Self-Assessment of Informally Acquired Competences on the Basis of Work Task Inventories

One of the earliest attempts in Germany to recognise informally acquired competences was a sector-specific one in the metal and electrical (M + E) industry in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Although the importance of the formal VET system in Germany has often been emphasised, there is a remarkable number of workers who do not have a formal qualification and cannot prove their competences. This chapter describes if and how these people can self-assess their competences using an internet tool that had to be developed for this purpose. The tool for making informally acquired competences visible was developed in a participatory development process involving social partners, human resource managers, works councils, chambers, employment agencies, academics and the people concerned. The tool was developed on the basis of document analysis, guideline-based interviews and workplace observations, and was tested and validated by users in companies. For the purpose of self-assessment, task inventories (ideally containing all work tasks in the M + E sector) were developed and implemented in an online tool, which is now freely available in six languages. Users can mark the tasks they are able to perform. The advantages and disadvantages of using such a tool for the recognition of prior learning are discussed in a final conclusion.