Making Informal Adult Learning Visible. The Recognition of the Third Sector Professionals’ Key Competences

The third sector represents a vast and heterogeneous universe that has a key role in society from both the social and civil points of view. It also represents an informal learning context where competence and knowledge are acquired, often in a tacit and indirect way. This research focuses on the key...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Paolo Di Rienzo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
Series:Education Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/10/9/228
Description
Summary:The third sector represents a vast and heterogeneous universe that has a key role in society from both the social and civil points of view. It also represents an informal learning context where competence and knowledge are acquired, often in a tacit and indirect way. This research focuses on the key competences of the third sector professionals and on the pedagogical methods to make them visible and to encourage their recognition. The quantitative and qualitative data sources include: questionnaires, focus groups, and diaries. The results show that the informal learning of key competences by professionals is a primary result of their activities that should be given greater visibility. Six areas of expertise have been identified in order to classify the range of knowledge and competence. The pedagogical approach has highlighted the importance of the tutor who applies narrative tutoring methods to facilitate the recognition of competences and their enhancement for personal and professional development. The full enhancement of competences, considered as the strengthening of people’s reflection and planning potential, requires policies that can be effectively applied to the national competences certification system.
ISSN:2227-7102