EDITORIAL Why validation and recognition of prior learning matter now more than ever

In her editorial, ELM Editorial Board member Beth John explores the benefits of validation and recognition of prior learning. “Validation enhances motivation, self-worth, and supports efficient upskilling and reskilling,” she says.

The ability to learn, adapt and reapply knowledge is essential in today’s rapidly evolving world. However, across Europe and the UK, countless adults possess valuable life and work experiences and skills that remain inconspicuous within formal systems of education and employment. The validation and recognition of prior learning (VPL/RPL) offer a crucial nexus—acknowledging that meaningful learning occurs not only within formal education but also through work, volunteering and everyday life.

The case for VPL is not new, but it has never been more critical. Increasing digitalisation, automation and the transition to green economies are transforming the skills landscape beyond recognition. At the same time, persistent labour shortages in construction, health and social care and education demand more flexible and responsive routes into employment.

Validation enhances self-worth and supports efficient upskilling and reskilling.

Validation enables adults to have their existing competencies formally recognised, helping them upskill or reskill efficiently. In doing so, it enhances motivation, confidence and a sense of self-worth among lifelong learners. It also helps to break down entrenched barriers to participation and strengthens workforce engagement.

VPL AND RPL ARE OFTEN DISCUSSED within higher and further education, where they support widening participation and streamline qualification routes. Yet their role in the adult community learning sector is equally essential—perhaps even more so.

Adult community learning providers frequently work with adults who have had limited, interrupted or negative experiences of formal education, and who are often furthest from education, training or employment. For these learners, validation serves as a threshold into opportunity—a way to value what they already know and to open new pathways.

Within community contexts, RPL can recognise skills gained through caring, parenting, volunteering or civic engagement—skills that are both transferable and relevant to the modern labour market.

Skills gained through civic engagement are transferable to the labour market.

Recognition of prior learning within the adult community learning (ACL) sector also builds social capital and active citizenship. When the knowledge and abilities adults bring with them are validated, their dignity is affirmed and a sense of belonging follows—powerful motivators that can lead to life-changing engagement with education and employment.

AT POLICY LEVEL, the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the Council of the European Union’s Recommendation on Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning (2012) have placed validation at the centre of educational reform, urging Member States to implement comprehensive frameworks.

The UK’s Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) reflects the same ambition, valuing learning outcomes over processes and contexts. However, implementation remains uneven. While universities and colleges have developed structured pathways for recognising prior learning, community-based provision often lacks professional guidance, funding consistency and institutional support.

The balance between flexibility, inclusivity and the rigour required for credible assessment is delicate, and its success depends heavily on clear, fair, and well-resourced systems. Employers—key beneficiaries of validated skills—are not always actively engaged in validation processes, limiting its reach and impact.

This raises critical questions of the educational sector:

• How can community, further, and higher education collaborate to create coherent validation systems?
• What professional development and infrastructure are needed to make RPL accessible, credible, and trusted across all learning environments?

AT ITS HEART, VALIDATION is concerned with dignity and equity. It challenges long-standing hierarchies that place academic achievement over experiential and community-based learning. It benefits those who have been marginalised—migrants, older workers, those in insecure work, or individuals with disrupted educational histories.

Validation is concerned with dignity and equity.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing transition to digital and green economies have only intensified the need for reskilling and recognition. Validation provides a mechanism for leveraging existing skills to meet new demands, preventing the waste of human potential and strengthening social cohesion.

For policymakers and adult educators, the challenge is not whether to embrace VPL and RPL, but how to make them inclusive, sustainable and truly systemic. Can we ensure that every adult’s knowledge and skills—acquired, non-formally, informally or formally—are both visible and valued? What would our communities look like if every learning journey, no matter where it began, was recognised as valid?

IF WE ARE SERIOUS about lifelong learning, we must make validation and recognition of prior learning the cornerstone of modern adult education policy and practice. Recognising the learner within is an act of empowerment, social justice and vision, for a fairer, more adaptable future.

It is about transforming lived experience into recognised achievement—enabling adults to take ownership of their learning, unlock their talents and move forward with confidence.

ELM Magazine starts the year with a new theme: validation and recognition of prior learning. We offer a glimpse into a Swedish approach and explore how trustworthiness is built within it. In his column, Cedefop’s Ernesto Villalba-Garcia discusses what it means to put the learner at the centre of validation, while Professor Patrick Werquin examines the question of equity in validation: who gets recognised?

Keep following ELM Magazine for stories that bring new insights and viewpoints.

Looking for more articles on the validation and recognition of prior learning?

This article is part of the theme ‘Validation and Recognition of Prior Learning 2026’.

Read related articles here