listed up and levels for each competency is defined. The outcome is a job profile which describes the competencies individual must have for the job. The concept of competency models is based on the assumption that it is possible to identify the critical competencies for success in work and company performance. Here Competency is defined as:  • Observable skills, knowledge, motivations or traits defined in terms of the behaviours needed for successful job performance. Can be assessed/measured and improved. And Competency-based management is: • An HR management approach that standardizes and integrates all HR activities based on competencies that support organizational goals. To make training programs concise, economical and suitable for adults and based on detailed analysis of what skills/competencies the job requires and what demands will be made to employees in the future. ☐ People on the labour market, with little formal education ☐ Career development, competence development (up skilling) ☐ Career changers

Toolkit with competency descriptions in Icelandic, methodology with clear description on which steps shall be taken and in which order. A group of experts within the field of the profession/job, which is to be analysed, these experts should be a mixture of managers and workers from the field, 10  to 20 persons. So far the experience has been positive and more people are getting interested in using this methodology within their work when designing training program for example.

Has not been measured. This is a rather new way of analysing and making competency profiles so there does not exist any structured evaluation of the system. But the general view of those, who have learned about the process and/or have taken part in the process of conducting the job profile, is positive and the methodology is gradually gaining more believe. Software from the Human Resource Systems Group; CompetencyCore® which includes the material used (Competency Library) www.competencycore.com The method for job profiling as described here was developed by the ESTS. The main limitations will most likely be the copyright law of the system and that it is closed, you will need a granted access to be able to make the most benefit of the system. www.hrsg.ca   www.competencycore.com http://www.competencycore.com/videos http://frae.is/media/61881/Kynningarefni_709863047...  (in Icelandic)

Video about competency core program 

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This is a simple drawing and writing task for the person to be counselled (client). This suits well for those in employment, but also for those in a transition phase of career. This tool is as it's bes when used in one-to-one counselling session. The tool gives managers and superiors courage to talk about careers with employees. The tree works as a starting point to more profound career discussions. 

1. Give your client a A3 paper and colour pencils. Ask him/her to draw a tree (you can give task paper as an example).

2. Ask your client to write down answers in the drawing for the questions addressed in the task paper. Give your client enough time to consider and think things through! Instead of staring your client, you can fetch him/her and yourself cups of tea or coffee :-) 

3. When your client is ready, you can start asking questions about the drawing. 

• Could you please tell me about 1) the roots / 2) the trunk / 3) the leaves of the tree, what have you written there and what are your thoughts about it? (If you know your client very well, you can point out things he/she has forgotten, in a way that he/she feels supported, valued and empowered.) 
• Could you please tell me about the sun,what have you written there and what are your thoughts about it? 
• Could you now please tell me about the top and branches of the tree: what have you written down, what do you think about it? What kind of hopes and wishes do you have in the near future, that could enhance your professional growth and development towards the sun, your dreams?

Case 

A manager of the preschool (superior) used this task with her employees in a developmental discussion. She stated that the drawing and writing task gave an employee enought time to think these important issues about her work and career before talking her thoughts out loud. 

PDF-file (hand-out): The tree of professional growth

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This is a very much used tool by career counsellors. The lifeline tool adapts to different discussions and purposes. (To be continued...) 

Here you can check out some sources: 

Neuroscience and relationships / How to create a timeline: The Power of Re-working Your Life’s Story

Community counsellor training toolkit: life line exercise on pages 84-88. 

Bayne & Jinks: How to survive counsellor training. Lifeline exercise on pages 88-89.

Sugarman: Counselling and the life course. Notes about lifeline exercise on the pages 105-106.

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This exercise will help the client to think about positive thoughts about his/her future, future career and career development. Client focuses on seeing the future as positive and perceiving the path to the desirable future and future development: what has he/she done him/herself to make things happen?

You can either do this in writing with individual or in oral. If you are working with a group, this is a good exercise to do in oral.

Clear steps: 

1. The question in writing task / the question for all participants in a group: 

Choose a convenient moment in time from here forward for you. One year, two years, three years? Let's imagine that everything is fine.

a) How are things for you, when they are fine?

b) From where / from whom did you get support and strength? What kind of where they?

c) You had been in a situation where (career counsellor will decide upon suitable situation:) you had felt making career choices difficult / had felt working stressful / etc. How did you overcome that situation?

The client writes his/her imagined story, how is his/her life in that moment in time in the future. If this is discussed in a group, each participant answers one set of questions (a-c) at a time. 

Alternative exercise: a postcard to grandma 

"Write a letter / postcard to your grandma, where you tell her where are you working at the moment, what are your best competences and what are you going to do in 3-5 years." Each participant reads the card out loud to the group. The group will address focusing questions. 

Alternative exercise: a birthday writing 

Birthday writings can be used for example to begin to understand one's career goals. In the writing the participant will examine his/her future through writing a birthday writing about him/herself, that he/she hopes will be written by others whe he/she turns 50 or 60 years (the age picked up by career counsellor who knows the ages of participants). The task: "Usually special day writings consist of a wide description of person's career and shorter descriptions of positions of responsibility, hobbies / interests and family. How would you like to imagine your life at 50 or 60 years of age? What kind of life have you lived so far?" 

* * *

COACHING GROUP: Self-awareness for the future

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the exercise, participants will 1) Develop self-awareness, 2) Reflect, 3) Feel empowered, 4) Develop life management skills and 5) Identify personal strengths & weaknesses. 

Description – Clear Steps

INFORMATION: Read the guidelines inSWAY_5_EN COACHING INDIVIDUALS & GROUPS: Guide. 

WORKING WITH GROUPS: When working with groups it is important to have a clear plan of action. It is important to let the group members know why they need coaching. Coaching can be planned in collaboration, for example, with student counselling and health care.Together you can reflect on which type of coaching is suitable for the purpose; which role the coach is to have; does the situation require an outsider’s perspective or can the teacher take the role of a coach? 

COACHING FOR THE FUTURE: When students are about to complete their studies, it may be appropriate to support them to reflect on their immediate future.Reflection on the past few years and the future are processed through open discussion and through various exercises.It might be a good idea that the teacher responsible for the groupparticipates in the exercise herself/himself. 

Step 1: Participants draw/paint or write a timeline of the time they have studied; mark important events, situations, people who have had an impact in theirpersonal life during the period of their studies. 

Step 2: Participants draw/paint or write a future axis - similar to the one mentioned above - but now focusing on their future. 

Step 3: Participants list their strengths and weaknesses representing them as professionals and reflect on how they can make use of this as part of their self-awareness. 

Step 4: Participants writeon a small piece of paper recommendations and good advice for each group participant individually. The words on the pieces of paperare then read out loud while the person concernedcloses her/his eyes while listening to the encouraging words. 

Step 5: Participants hand over the inspiring words to the individuals involved. They can save the words received from others, and when experiencing a bad day, read them again to remind themselves of their good qualities. 

Step 6: Coach/teacher gives feedback on the past years and good advice for the future.

Materials: Paper, pens 

Tips: Guidance only through open questions. Let the participants find their own answers. The coach does not give any personal recommendations. Use once.

Teaching Methods: Coaching, open questions, discussion 

Preparation: Focus on being present. Establish a relaxed atmosphere in the room. 

Sources / Contributors: Coaching as part of Pårättspår(FI) project material (health promotion; prevent feelings of being outside a group) Platform Administrator 

Links to Further Information: http://www.folkhalsan.fi/parattspar http://www.folkhalsan.fi/Documents/Material_WWW/Pa...

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. www.resilience-project.eu

* * *

This exercise is suitable for clients who are not satisfied with their current situation. Career counsellor may use this exercise to empower the client and help him/her see, how he/she can bring about the change him/herself. Exercise is a writing task with discussions. 

 1. Give the handout to your client. Ask him/her to think about it thoroughly, with the instructions:  

• What project is important and meaningful for you? Choose a feasible project you can really engage to. 
• Compose a project, that will help you choose and define your goal towards your desirable future / situation. 

• Ask yourself: 
  • Do I have a clear picture on what and where I would like to reach? What is my goal? Compose a map, visalization or sketch of your project. 
  • Are you able to carry out the tasks that the project consist of? Is the project feasible and realistic? Do I have all the factors that I need in order that I can carry out the project? 
  • Have I discussed my project with someone, who's ideas and suggestions I respect and whom I trust? If necessary, am I ready to revise / adjust my project or compose an alternative project if this one doesn't work out? Do I feel that this is my own, personal project and it has personal meaning to me? 
  • My plan to proceed in my project is:

2. Discuss with your client about his/her project. As a counsellor, you will learn to understand your client better and may be able to help him/her with the project. The exercise is all about your clients own capability to change things in his/her life. The project serves also as a tool, a subject to discuss about during your counselling process with your client.

