GETTING SKILLS RIGHT IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF NON-FORMAL ADULT LEARNING LEARNING FROM EUROPEAN BEST PRACTICES ON QUALITY ASSURANCE

The COVID-19 crisis has reiterated the importance of adult learning and career guidance services as many adults have lost their jobs and now require upskilling and reskilling opportunities in order to keep pace with the rapidly evolving world of work. Yet, in order to achieve its positive gains, adult training needs to be of high quality and ensure successful learning experiences for all participants. This report therefore aims at supporting public authorities to enhance quality in the field of non-formal adult learning. It provides an overview of quality assurance systems across Europe, highlighting their implementation features, governance structures and success factors. Based on this analysis, the report develops a Quality Assurance in Adult Learning Decision Tree to support the decision-making process of governments that are planning reforms of their quality assurance systems. Foreword Acronyms and abbreviations Executive summary 1 Setting the scene The challenges of ensuring quality in non-formal adult learning Mapping quality assurance approaches and tools in adult training References Notes 2 Ensuring quality in adult learning through quality labels and certificates Certifications and quality labels to ensure minimum quality levels The eduQua certification framework in Switzerland The Greta-Plus, Eduform and Qualiopi labels in France The certification of providers in Germany The Initiative for Adult Education and the Ö-Cert quality label in Austria The NRTO and KET-KIT quality labels in the Netherlands The GKK quality framework in Belgium International quality standards Common practices in certification processes Quality criteria used in certification processes References Notes 3 Ensuring quality in adult learning through evaluations Self-evaluations to foster a quality culture Evaluations by external bodies as an hybrid tool The role of guidelines and other support materials to facilitate evaluations Quality awards and prizes References Notes 4 Ensuring quality in adult learning through additional support structures Validation of prior learning and lifelong guidance Improving the quality of the teaching staff to improve the quality of the training Involving the social partners in quality assurance Publicising information on providers’ quality References 5 The Quality Assurance in Adult Learning Decision Tree A decision tree to establish a quality assurance system in adult learning