Sweden’s Folkuniversitetet has developed its own approach to the Open College Network (OCN) method, born in the UK half a century ago. It offers flexible skills validation for people who are detached from the mainstream labour market and education system.
Folkuniversitetet, an organisation offering adult education and lifelong learning in Sweden, uses an approach based on the Open College Network (OCN) method to recognise and validate skills for people with little or no job experience as well as long-term jobseekers.
“The OCN methodology is a confidence-building process that enhances the candidate’s ability to articulate and communicate their competencies,” says Ingmari Frimanson. She is Head of Liberal Adult Education at Folkuniversitetet, which is run by foundations connected to universities in Stockholm, Uppsala, Gothenburg, Lund and Umeå.
This mechanism for validating general skills is flexible and quality-assured thanks to its structured approach based on clear assessment criteria and checklists, says Chris Robertson, Folkuniversitetet’s Coordinator for Special Development and manager of its validation project. It empowers people with little job experience through having their skills recognised.
“Candidates may have their competencies formally recognised or receive documented feedback with an action plan for further development,” says Chris Robertson, Folkuniversitetet’s Coordinator for Special Development. Photo: Marina Gevoyan.
“For example, a candidate arriving from another country without formal documentation of their skills can, through this structured validation process, make their competencies visible and have them verified and documented,” she says.
“This may involve demonstrating practical skills, such as in horticulture or green-area maintenance. These are assessed by a qualified assessor according to a competence framework,” Robertson explains.
If the candidate meets the required levels, the competencies can be formally recognised. If not, they receive documentation of their existing competencies along with an action plan for further development.
“A participant’s prior experience is mapped against clearly defined learning outcomes, known as modules. Evidence is collected through interviews, workplace observations and portfolios, and assessed against checklists,” she adds.
In the first stage of validation, the participant uses a digital system to answer questions about their skills and perform practical tasks. In the second stage, the applicant meets with an adviser, who assesses their skills through a series of checklists. The digital data is evaluated by internal and external stakeholders for quality assurance.
Enhancing prospects for self-sufficiency
The method is designed to be flexible enough to accommodate users’ varying backgrounds and linguistic skills, for instance. The data collected may sometimes include audio or video recordings.
A certified assessor verifies the results and issues a validated certificate at the relevant level of the Swedish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (SeQF). That’s part of the broader European qualification framework, the EQF.
“Our OCN is mainly applicable to SeQF levels 1–4, corresponding up to the upper secondary diploma level, whereas other Swedish national methods are primarily focused on SeQF level 4 and above. But depending on the individual candidate’s circumstances, OCN may be suitable for all SeQF levels,” says Frimanson.
That means it has a low threshold for use, with nearly universal applicability. Validation can be crucial for self-esteem and confidence to seek work or training opportunities.
“The OCN system is aimed at anyone who needs to have their competencies validated and documented in order to enhance their prospects for self-sufficiency,” she says.
This method accommodates users from diverse backgrounds.
The method is used by various study associations, municipalities and sector organisations in Sweden. Folkuniversitetet has been using it for validation since 2015.
“The OCN methodology is primarily used by public-sector actors and providers of publicly procured services to make competencies visible and document them in a structured way,” says Robertson.
Overcoming challenges
During its first decade, Folkuniversitetet’s OCN system has overcome several challenges.
“Implementing the process within an organisation is time-consuming, partly because validation as a concept is often subject to scrutiny,” says Frimanson. “At times, there have been questions about the method due to its emphasis on non-formal learning processes. However, this can be countered through the accompanying documentation, which is typically pedagogical, transparent and easily accessible.”
Robertson, meanwhile, points out that its digital tools “can be a barrier for participants with low digital literacy or limited access to digital resources”.
The Swedish model of the OCN methodology was jointly developed in the early 2000s, when Folkuniversitetet took part in a development initiative with other institutions.
“The focus areas included general labour-market competencies and communicative Swedish,” explains Frimanson.
The model includes general labour-market competencies and communicative Swedish.
Building on this collaborative work, initiatives such as the ‘Validation Through a Learning Journey’ project in the Skåne region emerged. These paved the way for Folkuniversitetet’s natural, long-standing connection to the OCN methodology.
“It’s implemented through regional organisations across the UK and Northern Ireland, which provide recognised qualifications and flexible validation of informal and non-formal learning,” explains Robertson.
Cross-border competencies
In her view, it would be ideal if different national OCN systems could be aligned under one European umbrella.
“If that’s achievable, it would greatly facilitate the comparison of individuals’ competencies, regardless of their background or the contexts in which their learning has been acquired,” she suggests.
As Robertson sees it, the benefits would include improved labour market mobility, easier transfer of validated competencies across borders and greater clarity for employers.
“At the same time, it’s important to consider that national systems, regulations and labour market requirements differ,” she notes.
Ideally, different national OCN systems could be aligned under a single European umbrella.
How else could the method develop in the future?
“We must have quality-assured competence development processes in place so that employers and companies can strengthen their competitiveness,” replies Robertson. “That includes documentation that follows the learning outcomes. Validation according to the OCN model could serve as a way to quality-assure workplace-based competence development.”
“I’d like to see even more flexible, efficient and quality-assured validation methods that can quickly confirm and make learning visible with a high degree of credibility,” says Frimanson. “This is essential as the labour market increasingly demands rapid competence shifts and upskilling.”
Chris Robertson is Folkuniversitetet’s Coordinator for Special Development / Project Manager – Validation and Learning Journey. She has been involved in various projects at Folkuniversitetet since 2017. She has studied cultural production and art, earning a degree in interactive media. Alongside her position at Folkuniversitetet, Robertson also works as an artist and leads courses and workshops in art, creativity and collaboration, based in Kristianstad, southern Sweden.
Ingmari Frimanson is Head of Liberal Adult Education at Folkuniversitetet, with a special assignment to coordinate and align Folkuniversitetet’s national initiatives in the field of validation. She previously held senior positions in occupational health and business concept development, as a municipal educational director and a HR strategy manager for Volvo.
Half-century of recognising informal learning
The Open College Network (OCN) was established in the UK in 1975, when a consortium of educational institutions began working together to offer alternative pathways for people who lacked traditional school and/or college education. The first such formal system was set up in Manchester, England, in 1981 as a way of recognising informal learning achievements by adults.
The network includes not-for-profit awarding bodies which grant nationally recognised vocational and technical qualifications, focusing on accessible, credit-based learning. The largest of these, OCN London, states that its mission is to “help create a fairer society where everyone, whatever their educational background, has an opportunity to benefit from learning, realise their potential and fulfil their goals”. Many of its adult learners are from deprived areas and/or have disabilities or learning difficulties.
OCN approach in Sweden
Sweden’s OCN approach was developed as a highly distributed model involving many organisations, supported by strong national coordination, rather than being organised around regional centres as in the UK.
It emerged bottom-up through local labour-market initiatives and civic education, particularly to recognise general work-life competencies, later resulting in a Level 3 qualification in the Swedish National Qualifications Framework (SeQF). Over time, this was complemented by national industry validation based on the Swedish model, where employers’ organisations and trade unions jointly define standards, with skills recognition often taking place in the workplace.
Today, OCN bridges bottom-up and top-down perspectives and functions as a comprehensive quality-assurance methodology for learning and skills recognition. It is coordinated by the Stockholm-based Nordiskt Valideringsforum (Nordic Validation Forum) and enabled by Credding, an upgraded OCN digital platform launched in January 2026. Over the past decade, more than 172,000 credentials have been issued.
