The goal of this project is to improve access to Higher Education for individuals without a high school diploma. The project wants to contribute to an evidence-based approach in the identification and development of support measure for people who have non-formal or informal learning experiences to get their education recognized in order to facilitate access to Higher Education in Europe. In this target group we include individuals in the participant countries who dropped out of secondary school and migrants from other countries, who either have no high school diploma or problems getting their diploma recognized. The partnership will collaborate to develop a common European procedure acceptable for EU policies and suited to the needs of the target group. The project deals with various aspects of social inclusion. In this spirit the project wants to present an alternative path in order to encourage the target group to make significant and outstanding contributions while joining Higher Education. Five partners from four European countries will be involved and cover Mediterranean and Nordic countries. The overall aim of the project is to help and encourage the target group to continue their education towards university studies. Specific objectives: - Promote transnational access to European Universities for people without a high school diploma. - Give universities the opportunity to reach future potential university students and identify opportunities for improvement in their campus, so that they are prepared to offer an inclusive university education under conditions of equal opportunities for all the students. - Improve and promote the inclusion of people with fewer opportunities in the university community. - Improve and promote the inclusion of migrants in the university community - Promote the interconnection and networking of cross-border learning communities. - Improve the attractiveness and accessibility of available opportunities for study in Universities in Europe. - Foster social inclusion through entry in Universities. - Promote intercultural competence, European integration and active European citizenship. - Record the existing situation in each country in relation with the Bologna declaration and EQF. - Propose a common evaluation way of accreditation of prior experiential learning. - Enable stakeholders to identify and gain a deeper understanding of building a portfolio. - Identify structural barriers and common weaknesses in the recognition process. The project will achieve the above by pursuing the following specific activities: - Report of the existing status and institutional/legal framework in each country -Report of perceptions of academics and policy makers - Needs analysis report - Creation and Presentation of a portfolio - Report on Methodology for Recognition of Prior Learning As tangible results of the project, we expect: - To develop a European transnational standard of measures and reasonable adjustments at the academic level for the target group. - To present a methodology of recognition of prior learning respectful of EU policies and the Bologna Declaration for efficient transnational accreditation of experimental learning. - To create and present a portfolio reachable to the wide users. Expected impact to target group. - People without high school diploma and migrants: - to be able to develop a personal portfolio, - to obtain self-awareness about their qualifications, - to develop and improve their skills, - up-skill their ability to communicate freely in the world without borders, - to be inform about the existing status and institutional/legal framework in each country, - to encourage them to participate in an evaluation of accreditation of their prior learning. Academics and policy makers - have a higher level of cultural awareness and deeper understanding of inter-cultural dialogue, - increase their understanding and respect for people with fewer opportunities, - adopt a European collaborative spirit, - improve their interdisciplinary cooperation, - upgrade their pedagogical skills by exchanging and sharing methods, good practices and ideas, - Improve their professional expertise, - expand their personal knowledge of different communities, - explore different educational systems. Relevant stakeholders - improving of the resources to approach the condition of deep social exclusion, - develop European identity by exchanging experiences, - have a deeper understanding of European development policies, - increase their motivation for join education in universities. The proposed project is in full consistency with the policies of the European Union, (Lisbon Recognition Convention, 1997, European Higher Education Area (EHEA) 2010) to facilitate recognition and certification of skills and competences at the national level through effective quality assurance based on learning outcomes.
The overall aim of the project was to help and encourage the target group to continue their education towards university studies, by improving access to Higher Education for individuals without a high school diploma. The project wanted to contribute to an evidence-based approach in the identification and the development of support measures for people who have non- formal or informal learning experiences, in order to get their education recognised and to facilitate their access to Higher Education in Europe. In this target group, we included individuals in the participant countries who dropped out of secondary school, and migrants from other countries who either had no high school diploma or problems getting their diploma recognised. The partnership wanted to collaborate to develop a common European procedure suitable for EU policies and suiting the needs of the target group. The project dealt with various aspects of social inclusion. In this spirit the project wanted to present an alternative path that could encourage the target group to make significant and outstanding contributions to society while joining Higher Education.
Within a constantly changing working and social environment, the recognition of non-formal or informal learning experiences becomes relevant to strengthen the intra-mobility of professionals in Europe. Nobody should be required to learn something he or she is already competent in. Some aspects of the recognition process for foreign competences are already well regulated, like the Bologna agreement which facilitates the recognition of study credits obtained at European universities. However, in other fields there is still a need to facilitate this process of recognition, for example the system of admission into Higher Education. Being admitted into Higher Education institutions varies from country to country although commonalities exist, such as high school diplomas which are commonly recognised between European countries. It becomes more challenging if the recognition of non-formal and informal learning is involved, or for migrants from outside the European Union who have problems to document their education and professional competences. People with fewer opportunities who have followed a non-traditional path of education, which are interested in accessing Higher Education are often faced with obstacles.