Institutions offering adult education and continuing training must provide all students with the opportunity to undergo assessment and recognition of prior learning.

The assessment and recognition of prior learning takes place in relation to a specific education programme and is conducted by the institution that offers the education.

The assessment and recognition of prior learning is compulsory when adults apply for vocational education and training for adults (EUV programmes).  Based on the assessment, a personal education plan is completed. The education plan describes which of the three educational courses the participant is to complete. For more information on the EUV programmes, please visit chapter 8.4.

For the remaining adult education and continuing training programmes, the assessment and recognition of prior learning is an offer.

When undergoing assessment and recognition of prior learning, the applicant can:

• Be granted access to formal education programmes even though he/she does not meet the formal entry requirements. The applicant receives a certificate that documents that he/she has the knowledge, skills, and competences equalling the entry requirements;
• Get exemptions for parts of a formal education programme. The applicant receives a certificate that documents that he/she has the knowledge, skills, and competences equalling the content of a subject or module;
• Obtain credit for parts of or a whole education programme. The applicant receives a certificate that documents that he/she has the knowledge, skills, and competences equalling the content of an education programme.

The institutions provide information about their methods and procedures for assessment and recognition of prior learning on their websites.

For more information, please see Cedefop’s national system description on validation of non-formal and informal learning 2018.

References

Bibliography

Education Guide (UdannelsesGuiden), 2023: Get your competences assessed (Få vurderet dine kompetencer). [Accessed 1 November 2023]

Education Guide (UddannelsesGuiden), 2023: Questions and answers about validation of non-formal and informal learning (Spørgsmål og svar om realkompetencevurdering). [Accessed 1 November 2023]

Ministry of Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsministeriet), 2020: Recognition of prior learning in the education system (Anerkendelse af realkompetence i uddannelsessystemet). [Accessed 1 November 2023]

Legislation and official policy documents

Legal Information (Retsinformation), 2008: Ministerial Order on individual competence assessment in relation to subjects in general adult education and in upper secondary education programmes (Bekendtgørelse om individuel kompetencevurdering i relation til fag i almen voksenuddannelse og i de almengymnasiale uddannelser (IKV-bekendtgørelsen)), BEK no 453 of 10/06/2008. [Accessed 1 November 2023]