* * *

More about life space mapping: http://www.sociodynamic-constructivist-counselling.com/maps_visualizations1.html

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”Buzz group”

This draft model is inspired by the work done at a youth project in  Tornea, Sweden, project manager Anna Tuomas.

Briefly, resource persons provides feedback to a young adult with a thought about one's own career or how to develop the local community.

A description:

1. Preparation

An idea / a thought is identified with a young adult as suitable for the model. It can be anything from an idea about activities in the local community, career, networking, entrepreneurship and more: what is important is that the idea / thought is suitable for the model. Briefly, a suitable idea / thought can be described as partly something that can be discussed by others and something that the resource persons most likely can give feedback to.

The idea / thought is described by the young adult, orally or in writing, see annex how such a description can be designed. The compiled description then submitted to the “Buzzgroup” responsible for further handling.

2. Implementation

Resource persons, 3-5 persons, are invited by the “Buzzgroup” responsible together with the young adult: idea / thought has previously been delivered to the resource persons.

A. The “Buzzgroup” starts with a short presentation round.

B. The idea / thought is presented by the young adult.

C. Each of the resource persons give their feedback on the idea / thought.

D. A general discussion takes place where the idea /thought and the feedbacks given are discussed.

E. The discussion summarizes and clarifies what will happen at the next meeting and the date and time for this is settled.

Q. The meeting declared closed.

G. Memory notes is handled by the “Buzzgroup” responsible .

3. Follow-up

The same people and / or other invited as resource persons meets to further promote the idea /thought.

4. Other

• The Buzz group lasts for a maximum of 1.5 hours. Same idea /thought can be a case for further meetings.

• The resource persons invited treat everything written and said related to the current Buzz meeting with confidentiality.

• The mission as a resource person is an honour and will not be financial compensated.

Appendix

“Buzzgroup”, description of the idea / thought:

1. Who are you? Describe briefly, a few lines, your educational background, your family, your (if possible) work experience (also summer jobs, internships aso).

2. Describe briefly, a few lines your idea/thought.

3. What do you hope “Buzzgroup” can lead to?

Give this to the “Buzzgroup” responsible.

NOTE. Don´t write /announce anything that you do not want to be spread to others!

* * *

And practising it is rather easy. Resilience is for example about facing stress and looking at stressful situations as an opportunity to grow. To become better at what you do. How we view stress strongly affects how we succeed. It is important to know the main symptoms and causes of stress to be able to handle it. If we focus on enjoying challenges and overcome obstacles that are in our way, we will begin to appreciate life better. In this exercise, the facilitator will discuss stress, its main symptoms and causes. The facilitator will work with the group and discuss coping strategies to handle stress better. 

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the exercise participants will: 1) have learned about the main symptoms and causes of stress, 2) have examined coping strategies to handle stress and 3) have studied resilience skills to handle stress better. 

Description – Clear Steps

Step1: The facilitator introduces the topic: stress and explains the main symptoms and causes. Then the facilitator discusses the term resilience and begins with defining it. The definition of resilience is the ability to exercise constructive life skills in order to meet the challenges of life. Individuals who are resilient can better deal with stress and they are often more flexible and have the ability to bounce back when they need to. Hand-outs are distributed. The facilitator mentions that stress management can be a powerful tool for wellbeing, since too much stress can affect physical health. 

Hand-out: How to cope with stress

Step 2: The facilitator goes over the symptoms and causes of stress in the hand-out. The group discusses together skills to cope better with stress and share their own experiences of handling stress. 

Step 3: The facilitator concludes and recommends that participants use some of the coping strategies the next time they feel stressed.

Materials

Tips: Group of participants sit in a circle so everyone can see each other. 

Teaching Methods: Facilitator introduces the topic - stress, group work and discussion 

Preparation: Read summary and descriptions. Print out and photocopy hand-outs for participants. Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Contributor (partner) Listahaskoli Islands 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. www.resilience-project.eu

* * *

Laughter is known to bind people together and increase intimacy and happiness as well as increasing healthy physical changes in the body. This exercise is for all the participants to laugh at the same time. Notice that this exercise is not for all groups or all facilitators, the participants and the facilitator must be willing to use the exercise. 

Learning Outcomes 

At the end of the exercise individuals will: 1) have experienced how to relaxwhile laughing, 2) have noticed that laughing binds people together and 3) have learned that exercise makes you feel good learned that laughing is a form of communicating. 

Description – Clear Steps

This exercise is about learning to use laughing yoga or other forms of laughing exercises when facilitating groups. 

Step 1. 

The group leader tells the individuals about the positive power of laughter. S/he distributes the hand-out and reads it out.S/He asks the group to stand up and come to the middle of the room. 

Hand-out: The power of laughing

Step 2. 

The laughter yoga sessions start with a warm-up technique which includes stretching, chanting, clapping and body movement.This exercise should only be administered by facilitators who feel confident in leading this kind of exercise. Notice that this exercise is not for all groups. 

Step 3. 

Start by clapping your hands together, to the right and left and force laughter while doing this. Laughter exercises are interspersed with breathing exercises. After clapping tell the group to shake hands with as many as they can for two minutes and laugh while doing this. 

Step 4. 

After this short exercise of laughing during which the group has begun laughing, it is time to finish with "Laughter Meditation." This is a session of unstructured laughter whereby participants sit or lie down and allow natural laughter to flow from within like a fountain. This is a powerful experience that often leads to a healthy emotional catharsis and also a feeling of release and joyfulness that can last for days. 

Tips

This exercise should only be used by facilitators who feel confident in leading this kind of exercise. Notice that this exercise is not for all groups. 

Teaching Methods 

Facilitator introduces the exercise, models and leads the group work. NOTE. Step 4 is only for those who feel at ease doing the other steps or the exercise in general. 

Preparation 

It would be good for the facilitator to read about laughing yoga before s/he administers this exercise for the first time. 

On the internet many interesting video´s can be found: 

Buddha on the train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lakg26y2nhg 

Laughing yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s0xciyW5vc 

Sources / Contributors
http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_healt... Mimir-Simenntun 

Links to Further Information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter_Yoga

Step by step laughter yoga with Jacy:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. www.resilience-project.eu

* * *

Procrastination can lead to feelings of guilt, inadequacy, depression and self-doubt. Procrastination has a high potential for painful consequences. It interferes with the academic and personal success of individuals and those who procrastinate often lack a positive self-image. Lack of self – discipline is the largest predictor of procrastination. It is a challenge to overcome procrastination and it takes both courage and resilience. The reason why resilience is necessary to avoid procrastionation is because resilience is the ability to cope with difficulties and to bounce back from worries and pain. 

Learning Outcomes 

At the end of the exercise participants will: 1) understand the concept of procrastination, 2) have learned that they can be in control of their lives and can eliminate procrastination and 3) have learned that mistakes are a “fact of life” and can be an eye- opener for success. 

Description – Clear Steps

Step 1

The facilitator introduces the topic of the day:Procrastination. He/shebegins the discussion by asking if participants are familiar with this concept. Then he/she explains by saying: “Procrastination is a behaviour habit where assignments are put on hold. Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished. This can lead to feelings of guilt, inadequacy, depression and self-doubt. Procrastination has a high potential for painful consequences.” The facilitator discusses the difference between procrastination and overloads of work, perfectionism and making mistakes. Procrastination is a complex problem affecting many perfectionists. The fear of not being perfect can cause overwhelming feelings leading to profound procrastination. Putting off tasks until the absolute last second is a painful avoidance tactic employed by perfectionists. The facilitator reminds group members that making mistakes is a part of living. Failure can be the source of much personal growth. 

Step 2 

The following handouts are given to the participants: Why do Students Procrastinate? and How to Overcome Procrastination and the facilitator goes over the points and encourages discussion by asking them questions such as: “Have you experienced poor time management? Do you know a person who is anxious? Do you sometimes get anxious?” There are some ways to overcome procrastination explained on the second handout,How to Overcome Procrastination. The facilitator asks participants first to discuss one of these ways and then toset goalsin pairs and afterwards discuss in the whole group. It is important to discuss goals and ask them to set one goal for the near future. The facilitator can ask participants to find some more points that can be useful. 

