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As in many other countries, Danish adult education policy focuses on how to encourage adults for education; the most important and challenging group of adults being those with few or no formal qualifications. Assessment of prior learning (APL) is perceived as an important tool for motivating adults for education and training. The most important part of the adults' prior learning has been obtained outside the formal school system, typically consisting of their work experiences.

This paper discusses research that examined the meeting between on the one hand the adults' prior learning and on the other the school system and curricular standards. Applying a theoretical frame that includes concepts of communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991), the development from novice to expert (Dreyfus and Dreyfus, 1986), and Bernstein's distinction between horizontal and vertical learning, the paper gives an account of the students' development in relation to assessment of their prior learning. The study includes a number of [vocational education and training] VET programs. The paper focuses on two of them: social and health care and childcare assistant. It addresses questions of what is a fair APL, perceived in relation to both the adults' knowing in practice and the formal qualification standards, formulated in the learning outcome descriptions of the programs.

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The use of e-portfolios which provides a more effective method for recording and managing competency achievement has become increasingly popular. For Malaysian Skills Certification (MSC), students are required to create paper-based portfolios to demonstrate their knowledge and competence level. Nevertheless, existing literature indicated that paper-based portfolios were problematic, i.e. they tended to be static, and had limits on portability, active management and evaluation, and were difficult [for] updating information. E-portfolios have the potential to address these problems. This paper investigates the pontential of e-portfolios for competency assessments and virtual learning in accordance with the standards stipulated in MSC. A modified Delphi study was conducted with a panel of 11 experts who are competent and experienced in the use of portfolios and [information and communications technology] ICT in [technical and vocational education and training] TVET. The study consisted of three Delphi rounds. In the first round, 32 indicators for virtual learning and seven indicators for competency assessment were identified via literature reviews. In the second and third rounds, the elements from each previous round were assessed by the expert panel until a consensus was achieved. These findings were then analysed using a statistical dispersion technique, i.e. interquartile range. Twenty two indicators for virtual learning and five indicators for competency assessment were identified as important in relation to MSC. The use of e-portfolios in education proves to provide an efficient method for students' competence evaluation, descriptions of students' development process, storage of artefacts, assessments and online learning. For that, e-portfolio offers immense potentials in improving the quality of MSC system.

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Purpose: This paper reflects on changes to end-point assessment (EPA) brought about as a result of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic and considers how proposed future change will impact on training providers and employers of health apprentices. Design/methodology/approach: The paper provides an analysis of apprenticeship policy, the role of EPA and consideration of assessment strategies used in higher education and health professions. Implications for policy, training providers and clinical practice are proposed.

Findings: These changes will bring the completion of EPA closer to education providers and allow them to take a more direct role within the process. Education providers will need to be issued with clear guidance to ensure regulatory compliance. The pedagogical value of EPA is questioned. Originality/value: Training providers and policymakers will need to review their processes and guidance appropriately. This paper provides a summary of salient points needing consideration.

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The authors use a comparative approach to evaluate certification and assessment systems in the Czech Republic. A project coordinated by CEDEFOP in 1992-1993 facilitated the identification and comparison of certification systems in vocational education in European Union (EU) countries. The national reports and summary from this project have been used as the research model for the evaluation of the Czech system. The authors argue against Western curricula assessment models and suggest that the general factors to consider when deciding on national assessment approaches in transition economies are tradition, the prevailing values underpinning government and administrative structures, the social value of qualifications and their recognition, and the impact of the labour market.

This article is part of a special issue of the journal entitled ‘VET in transition: renewal, reform or reconstruction?’ The articles are indexed from TD/INT 60.109 to TD/INT 60.115. Show less

This chapter on high school equivalency describes recent events involved in updating the adult education high school equivalency assessment services and the entrance of additional assessments into the field.

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Background - In an increasingly globalized world, the call for internationally comparable competence measurements has emerged. After several international studies on pre-college education, the focus has shifted to international assessments of vocational education and training (VET). VET researchers in Germany developed a computer-based test (ALUSIM) that measures the competence of German apprentices in internationally defined core commercial areas. [The authors'] own study deals with the adaptation of this test to Switzerland and a discussion of the challenges involved, with the aim of providing guidance for future adaptations. More specifically, despite commonalities between the German and Swiss VET systems, it is necessary to examine whether the contents and technical aspects of ALUSIM are appropriate for Swiss conditions in order to ensure validity and evidence based on test content. Methods - Several methods were used to examine the criteria context, construct, and [information technology] IT components of the German computer-based test ALUSIM in order to successfully adapt it for Swiss commercial VET. To this end [the authors] first analyzed and compared the German and Swiss commercial VET systems and commercial curricula (context) to assess whether the tasks of the test were also embedded in the Swiss curriculum and whether any specific Swiss commercial contents were not represented by the test. Second, [they] interviewed experts in the commercial area to learn more about representative commercial job requirements (construct). Finally, [the authors] interviewed apprentices and tested [their] initial adaptation of ALUSIM to the Swiss context in order to assess the test's IT requirements.

