- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
- 2025Implementation
Background
In 2014, there was no systematic and standardised approach for validation in place, though elements of a national strategy were under development. Therefore, a working group was established by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) on validation of non-formal and informal competences.
Objectives
The objectives of a standardised approach for validation of non-formally acquired skills are:
- to promote the validation of non-formally and informally acquired skills for people without (recognised) vocational qualification and expand any necessary adaptation qualifications, thus increasing skills visibility and opportunities for applicants on the job market
- ultimately, to set up a nationwide uniform validation system.
Description
The ValiKom project aimed to promote the validation of non-formally and informally acquired skills in Germany and was initiated by the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (DHKT) and the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), together with the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). ValiKom was considered a reference project for setting up a validation system in Germany. It addressed adults who acquired skills and competences through work but lacked a formal qualification, including those who wished to access further training. The approach referred to the prevailing training regulations and occupational profiles and led to certificates (Gleichwertigkeitsfeststellung) expressing the extent to which the skills demonstrated were equivalent to those gained under the Vocational Training Act.
The participating chambers of industry, commerce and trade started trials in April 2017. Interim results were presented to the broad public at a conference in Berlin in December 2017. The final results of the Valikom project were published in a report that described the process, admission criteria, instruments, certificate of validation and recommendations at the end of 2018. The follow-up project, ValiKom Transfer (2018-21), extended the validation procedure developed to more chambers. Procedures to credit non-formal and informal learning had been developed and tested in the past in the Transitions from VET to higher...
The ValiKom project aimed to promote the validation of non-formally and informally acquired skills in Germany and was initiated by the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (DHKT) and the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), together with the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). ValiKom was considered a reference project for setting up a validation system in Germany. It addressed adults who acquired skills and competences through work but lacked a formal qualification, including those who wished to access further training. The approach referred to the prevailing training regulations and occupational profiles and led to certificates (Gleichwertigkeitsfeststellung) expressing the extent to which the skills demonstrated were equivalent to those gained under the Vocational Training Act.
The participating chambers of industry, commerce and trade started trials in April 2017. Interim results were presented to the broad public at a conference in Berlin in December 2017. The final results of the Valikom project were published in a report that described the process, admission criteria, instruments, certificate of validation and recommendations at the end of 2018. The follow-up project, ValiKom Transfer (2018-21), extended the validation procedure developed to more chambers. Procedures to credit non-formal and informal learning had been developed and tested in the past in the Transitions from VET to higher education initiative (Übergänge von der beruflichen in die hochschulische Bildung – ANKOM).
In 2019, the project ValiKom Transfer (2018-21), continued its implementation, extending the validation procedure to 30 chambers throughout Germany: 11 chambers of skilled crafts, 17 chambers of industry and commerce and 2 chambers of agriculture.
In January 2020, a new video on Valikom transfer was produced by the West German Association of Chambers of Skilled Crafts (WHKT), explaining the validation procedure to potential beneficiaries.
The measure 'Establishment of competence centres for the implementation of validation procedures for dual occupations' (ValiKom-Transfer; budget: ca. 10 million EUR) aimed to expand and broadly transfer the standardised procedure for recording, reviewing, assessing and certifying informally and non-formally acquired vocational competences developed and tested in ValiKom for selected occupations for people without vocational qualifications and for qualified career changers.
By the end of November 2020, 702 validation procedures had been carried out by the 30 chambers participating in Valikom transfer.
In 2021, a summary of the results of the accompanying scientific research in the ValiKom Transfer project was published. It provides a comprehensive insight into the information collected on the individual procedural steps of the validation, as well as the knowledge gained about the participants in the validation procedure. Based on this, an assessment of the benefits of the validation from the perspective of the participants and the company was provided.
The validation process under the ValiKom Transfer projects was open to all adults, nationals and migrants, over the age of 25, who had relevant work experience. It provided the possibility of having competences acquired outside formal education validated in the course of an external assessment by the competent bodies, i.e. the chambers. Missing competences could be acquired in a targeted manner to finally obtain full equivalence referenced through the issuing of a validation certificate.
The follow-up project ValiKom Transfer was extended until October 2024: further chamber locations were set up at which validation procedures were carried out. In addition to 13 chambers of skilled trades (including 2 new chambers) and 17 chambers of industry and commerce, 2 chambers of agriculture were also involved in the project. Thus, a nationwide offer was established so that people who were interested in the validation of their professional competences in dual professions could find a chamber as a responsible validation centre within a reasonable distance. The aim was to prepare and offer validation procedures for a total of 40 occupations in industry, trade, crafts and agriculture.
In the form of a pilot project, closer cooperation between employment agencies, job centres and ValiKom project chambers was tested at six selected locations from April 2022. The aim of the project was to gather findings on how a targeted cooperation between chambers and employment agencies or job centres could be established in order to increase the labour market opportunities of unemployed people and enable more targeted further development. The pilot project was accompanied scientifically.
