APEL - WB - Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning Capacity-Building in the Western Balkans

The Lisbon Recognition Convention emphasizes the value of learning acquired through self-education, work and life experiences, and underscores the necessity of accrediting it. Defined as a social mandate for ensuring adequate learning opportunities, this process requires the coordinated operation of several areas of its system. To facilitate recognition, a European Recognition Manual for Higher Education Institutions has been developed, with practical guidelines to enable recognition of prior learning gained after flexible learning paths. From the other side, organizations are evolving into ‘intelligent’ entities characterized by digitized expertise, expert systems and structured knowledge (Evers, 2010). This dynamism compels universities to reassert normative control over knowledge production and governance within the market (Fuller, 2018). One of the main developing is that Higher Education have embraced competencies-based learning, which makes awarding academic credits for prior learning more suitable with its mission and strategy. In the Western Balkans (WB), Recognition and Accreditation of Prior Learning (RAPL) remains underutilized. The proposed project aims to bridge this gap by institutionalizing RAPL in WB as a systemic-change cornerstone of an inclusive higher education. Aligning with European Commission and WB priorities -sustainable growth and knowledge-driven economies- the project proposes a comprehensive framework inspired by best European practices. Key components include the development of normative guidelines to regulate RAPL and training programs for experts, encompassing academic and administrative staff of HEIs, Agencies for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and ministries of education. By implementing these measures the project seeks to promote lifelong learning and ensure equitable opportunities for individuals to leverage their competencies for personal and economic benefit, while making the society more supportive and inclusive.