Improving the quality, the permeability and the effectiveness of the educational and training systems is a key priority within the EU’s Lisbon Strategy (2000). The Copenhagen declaration (2002) specifying its implementation in connection with VET, advocates the development of common principles for the recognition and accreditation of all types of learning outcomes (including those acquired through experiential informal and non-formal learning) and the establishment of EQF and ECVET as tools for the promotion of inter-country comparison of qualifications (Tutschner, Wittig, and Rami, 2009). In this connection, testing and putting into practice the description and the transnational recognition of VET learning outcomes constitute a significant need for the healthcare sector, which is characterised by an increasing demand for qualified workers due basically to aging population in Europe.

This paper on “assessment and  recognition of vocational learning outcomes in healthcare:  the case of nursing in France”, integrates within the framework of the European project “CrediCare (2011-2013)” on “quality-oriented accreditation of vocational learning outcomes in healthcare and nursing”, implemented  through a Consortium  of partners from five EU countries (DE, EE, FI, FR and IE). The Aim of the paper is the identification, description and comparative level assessment of units of learning outcomes within the exemplary case of an EQF-level-six-qualification in nursing within the French healthcare VET system through the use of the “Module Level Indicator (MLI)” procedure developed by Oldenburg University and tested in several piloting VET cases and projects in Germany (Müskens,Tutschner and Wittig, 2009a & 2009b). This model is a quantitative visualisation tool of learning outcomes of the assessed units of any qualification within the framework of EQF and in accordance with ECVET requirements of new methods for the description of qualifications based on competences and learning outcomes approach. The MLI tool is composed of 51 assessment items aggregated into the following nine scaling results (adapted to healthcare and nursing qualifications): broad and up-to-date knowledge, critical understanding, interdisciplinarity, practice orientation, problem-solving, creativity and innovation, autonomy, communicative competence, consideration of social and ethical issues. The results of its practice-oriented implementation in the French nursing case are used as an input in the inter-country comparison of nursing qualifications within CrediCare partner countries with the aim of preparing a guidance manual for transnational comparative assessment and accreditation of units/modules of learning outcomes in healthcare and nursing qualifications.

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