The paper aims to analyse the professionalisation process of adult educators involved in the recognition of prior learning (RPL), in Portugal. The analysis presented is the result of the synthesis of the results obtained in a research within the scope of a doctoral degree in Education.

In Europe, the professionalisation of the adult education field has triggered a debate, mainly since 2000, and subsequently with the publication of the document Action Plan on Adult Learning: it is always a good time to learn bythe European Commission in 2007 (Zarifis & Papadimitriou, 2015). This document sets out the control mechanisms to be implemented by the Member States in order to achieve greater efficiency in the development and monitoring of their adult education systems. In many European countries, the education of adult educators lacks regulation, and highlight the absence of qualification standards and a common competence framework (Bernhardsson & Lattke, 2012; Sava, 2011). In order to promote the professionalisation of adult educators, instruments have been developed at the European level. An example is the Curriculum globALE, a cross-cultural core curriculum for training adult educators (Lichtenberg, 2020). However, the professionalisation of adult education can lead to the homogenisation and standardisation of practices in a professional field that is characterised by diversity in terms of professionals, contexts of intervention and participants, which would lead to losses of diversity, complexity and richness of these practices (Lattke, 2014).

Professionalisation can be seen both as a precondition for representing a specialised practice, being linked to the knowledge acquired through education, and as being related to professional activity (Abbott, 1988; Evans, 2008; Przybylska, 2008; Roquet, 2012). Also, professionalisation can be analysed from different levels, namely macro, meso and micro level (Lattke, 2016; Roquet, 2012) or from the State and its institutions, organisations, adult educators, learners and their interactions (Egetenmeyer et al., 2019). The study of the professionalisation process at the macro level refers to the analysis of the recruitment of individuals who carry out a particular professional activity, to the extent of the specification of the required educational, professional and social competences, and to the construction of professional paths. The analysis of the professionalisation at the meso level refers to an institutional dimension linked to the socialisation of actors that occurs in the institutions where the training processes and professional activities take place. The analysis of the professionalisation at the micro level is linked to the individual dynamics of knowledge production resulting from on-the-job training and differentiated training and professional activities throughout life (Roquet, 2012). The analysis presented here is focused mainly on the micro level, taking into account the professionalisation model proposed by Roquet (2012). In this sense, we sought to analyse the professionalisation based on initial and continuing education of adult educators.

The adult education field is very diverse and complex, with no clear boundaries and no well-defined occupational profiles. To circumvent the complexity and diffuse nature of the field, research on adult educators usually focuses on certain subgroups or professional activities (Lattke, 2016). This paper analyses the professionalisation of adult educators involved in the RPL. This educational practice, integrated in public policies on adult education, began to be implemented in Portugal, in 2000, with the purpose of increasing the qualification of adults with a low level of schooling by valuing life experiences and knowledge acquired through informal and non-formal education (Cavaco et al., 2014).

This paper seeks to answer the following questions: How is initial and continuing education of adult educators who intervene in the recognition of prior learning characterised? How is professionalisation of these adult educators in Portugal characterised?

From an epistemological point of view, this study is framed in the phenomenological perspective by focusing on the essence of human experiences, in relation to a phenomenon, according to the description and meanings assigned by individuals (Creswell, 2007). The central idea of this perspective is to understand the intentions and perceptions that individuals place on their own actions, in relation to others and contexts. In this research, we sought to understand the interpretations of adult educators involved in recognition of prior learning, relative to how they perceive themselves and the work they perform. In the methodological scope, we adopted the qualitative approach as we believe it allows a deep understanding of the issues under investigation, including the participants' voices, the researcher's reflexivity, and a complex description and interpretation of the phenomenon under study (Creswell, 2007). Empirical data were obtained through biographical interviews with adult educators, in order to access the discourse about themselves and their work (Berger, 2009). The biographical perspective is used in research about adult educators, particularly with regard to the study of professional development, identity and the professionalisation process, since it allows for an in-depth understanding of complex phenomena (Lattke, 2016). Biographical interviews were conducted with 32 adult educators involved in RPL. These educators promote the involvement and accompaniment of adults with a low level of schooling along with the reflection on and analysis of their life path, so that they can appropriate their knowledge and skills, so that at the end of the process they become more autonomous and more empowered (Cavaco, 2020; Eneau, 2010). Throughout the research, we sought to respect ethical principles; in this sense our conduct was based on a relationship guided by empathy, recognition and dialogue (All European Academies [ALLEA], 2018; Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências da Educação [SPCE], 2021). The interviews were conducted after obtaining the participants' informed consent about the research objective, the procedures and the voluntary nature of participation. Categorical content analysis (Bardin, 1995) was used in the analysis of the data from the biographical interviews. The coding categories resulted from the formulated research questions, but some of them emerged from the content of the interviews themselves, at the time of data analysis. The treatment of the data from the biographical interviews allowed for the construction of a descriptive framework, from which elements and meanings were extracted from answers to the research questions using the inductive process.