Hand-out: Procrastination

Step 3 

The facilitator ask participants to tell other group members the goal they set for the nearest future. Then the facilitator summarises and ends the session. 

Tips

If working with a small group it is good to sit in a circle because that can enhance interaction and discussion. 

Teaching Methods 

Group work: Introduction from the facilitator and group discussion 

Preparation 

The facilitator prepares by reading the summary, learning outcomes and the steps and prepares the material. 

Preparation time: 30 min 

Sources / Contributors: Birgisdóttir, B., Jónsdóttir, S.H., &Sigurðardóttir, A. (2004). WATCH Handbook for Facilitators when Assisting Learners in Groups. Reykjavík: Svansprent Listahaskoli Islands 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/  

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. www.resilience-project.eu

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Individuals can block their confidence with irrational negative thoughts and build confidence with positive rational thoughts as Sam Horn explains in her book ‘Concrete Confidence’. Furthermore, it is possible to develop resilience in many ways. By enriching communication skills, learning to control ourselves better and evaluate and affirm strengths and abilities, resilience can be developed. So resilience develops as confidence increases. The facilitator works with a group of several participants and explains the confidenceconcept. Participants discuss the six Cs and answer some questions. 

Learning Outcomes 

At the end of the exercise participants will: 1) understand the confidenceconcept , 2) understand the complexity of the confidenceconcept, 3) have written down ways to increase their confidence and 4) have experienced that others deal with similar issues as themselves. 

Description – Clear Steps 

Step 1 

The facilitator discusses the confidence concept. Confidence is not a mysterious characteristic we are born with or not, and it is not a result of extraordinary success – Confidence is a skill anyone can acquire. Lao- Tzu said “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ” Confidence includes the six Cs and they are Communication skills, Concept (Self-concept), Competence, Contribution, Control and Courage. 

Step 2 

The assignment sheet Confidence is distributed to participants. Participants go over it with the facilitator and the facilitator explains blockers and builders. Blockers are irrational, negative thoughts and builders are rational positive thoughts. The facilitator can recommend that as they read the criteriatogether, they can ask themselves whether they have experienced blockers or builders. It is also possible to examine in which situation they experience blockers and in which they experiencebuilders. After the discussion each participant answers the five questions. The emphasis is on finding ways to increase confidence. 

Hand-out: Confidence

Step 3

For those who would like to clarify the confidenceconceptbetter, can use the ‘self- confidence pot available on this website: www.thestrengthsfoundation.org/3-tips-for-understa...

Step 4 

The facilitator concludes and connects confidence to resilience. 

Tips

Group of participants sit in a circle so everyone can see each other. It is vital to mention to participants to keep the rule of confidentiality. 

Teaching Methods 

Facilitator introduces the topic, group work and discussion 

Preparation 

Facilitator reads the summary, learning outcomes and the steps and makes photocopies of the assignment sheet Confidence. 

Preparation time: 15 -30 min 

Sources / Contributors: Horn, S. (1997). Concrete Confidence. New York: St. Martins Press. www.thestrengthsfoundation.org/3-tips-for-understa... Listahaskoli Islands

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. www.resilience-project.eu

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Definition

Competency is understood as observable skills, knowledge, motivations or traits defined in terms of the behaviours needed for successful job performance. Competency can be assessed/measured and improved. 

Tools and actors 

Tools needed are descriptions of competencies and a clear description on the phases of the process. Participants in the competency profiling are specialists within the respective field of work. The participate in the phase 2 (meetings) of the profiling process.

Phases 

Phase 1 – Preparation 

This phase includes a background research such as searching for information on the respective job and if there exists any descriptions or profiling on the job content and competency requirements. Also during the preparation phase, participants are selected and all three meetings scheduled. The ideal number of participants is between 12 and 20. 

Phase 2 – Meetings 

Three meetings will be scheduled; each one has the duration of approx. 3 hours:  

• At the first meeting participants need to get to the core of the job and tasks related to the job. The product of this meeting will be a description of the job and tasks included in the job.  

• During the second meeting participants work on the actual competency profiling by selecting a set of competencies that they find are essential for carrying out the job/work and identifying the level of those critical competencies. The product of the second meeting will be an overview of competencies and level of difficulties required for the job. 

• Third meeting will have the main aim of completing the job and competency profile, whereas the participants compare the job description/definition completed at the first meeting and the competencies and level of competencies chosen at the second meeting. 

Phase 3 – Finishing 

This phase includes a review of material collected and a consideration no weather a broader consultation is required. The specialist finalizing the profiling work will also use this phase to write report, which documents the process and the findings so they can be used by those designing the training.

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Competence management and mapping of competences  

This is an example of a procedure, how to help companies in mapping of competences of their employees. Main goal is to find out the core competences of employees working in the company and to find out the views of the executives and managers of the company for the future. The procedure will make each employee participate in the creation process of competence map. 

Competence management refers to all activities within an organisation aimed at the development, renewal and acquisition of the competences required by the organisation’s strategy. Competence management requires planning, defining, development and evaluation, in which the organisation must be able to assess its present state and spell out its future goals. 

The current and future competence needed by the organisation may be defined through competence mapping. This means that employees, under the guidance of their supervisor, review the organisation’s future objectives and the compentece required to achieve these objectives. Next, the current competence level of employees is compared to the organisation’s future needs. With the help of knowledge gained from competence mapping, it is possible to structure and direct the competence development of individual employees and organisational units. In this case, competence development measures – such as training or job rotation – are not random, but based on identified needs, strengthening the functioning and competitiveness of the organisation.  

Organisations may carry out competence mapping independently or hire for the job an external party, such as a consultant or an adult education organisation. In small organisations, competence mapping can be carried out fairly simply, using an Excel sheet, an online survey or a similar tool. Large organisations often use competence mapping tools integrated into other HR and competence management systems, such as Elbit HR in Finland. 

In our experience, organisations in general are interested in making competence mapping a part of their competence development practices, but many of them still lack systematic competence management and development processes. 

The process: 

1. Start with the group of employees or a team, who work in same job tasks. Empower and encourage them to think and talk about their competences in general. Emphasize the fact that this workshop is not about salary, nor is it about outplacement. Talk about competence mapping, what this is about and how this is going to help participants in the future: they will reflect and recognize themselves all their compenteces at work, their joint compentences in the team as well as they will show all their hidden competences to the rest of the organisation, including the managers. The consequence for their career development will be obvious. 

Ask people in the group to write down their competences individually: one on a post-it paper. In the end, each and every one will have a pile of post-it papers. Now ask everyone to stick the post-it papers on the wall. As a group, they now start forming a competence map of all the post-it papers. Once the map is ready, ask them to check it out once more: is this the definition of their competences at work? You can as employees to write down the competence needed in the future - in many cases, the specialist employees know these even better than the managers of the company.   

As a facilitator, write down the competence map before you move the post-it papers from the wall. 

2. Organize a workshop for the managers and executives: the ones in charge of company strategy. With a tool or another (future recollection, learning cafe, other participatory techniques) find out their visions for the future (3-6 years from now). What kind of competence does the company need in order to thrive? Write down the vision. 

3. Ask managers and executives to check the compentece map formed by a group of employees. Is it valid? Is something missing? What are the future competences there should be? 

4. Define a scale of numbers (1-4, 1-5) for each competence area and individual skill with the managers. 

5. Ask employees to fill in the questionnaire, competence mapping. 

6. Ask each supervisor to check out the competence map of each employee individually. 

7. Prepare the company for the use of results. Training planning and other competence development methods should be planned for the development of competences. 

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A national adult guidance development programme worth more than EUR 20 million was recently carried out in Finland. “Usefulness and needs as the basis for adult guidance, using a development programme on information, guidance and counselling services” was a European Social Fund development programme within the third priority that was implemented through national and regional projects in 2008-2014. The goals of the project were 

1) developing the operational practices of guidance and counselling services for adult guidance and counselling professionals and adult trainers, 

2) strengthening the skills and 

3) recognition and accreditation of adult students’ prior learning. 

