Around the galaxy “competence”

The competence is the ability of people to put togheter knowledge, interpersonal skills, know-how, attitude realizing not only controllable performance, but also intentionality towards goals development that can be own and their organization. In other words, it’s planning skill into concrete action, observable and unobservable (“knowledge in action”).
In January 2013 Decree, competence is represented as a “proven ability to use – in situations of professional and personal work, study and development – a structured set of knowledge and skills acquired in formal, non-formal and informal contexts”.

The draft decree on non-formal and informal learning validation and minimum standards of national system service of skills certification focuses on standards and systems for learning identification and validation, formal and informal. It must be considered undoubtedly a significant step forward in relation to a wide path now – although uneven – which has finally given in recent years concreteness to a theme consolidated both national and European level. Then it encoded with European Council recommendation in December 20th, 2012 (2012/C 398/01) in terms of knowledge validation, skills and competencies acquired through non-formal and informal learning.

On “competence” issue is currently available in both pedagogical and psychological literature very wide and varied. But now it’s necessary to deal with devices ECVET and EQF, beyond theoretical and basic approaches, combining a conceptual representation in European documents shared with domain for experimentation and research. The “qualification” is the aim of validation formal process of results obtained from a person with a precise standards.

Some studies (see the PIAAC project, for example) highlight training positive impact on workers carried out in workplace (workplace training). Informal learning contributes to competence construction while the latter loss and decline can undo all benefits derived from previous education and training paths also in quality. It would be a limit of human capital valuation not considering the informal learning area, according to OECD, but only results and formal education and training outcomes.

Project SIPED Group (254 KB)

Picture in 2020 and Decree in January 2013

A significant step forward took in direction of transition desirable scenarios - job training from Europe 2020 document (European Commission, 2011). As revealed from a recent survey sponsored by Ministry of Labor, projections to 2020 on supply and labor demand shows that our country is likely to be unprepared for upcoming changes in labor market . On the first side, the demand for labor and the research of European Centre for Vocational Training Development (CEDEFOP) ask a clear trend towards a knowledge economy and services, they will need more and more skilled workers.

Therefore adult learning is found in the heart of active welfare and understood as an integral part of a new safety net that helps to build the subject himself (engagement).
From the point of view of vocational training scenarios is necessary to grasp the following items as areas to invest in training systems and pedagogical reflection on both theoretical and policy solutions. It mentioned very briefly here:


a) the development subject to a system that allows extensive and detailed mapping and recognition of competences not only from the point of view of technical and specialist (theoretical knowledge, knowledge in action) but also from the standpoint of ethical and relational (note knowledge exchange, reciprocity, trust and responsibility);
b) the career guidance development can support opportunities for youth employability (budget of competence, assessment, coaching, individual interview and custom) in a perspective of lifelong guidance;
c) the training programs development for adult relate with transitions it can affect his life, considering professional experiences mixed with experiential learning;
d) the training programs development in work contexts for growth of human capital present in the latter. These paths can pass through new participatory work development, encouraging individual and collective experiences of cultural and professional growth.

Relevance areas of Working Group SIPED

The Group could develop reflection and planning moments in reference to scenario described even in very short lines with respect to following points:


a) to analyze forms and instruments - pedagogically founded - Decree in December 2013 feasibility compared, for example, in informal learning recognition;
b) to propose a mapping of the most relevant search results emerging from SIPED network about competences theme described above;
c) to propose a position paper respect to issue of skills recognition in relation to ongoing debate on qualifications and systems EQF / ECVET which is able to give directions to institutional actors (Ministry of Labour, Isfol, Cedefop);
d) to promote seminars nationwide to increase among young researchers and PhD students one “culture of competence”.

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Web links

ECVET
www.ecvet.net

EUA
www.eua.be

EQAVET
http://www.eqavet.eu

EQF
http://www.eqfnet-testing.eu/

Eurydice New Skills for New Jobs
http://www.indire.it/eurydice/index.php

European Commission Employment package
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/andor/headlines/news/2012/04/20120418_en.htm

European Commission Innovation Scoreboard 2011
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/files/ius-2011_en.pdf

ISFOL
www.isfol.it

OCSE, Indagine ALL. Adult Literacy and Life Skills – Competenze alfabetiche funzionali e abilità per la vita http://nces.ed.gov/Surveys/ALL/index.asp

OECD Skills Strategy
http://skills.oecd.org