education in sociology, political science, Ph'D' in educational sciences

1
Dr. Rüdiger PreisserReport on activities
concerning informal learning and portfolio
building in Germany

• education in sociology, political science, Ph.D.
  in educational sciences
• belongs to department Planning and Development
• Conducted research and development projects both
  nationally and on European level
• Current Projects
• Further Education Passes in Germany
  (Strategies and Methods of Portfolio Building)
• Construction of Competence, Orientation
  Strategies and Training for Women of Low
  Qualification (Socrates)

2

• Deutsches Institut für Erwachsenenbildung (DIE)
• German Institute for Adult Education
• Acts as a link between academic theory and
  practical work in adult education
• Provides the basis for research based on
  practice and develops innovative approaches

3
DIE Areas of research in adult education

• Environmental education, sustainability
• Gender mainstreaming
• New media
• Political education
• Work related further education
• Language
• Education for elderly

4
Qualification Passport / Portfolio

• Relevance of portfolio building in Germany
• Structural change
• Lifelong learning
• Discontinuous occupational careers
• Vocational training system

• High degree of formalisation (system of
  certification)
• Lack of flexibility
• Lack of acknowledging informal competences

5
Modes of governing the system of lifelong learning

training system
employment system
modularisation
Concept of occupation
ex-post
ex-ante
Coaching/verification
standardisation
central control
decentral control
6
Experience in Germany Heterogeneity
48 qualification passports since 1995
Diverse denominations
occupational- educational- competence- qualificati
on-
-book -certificate -pass -portfolio
7
Diversity
qualification passports have heterogeneous
objectives in diverse functional fields of society
private
transition school-employment
volunteer area
Occupation company related
Occupation professional associations
Main purpose (re-)integration into employment
system
8
Heterogeneity in identification,documentation,
validation
There are various approaches in

• documentation
• more or less systematic gathering, verifying
  biographic pieces of data and facts

There is a lack of

• counselling for individuals (no concepts)
• supporting balancing and reflection
• systematic and regular thinking about personal
  learning steps and experiences
• valid, reliable measuring and assessment methods
  / standards
• supporting planning and decision making
• drawing conclusions, creating and deciding upon
  biographic plans

9
Questions to answer from German viewpoint
functional areas of the society comprehensive or
partial ?
identification
matter learning process or competences ?
disposal individual or system?
institutionalisation complementary or alternative
ly ?
evaluation individual or institution?
public or private?
recognition
standardisation or counselling?
10
Call for actions as regards to qualification
passports in Germany
no

• counselling of individuals
• validation of competences
• verifying of competences
• assessment plan
• performance criteria
• unit progress record
• criteria of quality assurance

yes

• Portfolios
• pieces of evidence

11
Conclusion qualification passports stand on
their head
There is a tendency to change the framework
conditions in the society as regards to
recognition of informal competences by
introducing a qualification passport
12
Problems to solve

• No attention and knowledge of informal
  competences in the practice (companies, training
  institutions)
• No culture of recognition of informal competences
  in Germany
• No institutional framework conditions
  (modularisation) for portfolio building
  activities
• No concepts, no experience in careers guidance

13
Introduction of Kom-Pass (Kompetenz-Pass)
Features

• link to and further development of existing
  activities
• link to European approaches and procedures
• documentation of learning process / competences
• balancing and reflecting educational /
  occupational biography
• supporting individual educational / occupational
  planning

14
Implementation strategy of Kom-Pass

• designing the Kom-Pass
• developing a concept for counselling
• developing a concept for evaluation
• network building
• training of trainers