Adult guidance and counselling services were developed through more than 30 regional Door to Learning (Opin ovi) projects. The projects belonging to the Door to Learning programme produced new kinds of models and operational methods for adult customer guidance and counselling: both network-based service models and flexible, knowledgeable guidance networks. It gave birth to a new kind of know-how: not only basic know-how about networks, but also a networked approach to guidance work. In conjunction with the development work, many guidance tools and guidelines were created, and several agreements entered into that guaranteed sustained collaboration and actions.The objective was to create a one-stop shop guidance and counselling service available for all citizens that would help people considering applying for adult education. 

After the projects, some regional services survived while some were terminated due to lack of funding. In the Oulu region, the OpinTori service has been offering guidance and counselling to help in the individual career planning of all adults for more than 4,5 years (July 2015). Thousands of adults have contacted the service, some of which are currently in employment. The adult guidance counsellors and career counsellors of each local educational institution take turns at the OpinTori service desk.

Find more about Opin Ovi: http://www.opinovi.fi/english/ 

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The network of educational institutions and organisations providing guidance services give guidance to employees inside company's business premises, in a "guidance corner" or service desk. Expertise of counsellors will be chosen carefully to fit each company and the profile of their employees.

In Finland, career counsellors from adult education institutions and TE-offices have pooled together to organise guidance corners in organisations. Typically, career counsellors have discussed training opportunities at employee information sessions in companies where mass redundancies have taken place and also provided individualised career counselling at the workplace in guidance corners during briefings organised by the company for employees that have been, or will be, made redundant. The initial has come from the company side. 

In Denmark, trade unions organise guidance corners at the workplaces... (to be continued)

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Today’s managers are responsible for the development of teams and individuals including career planning. In the competitive business world today, a lot of pressure is being
exerted on many of the employees of an organization, and the consequent stress and strain affect their physical and mental health. Thus, there is a need for proper and timely counselling skills for such employees. The objective of counselling is to ease work pressure and make the work more result oriented and render the work environment more congenial, conducive and, above all, enjoyable. Managers have to be fully equipped to handle such situations as employees need professional help as well as emotional and mental support.

In Finland, ESF funded project "TOKI - Project for the development of guidance skills in working life" (2010-2015) developed a training program for key personnel at the workplaces. In the project, Oulu Adult Education Centre has provided a training programme called “More professionalism in worklife guidance” between 2011 and 2013. A new series of sessions begins in autumn 2015. The programme concentrates on the development of guidance skills by managers, executives and HR specialists. 

Find more about this program here from the page5 in this toolbox! CLICK

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Workplace coaching is usually provided over a relatively long period of time (between 1 and 3 years) by an experienced professional in the same field who has been trained to work as a workplace coach. Workplace coaching is needed particularly in tasks that involve customer or patient relationships that are more demanding than average. Workplace coaching is an essential part of the learning and development process through which employees’ competence and self-understanding required for the performance and development of their tasks takes shape. Workplace coaching supports and complements other guidance activities in the organisation, contributing to a purposeful functioning of the workplace community and organisation, and to the development of a positive organisational culture.

In the health, social and welfare sector, workplace coaching is called clinical supervision, and in Finland, employees involved in demanding client work in fields such as mental health are usually entitled to clinical supervision paid by the employer. Even if issues related to career planning may be discussed during workplace coaching, a workplace coach is not a career counsellor, and the focus should be on the job at hand and the employee.

A workplace coach may represent the same organisation as the coachee, but not the same workplace community or team. The workplace coach usually comes from outside the organisation. In Finland, there are both full-time workplace coaches and those involved in part-time workplace coaching in addition to their day job. The educational background of workplace coaches varies considerably, and anybody who has completed a vocational degree may apply to study workplace coaching. Training is provided by both secondary and higher educational institutions, and the minimum extent of the studies is 60 ECTS.

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Study counsellors raise awareness among colleagues about adult education pathways and encourage them to apply for vocational or other training that improves their professional skills. The operational area of a workplace study counsellor is an individual organisation or a union branch. Workplace study counsellors are voluntary trade unionists. 

In at least three different projects carried out in Finland, the purpose has been to train peer counsellors for workplaces. In 2002-2004, workplace study counsellors who could inform their fellow employees of adult education options were trained in the context of a project called Life Long Learning Animators. In 2003, a three-year Noste programme was launched to raise the educational level among adults. In the context of the programme, the trade union organisation SAK and its member unions trained competence counsellors, whose task was to raise awareness among their colleagues about training options and encourage them to reflect on their own skills and competence development needs. The duties of a competence counsellor had to be performed in addition to other duties, without separate compensation.  In 2010-2013, a project called OpinVerkko – Työelämän koulutusneuvojat provided training for workplace study counsellors, who provide peer support for colleagues in their competence development needs.

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A mentor is usually an experienced employee who knows the tasks in the organisation well. The job of a mentor is to teach a less experienced employee (a mentee), provide guidance, and act as a role model. A mentorship is usually established between the members of the same organisation and should be started on a voluntary basis. On the other hand, employees may also find mentors outside their organisation and take responsibility for their own personal and career development. 

There are many kinds of mentorships. In Finland, mentoring could well be more common than it is now. Examples of mentoring in the educational sector in the context of recent development projects is the Osaava Verme network that provides peer-group mentoring to support skills development and well-being at work. The Osaava Verme network is aimed particularly at teachers at the start of their career, and its objective is to build a lifelong professional development continuum that starts with teacher training. Osaava Verme mentoring takes place in small groups in which skills and experience are shared between the members, who include both experienced and less experienced teaching professionals. There are small groups all over Finland. On the other hand, individual companies have employed mentoring to transfer tacit knowledge, strengthen the induction of new employees, help in alleviating the tension and uncertainty felt by employees returning from parental or other leave, and support work-life balance. 

How does PGM work?

PGM groups meet typically once a month to discuss work-related issues. The PGM approach draws on the constructivist view of learning which maintains that we construct our knowledge based on our prior knowledge, experiences, and beliefs. Peer discussion is therefore an essential element in creating shared understanding of the work of teachers. 

More about Osaava Verme and PGM: http://www.osaavaverme.fi/eng

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to be continued...

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The implementation of competence-based qualifications, the National Certificate of Language Proficiency and the Computer Driving Licence are prime examples of the ways in which competence and skills acquired outside formal education systems may be recognised in Finland. 

Vocational education and training for adults  

Vocational education and training is intended for both those in employment and the unemployed. Education and training that has been specifically developed and organised for adults is available at all levels. Mature students can gain the same initial vocational qualifications as the young; all they need to do is to take a motivated decision to participate in adult education and submit their application. Adult education is also eligible for financial support by the state. Teaching is provided in vocational institutions and, increasingly, also at the workplace and through virtual learning environments. Adults can attain all initial vocational qualifications and further and specialist qualifications as a competence-based qualification. 

In higher education, mature students have bachelor’s degree paths of their own: they have their own entrance quotas, and the education and training intended for them takes many different forms. Universities of Applied Sciences also award master’s degrees that are based on the needs of the world of work. In the university sector, mature students can benefit from conversion training, which makes it possible to attain a new higher education degree in a shorter period of time if the student already has a university degree. Universities also provide specialisation courses and extension studies to higher education graduates as well as open university studies. 

Competence-based qualifications for adults 

The competence-based qualification system is the most established form of validation in Finland. Competence-based qualifications can be awarded regardless of how and where the skills and knowledge have been acquired, since the candidate’s knowledge, skills and competence can be demonstrated in officially approved tests. The qualification system was established in 1994 through the implementation of the Vocational Qualifications Act 306/1994 and are now included in the 1998 Act on Vocational Adult Education. The framework was created by the National Board of Education in close co-operation with the main labour market organisations and teachers. It is possible to complete competence-based vocational qualifications, further vocational qualifications or special vocational qualifications or only parts of them. The popularity of competence-based examinations has increased rapidly since their introduction, and they have continued to strengthen their position in the Finnish education system.  

There are now nearly 380 different qualification titles, and almost 90,000 competence-based qualifications were acquired during the first 10 years of the system. Recent statistics show the continuing popularity of the system (for example, 33,168 qualifications werw awarded in 2013). A total of 418,699 competence-based qualifications were awarded between 1995 and 2013.  

Mature students are expected to demonstrate the required professional skills primarily with real-life work tasks. This is often preceded by preparatory training, where students learn more about the necessary skills. A competence-based qualification includes practical work assignments and written or oral assignments. The student’s existing competences and know-how will also be taken into account. Students willing to complete a competence-based qualification are usually expected to apply directly to their desired educational institution. It is also possible to complete competence-based training as labour market training for adults. 