Results - The analysis revealed similarities between the German and Swiss VET and the construct 'commercial competence'. However, commercial work conditions and cultural characteristics differ between these countries and lead to different job requirements. Therefore, only a subset of ALUSIM tasks is valid for the construct 'commercial competence' in Switzerland. Thus, the addition of further tasks for Switzerland would more validly represent the construct 'commercial competence'. Moreover, IT components need to be adjusted because the technical implementation represents the measured construct. Conclusions - The proceedings and findings of [the authors'] adaptation study imply that context, construct, and IT components need to be analyzed before doing adaptations. Even when dealing with countries with a similar context such as comparable educational system and language, it is necessary to carefully examine and test an adaptation in advance. Therefore, creating a successful and internationally comparable adaptation is admittedly possible but challenging, costly and time-consuming.

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The 1990s and early 2000s saw the increased development of advanced training, skills standards, and certification exams by private organizations in the United States. Employers began accepting these skill certifications in lieu of traditional on-the-job training, thereby encouraging employees to acquire more credentials. This article examines the increase in the number of skill certifications available, discusses legislative causes of these increases, and notes the current lack of published peer-reviewed analyses of statistical reliability and validity of certification exams. It presents a call for future research to determine the usefulness of certification.

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The study focused on the development and validation of workshop-based process skill tests for assessing students in metal fitting trade in technical colleges. The study adopted the instrumentation design and was carried out in Nasarawa state. The population for the study was 25 [National Technical Certificate] NTC III students comprising three ability groups (eight high, 12 average and five low abilities). A 92 draft copy of workshop-based process skill items were validated and utilized to developed the [workshop-based process skill test] WBPST. The test was used in assessing students in the government technical college Mada Station. The data generated were analyzed using Cronbach Alpha, Kendell coefficient of concordance and Scheffe Test. The reliability of the test revealed a coefficient of 0.76. It was found out that there were differences in the mean scores of the three ability groups (high, average and low). The inter-rater reliability coefficient of the WBPST was 0.57. It was therefore recommended that examination bodies [National Business and Technical Examination Board and West African Examinations Council] (NABTEB and WAEC) should integrate the WBPST items in their examination process for certification of NTC students.

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The Academic Credit Bank System (ACBS) has expanded the educational opportunities enormously for learners and has helped to expand the roles that vocational and online organizations play. However, from the perspective of higher education quality, the ACBS has had varying definitions for accepted experiences, which has created potential conflicts regarding the quality criteria for higher education. This article reviews the achievements and challenges of the ACBS, and also looks at the actions that were implemented to address these issues. In doing so, it attempts to offer insight into the policies and actions that led to the creation of the ACBS, thereby providing valuable guidance to those countries that are looking to adopt an alternative higher education system similar to the Korean ACBS.

The issue of accreditation outside of the traditional school system has, in recent times, received critical attention internationally and has been the focus of many discussions about competency-based education progress. The idea that workplace skills and theoretical learning cannot be taught separately has led to the need to develop an alternative degree system. Yet, how do we verify the learning experiences and skills acquired outside of educational institutes, such as within the workplace and the community? This question has paved the way for the Academic Credit Bank System in Korea. It serves as a way for people to track and verify learning experiences, similar to the way college credits are collected in schools. This system expands people's educational opportunities and accessibility at the college level. Furthermore, because of the rapid speed at which technology and information are advancing, it is critical that adults continue their learning even after graduation. As a result of these various needs, the ACBS was created as an alternative to attending university classes. The ACBS was first launched in Korea in 1998 and has developed rapidly since then. By 2013, more than one million ACBS learners were able to continue their learning and receive college degrees.

Thanks to the success of its learners, the ACBS has established itself firmly as the central lifelong learning system of Korea. This system has paved a way for its users to receive college degrees through non-formal and informal learning methods by officially acknowledging the learners' various learning experiences at a higher level, rather than exclusively recognizing only the traditional methods of college-centred education. In this sense, many countries are studying the ACBS as a successful model for vitalizing lifelong education systems.

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The assessment of vocational workplace-based qualifications in England relies on human assessors (raters). These assessors observe naturally occurring, non-standardised evidence, unique to each learner and evaluate the learner as competent/not yet competent against content standards. Whilst these are considered difficult to measure, this study aims to provide information on the operational reliability of assessor decisions for three workplace-based vocational qualifications in hairdressing and electrotechnical engineering. It is shown how existing assessment records, typically generated locally by the training providers, were collected and used in a reliability study. A suitable methodology for estimating the inter-rater reliability and internal consistency was then used with this empirical data. In general, the reliability estimates measured may be considered high. This research study shows that it may be possible to measure reliability for these qualifications using commonly used measurement methods, although several characteristics of the assessment system should be considered in their interpretation.

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