Assessment Based on Competence (ABC)
European Training Foundation (ETF)
UNESCO-UNEVOC Bulletin, April 2002
Newsletter of the UNESCO International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training

 

Vocational education and training (VET) standards are used more and more frequently to describe competence rather than tasks and activities that are necessary to perform an occupation. Modern VET standards tend to be competency based, and are often used as a basis to benchmark the performance of individuals and measure their competence. Despite the lack of a common methodology for assessing competencies, European countries are becoming increasingly experienced in assessing competences in enterprises and adult education, as well as accrediting competences that have been acquired in an informal or non-formal way (accreditation of prior and experiential learning) and in initial and secondary vocational education and higher education.

The European Memorandum on Life Long Learning (http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/lll/life/memoen.pdf) and the Action Plan on Life Long Learning (http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/lll/life/communication/com_en.pdf) emphasise the importance of this approach and define the scope of assessment of competence, within the EU and the candidate countries.

The ETF's involvement in Standards and Assessment

The European Training Foundation has been working with countries in transition since 1995 to support them in the reform of their VET systems. Currently, it collaborates with more than 40 partner countries in four regions: Central and Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, the Mediterranean and the New Independent States and Mongolia. Since its inception, the Foundation has paid special attention to the development of training standards and is actively promoting competence-based standards.

Building upon its work on vocational standards, the European Training Foundation has decided to go further and develop guidelines for partner countries on how to improve their assessment systems and make them more, if not fully, competence based. This will take place, amongst other activities, in the framework of the "ABC" Project.

The "ABC" Project

The overall objective of the "ABC" Project is to produce guidelines for partner countries for the development of competence based assessment systems. The project plan forsees several phases:

• Development of a common concept of assessment of competencies including identification of main principles and best practices in EU and partner countries
• Adaptation of the concept into appropriate national assessment guidelines in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta, Romania and Uzbekistan
• Publication of a concept paper on assessment of competences.

Choice of the pilot partners

The choice of the four pilot partner countries was made according to ongoing developments in these countries and the possibilities of the project to feed in to existing and new initiatives of a systemic impact:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina has issued a green paper on the development of vocational education. A National Board for Standards and Assessment is being established and financially supported by the World Bank. Further reform of the vocational education system will be supported by the European Union in the framework of the CARDS Programme for the Western Balkans.
• Malta has recently established the Malta Vocational and Professional Qualifications Awards Council (MPVQAC) and its Standards Development Boards with a view to creating a coherent national framework.
• Romania has established a Council for Occupational Standards and Accreditation. Over a short period a series of standards have been developed and are currently being implemented within the education system. As the financial future of the Council is not guaranteed, involvement in the project should strengthen the role and the status of the Council.
• Uzbekistan, struggling with a rapidly growing population and economic transition, has undertaken several measures to tackle the problems of worsening educational attainment levels and the increasing number of young people starting working life without professional qualifications. Compulsory education has been lengthened and new types of schools have been created. As a result, standards and curricula for hundreds of occupations need to be developed.

Road map of the project

At the end of February, a two-day seminar took place at the premises of the European Training Foundation. Vocational training experts from the Foundation, EU and partner countries discussed relevant developments in order to take stock of practices in the EU and the partner countries. This stocktaking will serve as basis for the development of tailor-made national road maps in the pilot partner countries. Several national seminars are planned in each of the countries and the expected outcome is the validation of each of the national road maps. During a second seminar in Turin in late spring, the results of the national road maps will be presented and translated into a concept paper outlining the general principles for assessment of competence.

For further information, please refer to Mrs. Gisela Schürings, European Training Foundation
e-mail: gis@etf.eu.int 
http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/bulletin/03/bulletin-03-e.htm

 

 

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