Information events to increase the awareness of ValiKom Transfer were carried out. For example, on 4 May 2022, the Stuttgart Region Chamber of Skilled Crafts (HWK) and the Stuttgart Region Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) jointly held an online multiplier event on the topic of Making professional skills visible - with the ValiKom transfer certificate. To increase visibility, three short films accompanied protagonists on their way through the validation process. The three series on the occupations of warehouse logistics specialist, electronics technician and gardener and landscaper are available on Youtube.
The project ValiKom Transfer continued to implement validations procedures in further chamber locations (chambers of skilled crafts, chambers of industry and commerce, chambers of agriculture). Valikom Transfer cooperated in 2023 with the nationwide project ‘TalentPASS - identifying, validating and upskilling’ aimed at people with a recognised severe disability who were employed and had no formal recognition for their job. Among other things, the TalentPASS project offered this target group the opportunity to have their professional skills assessed and certified by a chamber using the Valikom validation procedure.
The ValiKom Transfer project ended on 31 October 2024. In July 2024, the Act on vocational training validation and digitisation (BVaDiG) was passed. For the first time, people (25 and older) without a formal vocational qualification are entitled to have their vocational skills assessed and certified against the standards of a dual training occupation.
However, the Bertelsmann Foundation criticised the law as insufficient: It shall only provide for 1150 validations per year, while there are 4.4 million low-skilled workers and 1.7 million job vacancies. Despite minor progress and planned evaluations, the effectiveness of the law in securing skilled workers remains questionable.
To support the implementation of the BVaDiG Act, the BMBF established a Validation Service Centre. This BMBF-funded project (EUR 2.8 million), which shall run from 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2026, shall ensure the transfer of expertise from the preliminary projects Valikom and Valikom Transfer. The Validation Service Centre shall promote the new validation service, further develop expertise among chambers that are willing and able to implement the system, as well as further standardise structures and processes.
From 1 January 2025, professional skills can be assessed by the competent chamber using the new legally regulated assessment procedure: the Vocational training validation and digitisation act (BVaDiG). The Validation Service Centre started its work.
Bodies responsible
- Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ) (since 2025)
- Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (until 2025)
- Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK)
- Central Office for Further Education in Skilled Crafts (ZWH e.V.)
- German Confederation of Chambers of Skilled Crafts (DHKT)
- West German Association of Chambers of Skilled Crafts (WHKT)
Target groups
Learners
- Learners with migrant background, including refugees
- Learners with disabilities
- Adult learners
- Unemployed and jobseekers
- Low-skilled/qualified persons
Entities providing VET
- Companies
Other stakeholders
- Social partners (employer organisations and trade unions)
- National, regional and local authorities
Thematic categories
Transparency and portability of VET skills and qualifications
European principles and tools, such as EQF, ESCO, ECTS, Europass and ECVET, provide a strong basis for transparency and portability of national and sectoral qualifications across Europe, including the issuing of digital diplomas and certificates.
This thematic category looks at how individuals are supported in transferring, accumulating, and validating skills and competences acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings – including learning on the job – and in having their learning recognised towards a qualification at any point of their lives. This is only possible if qualifications are transparent and comparable and are part of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks. Availability of qualifications smaller than full and acquirable in shorter periods of time is necessary; some countries have recently worked on developing partial qualifications, microcredentials, etc.
This thematic sub-category refers to validation mechanisms allowing individuals to accumulate, transfer, and recognise learning outcomes acquired non-formally and informally, including on-the-job learning, or in another formal system. In case they are not automatically recognised, a learner can have these learning outcomes validated and recognised through a particular process with a view to obtaining a partial or full qualification. This thematic sub-category covers such provisions and mechanisms.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to initiatives that promote VET and lifelong learning implemented at any level and by any stakeholder. It also covers measures to ensure and broaden access to information about VET to various target groups, including targeted information and promotional campaigns (e.g. for parents, adult learners, vulnerable groups). Among others, it includes national skill competitions and fairs organised to attract learners to VET.
This thematic sub-category refers to providing the possibility for individuals who are already in the labour market/in employment to reskill and/or acquire higher levels of skills, and to ensuring targeted information resources on the benefits of CVET and lifelong learning. It also covers the availability of CVET programmes adaptable to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and reskilling needs. The sub-category includes working with respective stakeholders to develop digital learning solutions supporting access to CVET opportunities and awarding CVET credentials and certificates.
This thematic sub-category refers to making VET pathways and programmes inclusive and accessible for all. It concerns measures and targeted actions to increase access and participation in VET and lifelong learning for learners from all vulnerable groups, and to support their school/training-to-work transitions. It includes measures to prevent early leaving from education and training. The thematic sub-category covers measures promoting gender balance in traditionally ‘male’ and ‘female’ professions and addressing gender-related and other stereotypes. The vulnerable groups are, but not limited to: persons with disabilities; the low-qualified/-skilled; minorities; persons of migrant background, including refugees; people with fewer opportunities due to their geographical location and/or their socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- Flexibility and progression opportunities at the core of VET
- VET as an attractive choice based on modern and digitalised provision of training and skills
Osnabrück Declaration
- Establishing a new lifelong learning culture - relevance of continuing VET and digitalisation
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Validation of non-formally acquired skills: Germany. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/it/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/50231