Validating informal and nonformal learning entails co-operation between an individual and different organizations. In the Finnish NGO field, the actors are usually volunteers, NGOs, Study Centres (I.e. non-formal adult education providers), formal educational institutes and work life. NGOs want to see their high-quality, versatile and up-to-date activities more widely acknowledged. At the same time, skills and competencies acquired in NGO activities can speed up a individual’s route through formal studies to graduation and offer valuable work experience. Finland has already set up active structures and policies for VPL, but still we encounter certain challenges. Challenging themes include e.g. the recognition of learning environments, the evaluation of learning outcomes and the forms of skill certificates.

Finnish NGOs have undertaken important work to enhance VPL. An essential part of the work has included influencing and informing policy-makers and formal educational institutions about liberal adult education and the skills and competencies gained by participating in courses and voluntary work. NGOs have ‘studyfied’ their activities and planned their courses and content of volunteering to be more competence-based. Study centres have provided skill certificates, digital badges and formal study registers. To enhance comparability, NGOs have linked their skills and competences to various frames of references like the European key competencies for LLL, EQF and ESCO. The Finnish Scouts have taken a step ahead and developed a digital tool to help NGOs and formal educational institutions compare their learning outcomes.