The recognition of prior learning is part of the process of drafting a personal study plan during the phase for enrolment in studies for competence-based qualifications. The competence-based qualifications are subject to rules and regulations that apply throughout Finland. The provider of training must ensure that students wishing to complete a competence-based qualification receive customer-oriented advice and guidance and other services and forms of support agreed in collaboration in drafting a personal plan for 1) applying for the competence-based qualification and the preparatory training 2) completing the competence-based qualification and 3) acquiring the necessary professional skills.  

Guidance during the phase of enrolment in competence-based qualification means that applicants receive advice in improving their self-knowledge, identifying their skills, finding and understanding the information necessary for completing the qualification, and making the right study choices. The aim is to identify the qualification and learning arrangements that serve the needs of the applicant in the best possible way. All instructors of the candidate should be familiar with the workplace culture, learn its operational processes to be able to share this information with the candidate, and provide guidance in completing the qualification. Applicants often need guidance and support in their learning. To take any language and learning difficulties into account, they should be identified from the onset. In the stage of enrolment in the studies, the candidate chooses the most appropriate qualification together with the employer, the body arranging the competence-based qualification and the training institution. However, the applicant should have the final word on the selection of the qualification. The task of the employer and the bodies arranging the qualification or training is only to provide support for the candidate’s choice. 

During the phase in which the skills required for the competence-based qualification are being acquired, and in the qualification completion phase, the student receives guidance from the teachers of preparatory training, the guidance and career counsellors of the educational institution, and other supporting personnel of the educational institution. At the stage of enrolment in the studies, however, the availability of guidance seems to leave a lot to be desired. Personalised study plans are not drafted before the selection interview for the training or the beginning of the preparatory training, when the applicant has already been selected to study for a particular qualification. TE Offices try to provide guidance and counselling during the qualification selection phase, but they often lack sufficient sector-specific information. Guidance and counselling services provided during the phase of enrolment in adult education, such as Door to Learning services, are an appropriate source of competent and relevant guidance. Adult educational institutions are also able to provide guidance, if the applicant is able to ask for it, since adult educational institutions employ a growing number of guidance professionals. 

Learn more about VPL in Finland: 

Lilama.org: Validation of prior learning in Finland

Finnish national board of education: Competence-based qualifications

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In Sweden the career guidance for adults is linked to APL. The guidance officers/career counsellors are the ones who gives people information about the possibilities for validation and most often they are the ones that starts and organises the validation process. They are not the ones who do the actual validation but they work closely together with teachers, trainers and/or the skilled craftsmen that are responsible for the validation and accreditation.

Validation is a process, which involves a structured assessment, documentation and recognition of knowledge and competence possessed by a person independently of how it is acquired. Validation (which is exploratory) is different from individual examination since individual examination is a measurement of knowledge out of course curricula and described by formal grades and hence controlling. Individuals may at their own initiative receive validation within the framework of the formal adult education and training system. Adults that wish to obtain a grade for a specific course at compulsory or upper secondary level are entitled to be examined without attending the course/s in question. The responsibility for carrying out validation is at municipal/regional level, the role of the state is so far to promote legitimacy, quality assurance and development of methods.  

Responsibility for validation is supposed be shared between the educational system and the labour market. Implementation is supposed to take place through regional cooperation between education providers, professions and industries and the social partners. Costs for a validation process that make up one stage in for example rehabilitation, labour market political measures or integration measures is supposed to be financed by the agency that is responsible for the measure in question.  

A National Commission on Validation was put in place in 2004 for a four-year period. The Commission had the following tasks regarding the development of validation (mainly outside the higher education sector): 

• Promote legitimacy, quality and equivalence 

• Carry out and support development of methods, 

• Strengthen regional cooperation in order to reach well adapted working methods for development, consultation and evaluation 

• Inform 

• Work out proposals on what measures should be taken to assure validation activities after 2007. 

Today (2015) the Agency for higher VET in Sweden is overall responsible for the development of validation. Validation is also defined in the School act, the legal document stating the content of the formal school system. There are however no links between the labour market and the public school providers dealing with validation issues. 

Main emerging issues for Sweden 

Ensuring the acceptance of validation from the labour market, especially the employers, is a critical and important task for the implementation process. To establish a common understanding of the purpose of validation, what and how to assess and the use of the results is one of the emerging issues. Cooperation between the educational sector, integration authorities and the labour market has increased during the last years. To stimulate and promote cooperation nationwide in order to guarantee access to validation for all is a main issue. Quality assurance is an important area. Securing the methods used for validation nationwide or within the European Union is another main issue.  

Regional projects 

There are several projects about validation that have been going on in the county of Gävleborg during the years. One of them is the project “Validering Gävleborg” (“Validation in Gävleborg”),whose aim was to develop regional systems for guidance and validation in cooperation with other actors and with existing study centres/guidance centres. The goal at the end of this project was to have collaborating counselling- as well as validation systems between municipalities, jobcentres, universities, social insurance offices and business world. 

Validation should:  

• Contribute the regional growth 

• Get the right competencies for labour market at a lower expense. 

• Give the individual best competencies 

• Find new job-and educational possibilities for people being on the sick list for long. 

• Develop adult education 

The target groups were for example those who or ran the risk of being unemployed and wanted to shorten the way to a new job, by documenting their knowledge, - wanted to begin an education and have experiences which could shorten the education, - had been working abroad but without documentation. 

The project “DELTA Validering” (EN: Validation), was a part of a larger objective 2 project called DELTA. The goal was to set up a “validation bank” where one could find collected information validation resources in different vocational and educational areas. This validation bank was up and running for a couple of years but is now closed due to lack of update. 

Another subject for this project was to produce a manual for APL personal in the province Hälsingland. The DELTA Validering project was linked to another project called “YAP” with the aim to develop high quality vocational training at workplaces.

Guidance officers are key professionals in both of these projects and both validation and work place based vocational training is something that a guidance officer can include in individual action plans for clients

Swedish pilotproject The EuroguideVAL project worked together with PhD Ewa Carling and Prof Ingemar Wedman at the University college of Gävle and the development of a course called “ Validation of competencies and skills”, 7 ECTS. Target group for this course has been APL professionals and career counsellors and some of the participants have been financed by the EuroguideVAL project. 

The purpose has been to give : 

• Knowledge of how to develop questionnaires, tests and other kinds of instruments,  

• Knowing how to use these instruments in several society areas 

• Knowing how to apply theoretical substance in practical analysis of current projects and also be able to estimate reliability and economical aspects.

Course plan : 

Title Grading and assessment, 7,5 ECTS  

Topic Statistics  

Stage Stage 1 (study level A)  

Course code 3IH03A  

Credits/Moments Examination: 4,5 ECTS credits, Assignment: 3 ECTS credits  

Educational area Science  

AIM To provide an understanding and give examples of the criterion-referenced grading system while looking into the history of grading. To understand how criteria are defined and how the different grades can be achieved. To understand how grading is anchored in psychometrics theory. 

Pilot together with staff at the Vallvik pulp mill factory 

Most of the staff has a low level of formal education but a high level of non formal competence and experience after many years of skilled work in the factory. APL is of great value for both the employer and the individual staff. The staff are better prepared for changes and it is also easier to make up plans for competence development of the work force. The CFL way of work with this is to let the guidance counsellors have the individual contact with the employees and prepare them for the validation. They prepare all documentation, support the employees and are the process leaders. The guidance code of ethics plays an important role –  an agreement with the employer to respect that all results of the APEL is owned by the individual staff and that they are the ones who decide if they want to leave the information to the employer or not. 

Pilot interview with practitioners 

Question 1: In some countries validation is regarded more as a process. In other countries, Sweden for example, validation is more focused on results. How do you regard this, what is the situation like for us,  

Selected answers:

 Guidance counsellor: 

“On a five-grade scale, we probably get 4 when it comes to result-orientation. I believe that we need more process-orientation. Counselling can play an important role here. Instructors are more focused on measuring and testing. Counselling per se is a process, and the counsellor regards the situation of the individual in a more comprehensive long-term perspective.”  

Guidance counsellor: 

“In our municipality we have validated childcare assistants. I feel that my competence in this matter is more process oriented – its more about helping the clients to a better understanding of themselves and their capacity and competence, more of widening their perspectives and help them to find alternatives. It is also a lot about strengthening their self-confidence! To get a certificate or some kind of documentation is the”other side of the coin”, in my point of view.”  

