Can the ECVET be an added value to ECTS? Tomasz Saryusz-Wolski Technical University of Lodz & Educational Research Institute, Warsaw

ECTS What is ECTS? European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System - what does it mean? System for Higher Education? System used by university sector non university sector not allowed to use it? System to measure the workload of programme? Or System used to confirm validated learning outcomes at level 6 to 8 of EQF System used to express the volume of learning outcomes & volume of qualification

ECVET What is ECVET? European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training- what does it mean? System for formal education and training? Only VET institutions allowed to award ECVET credits Or System used to confirm validated Learning Outcomes at all levels of EQF? Or System used to confirm professionally (vocationally) oriented Learning Outcomes at all levels of EQF

ECTS & ECVET The assumptions for further discussion ECTS is the system to express (confirm) the Learning Outcomes validated by Higher Education Institutions Learning outcomes can be achieved by formal, nonformal or informal learning ECVET is the system to express (confirm) the Learning Outcomes being directly relevant to the labour market having professional, vocational character, profile ECVET credits, credit points can be awarded to learner by any accredited institution on the all levels of EQF as well by Higher Education Institutions

Number of learning outcomes Academic Qualification The volume of qualification expressed in ECTS credits Profile of Learning Outcomes Academic learning outcomes Professional, vocational, learning outcomes

Nnumber of learning outcomes Vocational Qualification on level 6 to 8 The volume of qualification now can t be expressed by ECVET Profile of Learning Outcomes Academic learning outcomes Professional, vocational learning outcomes

Nnumber of learning outcomes Professionally oriented HE qualification - on level 6 to 8 The volume of qualification expressed in ECTS Profile of Learning Outcomes Academic learning outcomes Professional, vocational learning outcomes

Nnumber of learning outcomes How to show the professional learning outcomes in HE qualification? All the learning outcomes are expressed by ECTS Professional learning outcomes are awarded ECVET credit points additionally to ECTS credits The volume of qualification expressed in ECTS Academic learning outcomes Learning outcomes awarded ECVET credit points Profile of Learning Outcomes Professional, vocational learning outcomes

The degree of professional profile of qualification The degree of professional profile/orientation of qualification is shown by ratio of ECVET to ECTS PP = Number of ECVET/ Number of ECTS the degree ½ means that 50% of learning outcomes have professional profile/orientation, (50% of LO are directly linked to labour market)

The preconditions to implement the above concept ECTS credits have to be directly linked to the learning outcomes It is the case in Polish legislation ECVET credit points have to represent the workload of learner to achieve learning outcomes According to Recommendation of EP 60 points are allocated to the learning outcomes expected to be achieved in a year of formal full time VET But ECVET points means a numerical representation of the overall weight of learning outcomes in a qualification and of the relative weight of the units in relation to the qualification

Conclusions The ECVET credit points can be used to make evident the professional learning outcomes of qualifications awarded by Higher Education Institutions The use of ECVET credits by HE will (should) promote recognition of learning outcomes associated by ECVET credits for the HE qualifications. ECVET used together with ECTS can be (one more) bridge between VET and HE