More than 300 people from employment, education and training, civil society organisations, and social partners joined the first day of the European Validation Festival - Unlocking talents in Europe, on 14 June in Brussels.

85% of learning during our lifetime takes place outside formal learning – but the results are not always visible. Validation gives visibility and value to all learning, including at work, at home or volunteering.

Participants in the Festival visited a marketplace of 40 stands where organisations from all around Europe presented their initiatives and practices on validation of non-formal and informal learning.

Interactive workshops explored different policies and practices on validation, including:

• Validation in Upskilling Pathways
• The Youthpass experience
• Developing validation in the workplace in cooperation with employers
• (Self-) assessing vocational skills
• Validation and Blockchain
• Qualification frameworks and validation
• Supporting the employability of migrants and refugees
• Encouraging solidarity activities and the validation of learning outcomes
• Funding models for validation
• Making transversal skills visible
• E-portfolios and Open Badges
• Supporting the learner: connecting validation and guidance

The second day of the conference will be opened by Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Labour Mobility.

Web streaming

Tune in through the web streaming and don't miss:

• The spotlight speeches by David Rivoire, President of VAE les 2 Rives and Laure Joachim, Head of Group's 'Associate Employability' Unit at Adecco Group.
• Two panel discussions exploring:
  • The learner at the centre: validation stories,
  • Multi-stakeholder commitment: a condition for success for validation.

Photos and videos

You can find pictures from the conference on the Flickr account of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

Check out the video of the conference:

• Validation: Where are we now?

Want to know more?

Download the infographic.

Follow the discussions on Twitter and share the video and the infographic by using the hashtag #EUSkillsValidation.