The validation of informal learning is a goal in itself, and should be part of the delivery and assessment of learning activities, particularly in a prison context, where any scope to provide positive recognition has a clear psycho-social value. This validation of informal learning underlines the positive social skills and competences, as well as other key competences relevant to learning and the world of work, thus strongly supporting not only the educational agenda in prison, but also the broader rehabilitative agenda. In various contexts, the provision of informal learning validation has had the effect of motivating adults – particularly those from broadly socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds – to pursue further learning and career-orientation opportunities. Prison is a prime location for the realisation of such outputs. If, through the validation of informal learning a learner in prison can become motivated to nurture this positive reinforcement in an educational setting, pursuing additional education (either formal or informal) or engaging more seriously with career planning. The impact of informal learning validation in a prison setting is clearly something with a significant potential to encourage learning and further competence development. The project VALMOPRIS, supported by the European Prison Education Association (EPEA), designs, delivers and validates informal learning activities with the focus on KC5+1 – that is, it will look at the primary key competence of Learning to Learn (which supports the overall goal of enhancing motivation for participation in adult education in prison) in combination with at least 5 other European Framework Key Competences. 15 prison educators will be trained in the project to deliver and validate informal competence based learning with a focus on developing the ability and motivation to learn, and they will run various competence based learning projects with a diverse range of 90 prison learners. The project VALMOPRIS formally evaluates the change in learner motivation as a result of the informal learning validation, publishing a report on the impact of informal learning validation in prison. Based on the final results, a further 15 prison educators will be trained, setting the project outputs up for mainstreaming.VALMOPRIS will actively contribute to policy discourse on prison education, and the role of informal learning. It hopes to bring a change in the mind-set of education in prison, raising the profile of the social and personal competences acquired through informal learning and the way they can be assessed and validated. It hopes to promote the motivation of prison learners to engage in in/formal educational activities in line with the Council of Europe Recommendations on Education in Prison, and seeks to establish a continuation of the train-the-trainer programme, designing it to meet the requirements of a KA1 mobility activity for prison teachers throughout Europe.
The Validation and Motivation for Informal and Non-formal Learning in Prisons (VALMOPRIS), set out to facilitate the recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning through the design and delivery of competence-oriented learning activities in prisons and criminal justice settings in the EU. The objectives were to: • Explore the role and impact of non-formal and informal learning validation in prison alongside its potential to encourage learning and further competence development • Maximise the motivational potential of non-formal and informal learning, and validation in prisons through the introduction of validation processes and competences relevant to those leaners and the socio-economic disadvantages they face • Actively contribute to policy discourse on prison education, and promote/enhance the role and potential of non-formal and informal learning validation within prison education and justice settings • Interact with prison services, raising the profile of the social and personal competences acquired through informal learning (in line with the Council of Europe Recommendations on Education in Prison) • Support professionals working within prison to validate informal and non-formal learning through training and the creation of a framework, resources and materials required to undertake future and self-directed validation • Establish a train-the-trainer programme for prison teachers throughout the EU The project saw professionals and teachers from 7 EU countries, 5 of whom deliver education within criminal justice settings, working in close partnership to design, deliver and validate competence development, as a result of our learners' engagement with a wide range of non-formal learning activities. • New College Lanarkshire (Scotland, UK) deliver wide-ranging educational provision within 7 Scottish prisons • EPPEA (Latvia) are an NGO who deliver prison education offending prevention strategies and resettlement support • Euro-CIDES (France) deliver training and development opportunities within the field of prison education • Centrul Educativ Buzias (Romania) is a closed detention centre for young offenders, subordinated to the Romanian National Administration of prisons with a core focus on education values • Changes and Chances (Netherlands) use the arts as a tool for those who come into contact with the criminal justice system Two partner organisations specialist in training and education concepts: • Die Berater (Austria) develop adult education and VET programmes for HR development – including specialised e-learning solutions • Blinc eG (Germany) develop training concepts, networking and exchange and host the REVEAL network and the LEVEL5 validation methodology The project explored the impact of competence-oriented learning and non-formal modes of learning on the motivation of prison-based learners to engage in learning – and ascertain the types of competences that were most relevant within prison and justice contexts As a result of our research and findings, which was carried out with over 90 prison learners and 30 practitioners from 5 EU countries, and pilot activities with 30 teachers that reached 90+ learners, we delivered a set of recommendations for the development of future policy to help all stakeholders to recognise the value of informally-developed competences; as well as a series of practical resources which could be utilised within prisons and criminal justice settings to support practitioners to deliver and validate competence-oriented learning The VALMOPRIS project produced 4 Intellectual Outputs (IO’s): • IO1 Study and Policy Recommendations includes full details of our research methodology and findings on the importance of education, competence-development and the validation of learning • IO2 Competence Frameworks has 40 competences designed for prison and criminal justice settings, which include frameworks for practitioners to develop and adapt within their own learning contexts as well as a catalogue of pilot learning activities • IO3 Train-the-trainer Programme developed as an online offering through a Moodle platform for learning professional across the EU • IO4 Practioners’ Guidebook offers advice on how to deliver competence-oriented learning available in partner languages Impact of the project activities were: • Increased opportunities for professional training in the delivery of competence-oriented learning and the validation of non-formal and informal learning • Increased understanding of the benefits of and subsequent engagement with COL and validation processes • A consistent but flexible approach developed for the delivery of competence-oriented learning and development of the well-established LEVEL5 validation approach for use within prison and criminal justice settings across the EU • Higher numbers of learners engaging in competence-oriented learning and seeing the psycho-social benefits of their engagement with non-formal learning validation.