RPL in The Netherlands

VET – Business Cooperation24/25 April, Copenhagen

Patrick Leushuis

Ministry of Education, Culture and Science

2

RPL in The Netherlands• RPL = market activity

Providers: educational institutes and specialized organizations

• Formal and non-formal standards (learning outcomes)

• Use of RPL:o career development, internal and external

mobilityo exemptions, flexible learning pathways

Certificate of Experience

Building the RPL-infrastructure

• Subsidies for regional partnerships learning & working (2006-2010):

Businesses, education & training institutes, local and regional government organisationsRPL and workbased learning

• Subsidies for higher education institutes (2007-2011):RPLFlexible, tailor made learning paths incl. WBLOrganizational development

• Subsidies for learning & working offices (2010-2012):Physical & virtual ‘front offices’ + active approach of employersIn 44 regions in the NetherlandsAfter 2012: career guidance offices?

3

Promotion of RPL

• Booklets, flyers, posters etc.

• Portal and websiteso Animation clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BZWyh52RCk&feature=related

o Videos – RPL testimonials etc.: video.ervaringscertificaat.nl

• National campaigns: TV, radio, interneto TV add: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCf4udF_EuA

• Social partners (employers organisations and unions): case studies on good RPL practices => RPL in collective labour agreements

4

Quality Assurance

• RPL quality code

• Accreditation

• National RPL register

• National expertise centre RPLo Information on RPL and quality codeo Good practiceso RPL academy: training RPL-professionalso RPL toolbox: handbooks, guidelines, competence profiles etc.

5

Financial support for RPL participants and employers

• Sector funds: full or partial funding for RPL

• Fiscal incentives: tax deductability costs of RPL

employersindividuals

6

Facts and figures (1)

Results of subsidized projects:

• 2005-2007: 80.000 participants WBL / RPL

• 2008-2010: 125.000 participants WBL / RPL

• 44 learning & working offices: provision of information on:

education and trainingRPLfinancial arrangements

active approach of employers in the region

7

Facts and figures (2)

• Development in numbers of RPL-participants:2007 - 9.9002008 - 12.5002009 - 15.7002010 - 22.0002011 - 17.700

• Mainly in formal standards at EQF- levels 2, 3 and 4

• Increasing share of RPL-participants in procedures using non-formal standards

8

Experiences and Challenges• RPL is mostly used as an instrument to obtain exemptions:

diploma orientation rather than career / labour market orientation

• Problems in transfer of RPL-results• Market ‘shake out’, quite a number of RPL-providers stopped:

High costs of accreditationLower numbers of RPL-participants than necessaryAlternative: intake assessments and ‘regular’ exemption procedures

• Challenges: reinforce the use of RPL for career development / direct use labour market: establishing suitable standards Quality control of ‘alternative’ instruments

9

Lessons learned in HEI’s

• National program ‘lifelong learning in higher education’

• Seven Universities of Applied Sciences (2009 – end 2011)

• Key success factors:o organizational development: structure and cultureo strategic partnerships with Businesses and local and regional

goverment organizationso integrated approach:

lifelong learning (RPL, training and education) research and innovation industrial placement, projects, guest lectures etc.

10