On 13 October 2010 the Consortium of the OBSERVAL project that represents nearly all European Member States and a broad community of validation experts and European networks came together in Brussels for the final dissemination conference.
During the Conference, EUCEN formally presented the main results of the network and introduced the functions of the Observatory (http://www.observal.org/) platform. The Observatory provides a key resource of materials for actors in charge of validation as well as for policy makers, for social partners and stakeholders. Best practices developed in the field and in different contexts and sectors among the European Member States are made visible and easily accessible on this online platform.
The Final Dissemination Conference offered as well time for discussion and exchange on national state of play in several working groups. The participants also analyzed the process of the project and drafted future scenarios of the platform.
At the end of the conference, a panel discussed sustainability options for the Observatory and future trends in the field of validation in Europe and on a global scale. Chaired by Patrick Werquin (Independent consultant), Martina Ni-Cheallaigh (European Commission DG EAC), Madhu Singh (Senior Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning), Gina Ebner (president of the EUCIS-LLL platform), Anne-Marie Charraud (Rapporteur General at the CNCP) and Joy Van Kleef (CEO of CIRL) shared their perspective on how to make the Observatory a sustainable community with added value to all stakeholders in lifelong learning.
During the reception, the awarding ceremony of the 2nd Validation Prize 2010 took place (à news: “2. Validation Prize”).
There was a general consensus among all stakeholders that the Observatory serves an important function displaying best practices from all education sectors in Europe. The expressed interest of global actors like the UNESCO underlines the necessity of continuing to valorize the outcomes of this network.
Thus, the good feedback shown at the final dissemination conference is encouraging to explore possibilities for extending the scope and impact of the Observal network in the future.