Question 2: In some countries there are clear distinctions between the functions of different categories in the validation process. It is stated that the guidance counsellor’s role is primarily in the introduction .What is your opinion about this – how do you regard the counsellor’s role – introducer, companion or not involved at all? Is there a need for a new professional role ? 

Selected answers: 

Guidance counsellor: 

“In my opinion the guidance counsellor has a very important role to play in the validation process, it is the guidance counsellor that knows about the system in general. Validation is something that always must be a part of making up a career plan for a client. The guidance counsellors are the one who sees the possibilities and then hands it over to the teacher/trainer for further action. The guidance counsellor brings in a more holistic perspective to the career plan for the client and this is needed in the beginning –to see all possibilities, not only the one that is close to a certain teacher/trainer and his/her speciality. I can’t see the need for a new kind of profession in this matter – there are already too many professions working with similar tasks in this field.”

Question 3: How do you regard the guidance counsellors’ competence in validation 

Selected answers: 

Guidance counsellor: 

“Validation is a new working field for guidance counsellors in Sweden and has not been included in the guidance counsellor training programme. Therefore I think that some kind of add-on training course for guidance counsellors is needed in this field” 

Guidance counsellor:

“We need to develop the competence of guidance counsellors in this area. By the help of different kind of guidance networks but also by development of common tools that can be used in the validation of all kind of experienced learning. In my opinion the guidance counsellor fills a role as both introducer and process leader. Cooperation with the teacher/trainer involved is of big importance. When it comes to specific tools for each profession this must be developed by the branches themselves.

Guidance counsellors need competence development in validation but before that we need some kind of national guidelines about how and what in validation/APEL” 

Future 

We have interviewed a number of different kinds of experts in the field of validation: teacher/trainers, university teachers, project managers, guidance counsellors aso. They have in common that they all have very good knowledge about adult education and validation in Sweden. It’s our opinion that they well represent a common view of these questions in Sweden among their colleagues. 

What have we learned from our discussions with them ?  

Well, what we have found is for example that : 

• The opinion about how to define validation and the best way to work with validation is very divided. 

• There is almost no existing share of good practice examples, or any kind of common order. 

• All interviewed have expressed a strong interest in validation and it seems like validation is an important subject on everyone’s agenda. 

• Almost all interviewed wants to see some kind of national initiative and they feel uncertain about what’s really permitted or not according to national law and regulations. 

• Guidance counsellors sees themselves as important in the validation process but the head actor is the teacher/trainer, validation is primarily a pedagogical problem, not a guidance problem. 

• Most of them want more training in validation and the specific role for guidance counsellors in this process.

What can we learn from this?  

We think that this shows the need for national coordination and structures for exchange of good experiences both in Sweden and between countries in EU. One important tool for this could be a common training programme. In Sweden the guidance programme that already exists includes a lot of the basic competencies needed for anyone who intends to work professionally with validation. What is needed in Sweden is training on master level that would fit as an add-on to the existing training programme both for teacher/trainers and guidance counsellors.

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The Education and Training Service Centre (ETSC) operates in accordance with a service agreement with The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and administrates the Education and Training fund for adult education. Main responsibilities include coordinating the development of Validation of Prior Learning (VPL) and training validation staff. VPL developments for the target group (people with little formal education, who have not finished upper sec. education) began in 2004. ETSC led the work in cooperation with stakeholders (labour market parties).  The first pilots were conducted in 2004-2006 and a model for the VPL process was established and described in an information brochure intended for stakeholders. In 2007 funding through state budget was initiated based on a contract with the ETSC. Since then, projects in various sectors have been conducted where the focus has been on opening up VPL towards shortening of study paths on Upper Secondary School level. Validation processes against competence criteria for specific jobs have also been developed. The Adult Education Act was passed in 2010 stating the right of the individual for VPL and career guidance. A regulation was presented in 2011, describing a defined process of validation and emphasizing cooperation and quality assurance. In 2012, 32 VPL pathways had been opened for the target group. The ETSC cooperates with 14 Lifelong Learning centres distributed around the country who deliver services, including VPL, to the target group. ETSC coordinates developments in the field, provides support to providers and oversees quality issues and results.
The Icelandic Framework for VPL is in few steps:  Preparation, Information and Screening, Portfolio and Self assessment, Assessment (and Verification if necessary); Recognition, Follow up and continuing competence development. (see attachement: VPL – Icelandic way).

Is it integrated also in career advice processes (top down) and how? (For example use of portfolio or Europass.) The Directorate of Labour (DL) has through the last decade put emphasis on career guidance for unemployed individuals where the aim is to develop a job search plan (following registration) with each jobseeker, with a focus on skills audit. In most cases career counsellors are reviewing competences/strengths with their service users, and often using portfolio or CV, but since the process of VPL is defined as a specific process – it is not called validation unless the whole process is followed (The Adult Education Act and the regulation 2011).

Is career guidance integrated in validation of prior learning (bottom-up)?  Yes a career guide/counsellor is following and supporting the individual through the whole validation process from the beginning to the end. This has been reported by the service users (individuals going through the process) as a very important part of the process.  See attached file “VPL_the Icelandic way”.

Validation of prior (non- formal and informal) learning is a confirmation and validation of competence regardless of how or where an individual has acquired it. The goal is that the individual achieves recognition for the competence he/she possesses at any given time, for the purpose of a) not having to enrolling into a formal education in subjects that he/she already knows or b) in order to gain recognition that leads to job development at the work place.

Documentation of competence is the foundation of the validation process. The individual documents his/her competence with the guidance of a counsellor so that he/she can identify his/her strengths, make a career description (CV) and get an overview of competences already acquired. It can be a goal in itself to complete the documentation of the competences, just to get a better overview over own possibilities, but it can also be used for later former validation e.g. when validating against subjects/learning outcomes set within the formal school system.  Validation of non-formal and informal learning is based on the possibility to shed light on the competence that is in hand and to clarify, validate and recognize it. a) Validation of non-formal and informal learning against criteria within the formal schools system with the aim shortening a study path. Here competences acquired through non-formal and informal learning are seen as being equal to competences acquired through participation within the formal school system. Thus, individuals planning on finalizing a study path, will not need to repeat courses within the formal system if they have already acquired the competences that the course objectives aim for participants to acquire. The validation aims at finding the real status of the competence the individual has in order to prevent him/her having to repeat learning what he/she already knows. This kind of recognition can support further participation in continuing education and provides economic gain and saves time for the individual and the society. b) Validation of non-formal and informal learning against criteria of the labour market aims to bring individual’s competence to light, document them and validate in order to gain recognition for the individual and to enhance her/his job development at work or within the labour market as well as if applicable find the most suitable job for the individual. The competence of the individual is compared to the competence standards for certain jobs and validated against those.  

It has shown to be very inspiring and empowering for those who take part in the process and finish it. Many have gone over to the formal school system to finish a study path, they started even many years ago and there are examples of people having gained more confidence through this process to change paths and/or take on a study.   About 2500 people have gone through the validation process in Iceland and about 65 – 70% of those who finish the process, go further in education and finish a degree from within the study path they got validated. It is clear that individual get higher/better self esteem/become more confident through participation in this process. Several surveys have shown that participating in the validation process has positive influence on competence development of the individual, as they are much more likely to seek further education and finish their degree, or career development as they gain more self confidence and a better view of their competences through the validation process. In the Icelandic model, a career counsellor is “following” the individual through the whole process, which is very important for the individual i.e. this guidance service. The vast majority of the users are very content with the validation process as well as the guidance service provided in the process, both by the LLL centres. The model/method is developed by ETSC in cooperation with stakeholders, based on information from various countries. The involvement of stakeholder in preparing the validation and criteria is very important, as it increases everyone’s believe in the system. This is also important to secure the openness of further paths for the participants e.g. enrolments to study paths within the formal school system. For our part it would be positive if this method could be implemented elsewhere as it would give access for more groups, e.g. within higher education and on the labour market. 

See attached file “VPL_the Icelandic way” Brochure on the process of VPL: http://www.frae.is/files/B%C3%A6klingur%20enska_13...

European inventory on Validation: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-project...

NVL Quality model for validation in the Nordic countries:  http://www.nordvux.net/content/id/11675/quality-mo...

