Recognizing, validating and accrediting prior learning of migrants and refugees – Policy brief published

Migration and forcible displacement are starkly increasing with some 281 million international migrantsand an estimated 36.4 million refugeesworldwide.

Yet, despite the rise in movement beyond borders, the existing competences of migrants and refugees often go unrecognized, hindering them from continuing on their learning path and finding decent work in new host societies.

Systems that recognize, validate and accredit all forms of learning outcomes migrants and refugees already possess are well-placed to foster lifelong learning, while also promoting individual empowerment, social inclusion and economic growth.

A new policy brief has just been published by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL). Entitled Inclusion beyond borders: what is needed to recognize, validate and accredit the prior learning of migrants and refugees?, it offers recommendations on how UNESCO Member States can develop and implement systems to value what people on the move know and can do.

Recommendations: Recognizing, validating and accrediting the prior learning of migrants and refugees

Inclusive systems of recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) of prior learning acknowledge what diverse groups of migrants and refugees know and can do. This may support individuals in unlocking opportunities which allow them to fulfil their human right to lifelong learning. Beyond individual benefits, this can also be highly valuable for host societies more broadly, feeding into economic growth and helping cultural diversity to thrive.

Such systems may be developed by establishing integrated national policy approaches which are inclusive of migrants and refugees, based on a clear, shared vision of RVA and its intended outcomes. Efforts to create quality RVA assessments which are accessible to migrants and refugees along with substantial outreach and counselling services can complement this.

Inclusion beyond borders: what is needed to recognize, validate and accredit the prior learning of migrants and refugees?proposes four action areas with tailored recommendations which are necessary to build and strengthen RVA systems, in a way that includes newcomers, among others.

These include:

• Action area 1: Develop integrated national policy approaches that are inclusive of migrants and refugees
• Action area 2: Establish a clear, shared vision for a comprehensive RVA system that is inclusive of migrants and refugees
• Action area 3: Create quality RVA assessments that are accessible to migrants and refugees
• Action area 4: Incorporate RVA outreach and counselling that caters to migrants and refugees

The recommendations falling under these action areas can serve as a guide for policy-makers in UNESCO Member States and others seeking to embrace the value of what refugees and migrants know and can do, in the context of lifelong learning policy and systems development.

Read the full policy brief: Inclusion beyond borders: what is needed to recognize, validate and accredit the prior learning of migrants and refugees?

Learn more about this subject:

• Recognition, Validation and Accreditation of Non-formal and Informal Learning
• Migrants and refugees

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