In terms of initial education, the only criterion defined for access to the activity of an adult educator in the RPL is the holding of higher education qualifications, without specification of the area. Most of the interviewed adult educators had attended short-term continuing education in adult education during their professional activity. This training allowed them the development of competences considered important for conducting the RPL. Diversity and the ambiguous situation that characterise the adult education field hinder the consolidation of the professional status of adult educators, the visibility and social recognition, and the sharing of a common identity representation (Sava, 2011). Regarding this last aspect, it should also be noted that not all professionals working in the field of adult education see themselves as adult educators (Oliveira & Amaral, 2019; Paulos, 2020). The heterogeneity that characterises this field of practices makes the professionalisation of adult educators, on the one hand, an open process prone to change and, on the other hand, a prolific domain for the implementation of standardised techniques and procedures aimed at improving quality in this professional field (Egetenmeyer, 2010). The specificity and complexity of the RPL justifies the importance of the training of adult educators, who need to have multiple skills and knowledge for the proper exercise of their professional activity, which to a large extent occurs through practice in work context (Egetenmeyer et al., 2019; Rohs & Bolten, 2017). Professionalisation resulted, essentially, from the publication of legal diplomas regulating the recruitment of these professionals and from the promotion of continuous education. The regulation of the conditions of employment through the definition of a minimum higher education degree favoured the emergence of a fragile process of professionalisation of the adult educator in Portugal (Guimarães, 2016).

Abbott, A. (1988). The system of professions. An essay on the division of expert labor. The University of Chicago Press. Bernhardsson, N., & Lattke, S. (2012). Core competences of adult educators in Europe. Findings from a European research project. Journal of Educational Sciences, 14(1), 44-53. Cavaco, C., Lafont, P., & Pariat, M. (2014). Policies of adult education in Portugal and France: the European Agenda of validation of non-formal and informal learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 33(3), 343-361. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2014.896086 Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Sage Publications. Egetenmeyer, R. (2010). Professionalisation in adult education: a European perspective. In R. Egetenmeyer & E. Nuissl (Eds.), Teachers and trainers in adult and lifelong learning. Asian and European perspectives (pp. 31-44). Peter Lang. Egetenmeyer, R., Breitschwerdt, L., & Lechner, R. (2019). From 'traditional professions' to 'new professionalism': A multi-level perspective for analysing professionalisation in adult and continuing education. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 25(1), 7-24. 10.1177/1477971418814009 Evans, L. (2008). Professionalism, professionality and the development of education professionals. British Journal of Educational Studies, 56(1), 20-38. Lattke, S. (2014). An international core curriculum for the training of adult educators: Curriculum globALE. Professionalisation between convergence and diversity. In S. Lattke & W. Jütte (Eds.), Professionalisation of adult educators. International and comparative perspectives (pp. 129-144). Peter Lang Edition. Lichtenberg, T. (2020). Curriculum globALE: A Global Tool for Professionalising Adult Educators. In R. Egetenmeyer, V. Boffo, & S. Kröner (Eds.), International and Comparative Studies in Adult and Continuing Education (pp. 213-219). Firenze University Press. Paulos, C. (2020). Professional identity of adult educators in recognition of prior learning. In B. Merrill, C. C. Vieira, A. Galimberti, & A. Nizinska (Eds.), Adult education as a resource for resistance and transformation: Voices, learning experiences, identities of student and adult educators (pp. 299-306). FPCE-UC, CEAD-UAlg & ESREA. Przybylska, E. (2008). The account of the TEACH Project: halfway through the journey to profession, professionalism, and professionalisation. Studies for the Learning Society, 1, 73-84. Rohs, M., & Bolten, R. (2017). Professionalization of adult educators for a digital world: an european perspective. European Journal of Education Studies, 3(4), 298-318. Sava, S. (2011). Towards the professionalization of adult educators. Andragoške studije, 2, 9-22. Zarifis, G. K., & Papadimitriou, A. (2015). What does it take to develop professional adult educators in Europe? Some proposed framework guidelines. Andragoske Studije, 2, 9-22.