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Case 1: Joe

1. Provide background information of the validant (demographics, situation, brief history) 

Joe has worked almost his entire life around cars. He had difficulties learning at school as a kid specially reading and writing and was diagnosed dyslexic as a teenager. He tried a couple of times to go to upper secondary school in Iceland to study e.g. Car Mechanic but failed numerous times in subjects like Icelandic, Mathematic, English and Danish. He passed the core subjects that involved doing something with his hands and working with machines and didn’t involve reading and writing. In his early twenties he felt he was ready to try to go back to school, after a couple of weeks he got hurt in an accident which led to him dropping out of school again. 

2. Describe the existing legal rights of the validant 

In Iceland individuals that have reached 23 years of age and can confirm that they have years of work experience can apply for validation in their field. He will get guidance during the validation process. If the validant has complains about the validation process and/or his results he has the rights to ask for reevaluation. 

3. Describe the intake process (why and how did the validant enter the validation process – was guidance provided during that phase?)

 Joe was 36 years old and wanted to finish what he started many years ago, his formal schooling. He also wanted more responsibility at his work and higher salary but he was stuck in the companies hierarchy because he lacked a degree. He also wanted to start his own business but didn’t want to do that in a small community which knew that he didn’t have a degree. 

When he saw an advertisement in the newspaper for validation in Car Mechanic at IDAN Educational Center he decided to look into it. He had thought for many years that he needed to finish his formal education as a car mechanic but never had the courage to try again after the accident. He went to an information meeting about validation. There he met a couple of counselors and immediately booked an interview with one of them. The counselor met up with him a couple of days later and followed him through every step of the validation process. After he got his results the counselor contacted him to give him feedback on it and start the dialog about the next step, going to school and so on. 

4. Describe the process of guidance in validation (describe the guidance provided content wise during the validation process – what was the purpose and what type of a professional delivered the guidance?) 

A. Information meeting – A counselor provides information about the validation, the process and the counseling. The counselor talks to the group and describes his involvement in the validation process and emphasizes confidentiality and professionalism. 

B. Screening interview/first interview – The counselor bonds with the individual, gets an overview of his work experience and the counselor also tries to connect the real competences of the individual with the curriculum. The pair also go through the former school experience of the individual and look at his credits he has finished in the formal school system and pair them also with the current curriculum. The counselor tries with great caution to find out why the individual hasn’t finished his formal learning. And if there have been problems in the passed with school or learning the counselor supports the individual and lets him know of the support systems that are in schools today and how the awareness of difficulties in learning is more known now than 10-20 years ago. The counselor also explains all the steps that involves the validation and what courses can be validated and which can´t . After this interview the individual decides if he wants to participate in the validation or not. This counselor follows this validants case the entire validation process from the first interview to the last. 

C. If the individual wants to be validated the next step is for him to meet the counselor and other validants at a group meeting. The counselor refreshes the validation process for the group and introduces the portfolio and checklists, why they are necessary and the importance of each validant to put some hours in working on them. The counselor shows them the meaning of the portfolio, what to have in it and how to work with it and on it. He also gives a talk about confidence and how to validate oneself and how to look at strengths instead of weaknesses of one self during the work on the portfolio, the checklists and the validation interview. After a couple of meetings were the group works on the portfolio and checklists the validants return their portfolios to their counselor which reads through it and gives feedback. During this work the counselor encourages the validants, helps them remember what they have been doing in their working life and leisure time. He shows them how to organize the portfolio and has all the tools ready for them e.g. folders, papers, computers etc. The most important thing in counselors work is to mark which validant might need more help, which validant has low self-esteem, which validant lacks computer skills etc. So that the counselor can respond to whatever needs the validants have to finish the validation process. 

D. Preperation for the validation meeting starts at the screening interview but when the interview is the next step the counselor phones the validant to book the appointment and encourage him. Each individual needs some time with the counselor but often different kind of question arise and the validants are often very insecure, nervous, anxious or stressed. The counselor goes through the courses which will be validated and also how the validation meeting will take place once again. The focus is to prepare the validant and help him be at ease with the unknown circumstances he is going in to. Sometimes the validant wants to make an appointment with the counselor and that is more than welcome. During the validation interview the counselor sits with the validant and is his support during the validation. The counselor sometimes eases the conversation by asking the validant to inform the validators about his work experience and sometimes needs to remind the validant of some projects that he has been on but has forgotten to mention. If during the validation interview the counselor feels the atmosphere is negative in any way he will interrupt and suggest that a break is taken and then he will talk with all involved individually during the break. 

E. After the validation interview the validant gets the results. The counselor deliveres them and talks to the validant during that time. The validant gets written information from the counselor both on paper and also regularly via email about the next steps e.g. what schools are offering courses that he needs, what courses can be taken at a LLL center, the apprentiship contract and how and when he can take different kinds of courses. The counselor contacts the validant again by phone to remind him of reading through all the information that he has and guide him with all the decisions he needs to take. Sometimes the validant makes an appointment with the counselor to make a study plan, how to enrole in school and get some support and encouragement how to deal with going back to school. Feedback after the validation can take about 1-2 years since the validant often contacts in the beginning of each semester or when difficulties accure during the education. 

5. What where the results in regards to guiding the validant towards continuing learning/career development? 

Joe studied the results of the validation and also the information he got from his counselor very well. He was very positive in finishing his education and he made a study plan with his counselor. He was willing to study where ever he needed and however, in the formal school or at the LLL center. He was positive towards all indications from his counselor. Joe had some difficulties in the formal school system and with his apprenticeship contract. He contacted his counselor which helped him in finding the right personal to get some answers, as well as helped him see things in a more positive way. Six years after Joe came to the information meeting he graduated from school and took his journeymen examination and got his degree as Car Mechanic. He bought his own business just before graduation and the business is blossoming. He is now considering continuing his education by going to Master School when he is confident about his company.  

6. How did the validant experience the guidance delivered during the validation process? 

Joe described that he had been labelled in school as a lost case due to his dyslexia and had turned to the labor market at age 16 to work. He has been very successful in his work in his skills have been appreciated by his employer and clients. The validation process was therefor a “great” pathway (as he put it) for him, and others like him. Joe is extremely thankful for the guidance he received and said that the counsellor had “taken him through the process”. “The counsellor never gave up on me, and when I was dragging my feet she would call me and encourage me to continue and support me in every step”, Joe says. Also after the process when taking the rest of the subjects in school, the counsellor would follow-up and support him through obstacles. “Would probably not have been possible for me without her support”, Joe says. 

7. How was the guidance delivered financed? 

It is funded through the Education Funds in Iceland. ETSC administers the Education Fund and the finances of his subject as counseling during validation. The Education Fund gets money from the Parliament through the State Budget. The main three categories that are funded are: 

a. contributions to education in order to meet the cost of tuition and courses, 

b. contributions to meet the costs of validation and counseling, 

c. funding for innovation and development in adult education. 

The management team of the Education Fund is responsible for the allocation of the fund. But most of their funds go to the LLL centers and ETSC to work on the three categories. 

Case 2: Laila 

1. Provide background information of the validant (demographics, situation, brief history) 

The participant is a woman born in 1961 who took part in validation against the criteria set forth in the curriculum of Social- and leisure-pedagogy. Experience: Has worked with guidance for organizations of disabled for the past 14 years, worked for 9 years in a residential home and 10 years in kindergarten. Education: Has completed various courses related to child care and school assistance. Has also learned sign language and attended courses in tourism. She has not completed any formal education. Laila has dyslexia, which is the main reason why she has not completed her studies. 

2. Describe the existing legal rights of the validant 

In Iceland individuals that have reached 23 years of age and can confirm that they have 3 years of work experience, can apply for validation in their field. They will get guidance during the validation process. If the validant has complaints about the validation process and/or his results he has the rights to ask for reevaluation 

3. Describe the intake process (why and how did the validant enter the validation process – was guidance provided during that phase?) 

Laila came to an interview with a career counsellor to review her learning opportunities. She received an introduction of validation in Social- and leisure pedagogy since she has extensive experience in the field, but has not completed formal education. 

4. Describe the process of guidance in validation (describe the guidance provided content wise during the validation process – what was the purpose and what type of a professional delivered the guidance?) 

