EIPIL-PAN Project
European Initiative for the Promotion of Informal Learning.
Most learning in the workplace occurs informally through working with other employees, clients, customers, suppliers and reacting positively to their feedback. Much of this learning goes unrecognised by the employer and also by the individuals themselves. This initiative seeks to promote the recognition, validation and accreditation of this informal learning in the workplace.
Phase 1a. (Completed in 2007). A simple framework was developed and trialled with a number of companies across France, Germany, Latvia, Spain, Sweden and the UK as part of a Leonardo Da Vinci project. Participating businesses from the tourism / hospitality sector ranged in size from 6 to 223 employees and were found in all six countries.
Informal learning was identified within companies. Its impact on their business performance was identified as were other business benefits. Support was offered to company staff for the internal management of strategic and operational processes to enhance it. Successful companies were awarded a pan-EU Quality Mark and individuals achieved qualifications rewarding their capacity to up-skill in the workplace through informal learning.
Phase 1 b (On-going). Hotels are continuing to use the framework as part of on-going activities.
Phase 2. (Start date 2008)
Funded under the Lifelong Learning Programme of the EU, this phase will adapt and transfer the model, framework and instruments developed under Phase 1 into:
- Three new countries – Greece, Poland and Romania
- Two new sectors – Retail and IT Service.
Cultural differences between Member States and Sectors will be identified and suitable adaptations made to the originals. These will then be piloted across the partnership.
This phase will also seek to support work towards the implementation of a single framework for transparency of competencies and qualifications by supporting the use of common validation instruments such as the European CV and a common e-portfolio.
This will extend both the concepts and implementation of the validation and accreditation methodologies developed under Phase 1 and will incorporate managerial competencies as well as those of other workers.
To achieve this, research will be carried out to identify emerging practices and technologies that will play a key role in the recognition of competencies acquired informally in the workplace. Based on this State of the Art report, a prototype will be identified for further work within this phase. This prototype will take into account interoperability standards and multilinguality.
Based on the knowledge gained during piloting in phase 2, a document compiling updated specifications of the prototype will be produced to be used by publishers and implementers of technical infrastructures in future developments.
An invitation to you.
If you have an interest in this phase of work as well as using the “join-in” link on this page, please join our community http://eipil-pan.ning.com to follow progress, to contribute to discussions and to assist in our research.
We look forward to your contributions. The EIPIL-PAN partnership.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
