Famcompass: assessing and validating family competences
Started in 2007 as a multilateral cooperation project with the support of the LLL of the European Union. The support lasted until 2009. The constructed portfolio instrument is still used in different countries.
What was the project about?
Getting involved in family life enhances many competences that could be relevant to professional careers or higher education programs. In order to answer the growing need for professional workers in the childcare sector, in welfare work and in the care for the elderly, training providers and employers should be considering the possibility of acknowledging and recognizing competences acquired in family life. To raise children and see to their needs, to provide care for sick or disabled family members, to organize the household and support relationships in the family, can result in a high degree of maturity and to more knowledge and skills.
Famcompass is an instrument that specifically records family competences in relationship to professional training courses in social or medical care and/or in jobs in these sectors.
Famcompass as an instrument
During the project, developed in cooperation with partners in Germany, Finland, Romania, Lithuania and Poland, we defined the learning outcomes in curricula (family sciences, social work, remedial teaching,...) and job profiles, such as: maternal assistant, preschool educator and social emergency worker. From this analysis, a list/matrix of competences was derived. For each competence, the user of the instrument can score him/herself on a scale from 0-4. Levels were defined referring to the European Qualification Framework. In other parts of the instrument, the user:
• gives a more detailed description of some of the selected competences (assessing one's own strengths and weaknesses – using the STAR-method);
• adds evidence: references, certificates and other documents;
• reflects on cases related to family situations (both from a personal and from a professional point of view).
Recognizing and validation
From the list of competences employers and training providers can derive indicators and specify on which level- relevant to their context and aims -family related competences are sufficiently proved and usable.
Famcompass demonstrates and gives evidence of competences acquired in the most informal context, family life. Validation depends on the use by educational and training institutes and care providers. In Belgium, in the bachelor program for family sciences, Famcompass is used to assess competences adult students have acquired when starting the 3-year training. According to the competences they can prove, they enter a 1-day or a 4-day lesson per week program.
More information:
Higher Institute of family sciences; Gaby Jennes, coordinator
www.hig.be, www.famcompass.eu
Workshop presenter:
Mr Joris Dewispelaere
Work life flexibility
Project title: Validation of Real Competence in the trades against the formal curriculum / Validering för avslutning av studier inom industriområdet
Speaker: Hildur Elín Vignir Managing director of IDAN
IDAN
The role of IDAN - Vocational Education and Training Center is to improve the capabilities of companies and employees in the food and culinary brances, printing and media branches, automotive industries, building and construction branches, metal and machinery branches and industries. IDAN is owned by the Unions of Icelandic skilled Workers and Federations of Icelandic Industries. IDAN seeks to support companies in the development of knowledge and skills among it’s employees and takes active part in various developmental projects.
Counceling at IDAN
The role of the counceling department at IDAN is to guide individuals with formal education in the branches and industry with their life long learning as well as reach out to individuals with non-formal education and validate their skills and competence. The department is also providing counceling to students during their formal education.
Validation of Real Competence
Since early 2007 IDAN has worked with Education and Training service center on managing validation of Real Competence in the trades against the formal curriculum. The pilot project was prepared by all stakeholders in late 2006 and IDAN worked with the first participants in early 2007. The validation process that was used was developed by Education and Training service center and is based on the European Guidelines of Validating Real Competence. The participants have to have reached the age of 25 and have been working at least for 5 years with in their trade. The process is very well organized and easy to work with.
Since 2007 IDAN has validated over 23.000 points for 700 individuals in 16 trades. About 300 individuals have gone back to upper secondary school after their validation to finished their formal education or approximately 50%. We have to consider that validation participants are in most cases dropouts from the upper secondary schools and there for not always easy for them to face their barriers and go back into the formal school system again. On the positive side, the upper secondary schools have tried to meet the validation groups half way and offered if they can more flexible learning experience e.g. to study after work.