Cedefop recently received two educational researchers from Andrés Bello University of Santiago, Chile. They are conducting a research project in view of implementing a system for the recognition of qualifications which could allow people enter tertiary education, and thus were interested in getting acquainted with European approaches to validation of formal and informal learning and policies which have proven successful.

They spent two days discussing with Cedefop experts, especially Ernesto Villalba-Garcia who co-authored Cedefop's recent reference publication on European guidelines for validating formal and informal learning (available in 5 languages).

Miguel Mendez, one of the researchers, explained how they intend to build on the knowledge gained during their visit: 'I see two main areas where we will apply our new insights. One is developing a quality framework for our validation process and discuss it with external parties. This will help us improve the practice of validation of prior learning in our country. The second area is to develop a close relationship with stakeholders related to our validation process. This will improve the identification of candidates and the external recognition of their certificates.'