After the process was initiated the counsellor followed Laila through the whole process as follows. All interviews were around an hour. 

a) Screening interview: The main purpose of the screening interview is to review if the competence and experiences that Laila possessed were relevant to the assessment. The focus of the interview is to listen to the history of the person, review previous education, experience and discuss the competences acquired through formal and informal activities. In view of the fact that the person has struggled with dyslexia, that affected the background questions and was discussed separately. The counsellor uses mostly encouraging interview techniques with emphasis on focusing on strengths. This interview is of high importance in order to assess whether the person is fit for validation and to provide the appropriate advice towards other options if that is not the case. 

b) Mapping of competences/portfolio-work/: Prior experience and learning is registered, previous studies, seminars and other knowledge that one possesses. Laila participated in a group process for the portfolio-work where the counsellors assisted her in identifying the various competences she had gained through the years and did not think much of her self until that point in time where it was put forth in words (action verbs). The counsellor encouraged and assisted Laila to link her skills to work, hence they were transferable to other situations. Through that process Laila became aware that she had lots of experience. 

c) Self evaluation: Laila participated in group work on self evaluation against the set standard in the formal curricula (Upper secondary level). The group met with the assessors and went through the criteria set forth. The counsellor provided support to Laila (and others in the group) to assess themselves realistically. Laila tended to underestimate her skills and the counsellor provides appropriate incentives to assist with that. 

d) Support during the assessment interview and the process: Laila requested support from the career counsellor during all of the assessment interviews in the various subjects. The counsellor met Laila during and even before each interview with the assessors to provide support and encouragement before the assessment interview began. The role of the counsellor in the assessment interview is primarily to be present and provide inspiration for the individual when describing their portfolio and self-assessment results. Many participants turn to the counsellor to get support. They also talked after the assessment interviews where the counsellor provided support and encouragement for the next steps.

e) The final interview is where the results are reviewed and the counsellor assisted Laila in finding ways to complete her studies and deal with arising issues. This interview is very important to assist the participants to set goals following the results of validation. There are ways to view continuing education and / or career. In this interview, the counsellors drew up the possibilities of the situation and Laila was guided through a decision-making process. Inspiring interview techniques were used to promote the positive effect coming from validation. 

f) Follow-up: The counsellors contacted Laila a few months after the assessment to follow what had been discussed in the final interview. 

5. What where the results in regards to guiding the validant towards continuing learning/career development? 

Laila completed 42 credit points in the validation of Social- and leisure pedagogy. She intends to complete the track and began her studies last fall. The evaluation also gave her the strength and confidence to deal with issues related to work and has had a direct impact on employees concerned. 

6. How did the validant experience the guidance delivered during the validation process? 

Laila said that it was coincidence that she went to the Validation process and she was very pleased with the support she gained from the counsellor. She said that it had been vital for her in the beginning, that the counsellor was so positive and supporting, that she was willing to move on in the process. Laila felt insecure in the beginning and it was unbelievable backing for her to have the support provided and the motivation from the counselor through the whole process (you can do it, this is something for you). The counselor was also with her in all the assessment interviews and it was very important for her, just to know that the counselor was there with her. The support in the portfolio-work and self-evaluation, (which is a great challenge to work in so diverse group) and the respect and motivation in all the process was so important. Now Laila is preparing for finishing the education in Social- and leisure-pedagogy and the counselor has called her (follow up) to hear from her how things are going and motivate her to move on. Laila said it was very nice to “feel” this follow- up, support and respect. And she ended to say that the counseling in this process had been perfect in all way, at least for her. 

7. How was the guidance delivered financed? 

The financing came through an IPA project funded through the ETSC.

Ref.no. 2014-1-IS01-KA204-000181 TOOLBOX; Competency profiling/IS-ETSC

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(1) Reflective VPL, This takes the whole learning biography of an individual as the focus for building up a portfolio and action plan. Only after this is done, the individual makes a choice on taking action: which standard to link to, which stakeholders to address, which learning goal, etc. A high level of (social) reflexivity can be defined by an individual shaping his/her own norms, desires and objectives. It refers to the notion of autonomy of the individual. (2) Summative VPL: Is building up a portfolio against a pre-set standard, with a one-dimensional goal; looking for access and exemptions. (3) Formative VPL: Is meeting up with a portfolio to a standard for deciding on what/where/how to learn further, or for formulating a career-step with the portfolio as a starting point. A third – essential – way of formative usage is for focusing on how and why to invest in one’s personal development.

Institutionalization & legal basis  VPL is formally layed down in Education laws (WEB & WHH) for a full VPL-procedure. Also formally there are teh sector-regulations for full VPL  There is an informal right for a starting qualification for access The quality assurance is described in the national quality-code for VPL-providers 

Purposes of VPL: …  1. In general: transition to lifelong learning and sustainable career perspectives  2. Economical: employability  3. Social: social cohesion and empowerment  4. Educational: innovation of educational infrastructure & processes

The aims of VPL are: 1. Qualification  2. Employability  3. Empowerment  4. Personal development  5. Activate citizenship  6. Professionalisation / innovation

VPL-procedures are place for: - formally: job-seekers, education  - Informally: workers, low-skilled  - Very informally: sustainable self-management of competences (CH-Q as portfolio-training)  Instruments arequality-assured assessment and portfolio training  VPL = target-group specific (job-status, sector status)

The main stakeholders in the Dutch VPL are: 1. national authorities, which facilitate the development and implementation of VPL (through law and financial means); 2. social partners, which encourage organisations to use VPL (through sectoral regulations and training funds); 3. schools and 2 universities, which provide access to their standards through VPL procedures;  4. companies and organisations, which guide their employees towards VPL;  5. citizens who can build their personal portfolio for VPL procedures, with or without support from VPL providers.

It is known that VPL is usually limited to a specific branch or sector. However, sometimes activities stretch beyond branches. A good example is the cross-sector mobility of military personnel. Many military functions resemble civilian occupations but lack the required (civilian) diplomas. VPL helps out by identifying competences acquired in the military working - and therefore also learning – environment. So, in certain civilian functions already a possibility exists to move on from a military function to a civilian occupation without having your ‘paper-work’. This cross-sector mobility occurs for instance in transport and logistics, administration and different technical functions.7  

Negative experiences  As is pointed out, VPL can be applied in many situations. However, it does not always automatically lead to the desired results. Factors and circumstances that can have a negative impact are: - The lack of possibilities for learning made to measure whereas VPL is implying just that; - Not enough confidence of the participants in the quality of the assessments. Confidence forms the basis for further decisions about validation, valuation, certifying and future steps; - Fear of VPL from the side of the employers that more diplomas lead fore mostly to higher salary demands or the competition hiring their employees; - Rigid legislation that complicates flexible custom made procedures; - Last but not least, cyclical problems can restrain the essential precondition for VPL: offering real perspective for using the outcome of a VPL-procedure, especially career-opportunities on the labour market.

Positive experiences  The positive experiences with VPL are : - Thanks to VPL, recruitment and selection of staff can also take place among (non-traditional) target groups without formal qualifications but having appropriate non-formally acquired competences, - VPL is useful for keeping personnel motivated and for prevention of disability. Employees in the building sector, for example, are offered new career possibilities on the basis of competence recognition and comparison with related sectors. This way, employers can actively work on disability prevention. - Moving on and upgrading of people are stimulated. Especially up-skilling or training to a higher level can be efficiently designed on the basis of insight in existing competences.  - There is a positive influence on outflow and outplacement of personnel. For example in the army, there are many employees on a contract for a definite period of time. In order to replace them on the labour market more successfully, VPL offers both development and qualifications and therefore new career-opportunities.  - Within the competence management of organisations, VPL proves to be useful as a controlled instrument for individual accomplishment. It strongly relates to judging and education, on the basis of competence profiles or otherwise. With VPL, more success can be booked, especially when the objective is both development and qualification. The surplus value of VPL compared to traditional competence management lies mostly in the recognition phase. The stimulus coming from recognition of competences is enormous. This can be found in the personal motivation to learn and to work. Instead of finding out what you cannot do, VPL emphasizes what you can. Employees can make far better use of their talents. - In the field of human capital accounting VPL is helping as well, especially when European laws require companies to put ‘human capital’ on the balance sheet. VPL fills this gap and expresses the value of competences of individuals and organisations with regard to a standard that is accepted and understood by all parties involved. However, for the present, the quality of current standards is the weak point in VPL procedures. - VPL also gives financial advantages. Not so much in the form of a reduction in educational costs, but more through a decrease in the time employees are absent from their work. In the VPL procedure of companies like Rockwool, the implementation of VPL already in the pilot phase showed a return on investment for the company - VPL procedures give confidence to people. It contributes to the motivation for further development, which makes VPL valuable as a contribution to change processes within organisations.

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