Network Activities

Visit our LinkedIn profile for updates on the activities of the European RPL Network.

On March 12, 2025 members of the European RPL Network, joined by members of the RPL Network Austria, had the opportunity to participate in a study visit hosted by The Berlin School of Economics and Law, covering key themes in RPL and flexible learning pathways.
The programme provided an overview of Germany’s legal framework for RPL, practical examples from The Berlin School of Economics and Law, and presentations on innovative projects designed to enhance educational flexibility and recognition processes. We concluded the study visit with numerous insights to take back to our respective home-countries, among them being that effective recognition of prior learning thrives when driven by motivated individuals committed to change.

In this workshop at the final conference of the MODUS project of the University Rectors' Conference on "Higher education institutions in transition: educational pathways between flexibilisation and proven structure", members of our network emphasised the importance of working together at European level to achieve the cultural changes needed to ensure the recognition of prior learning in higher education and to provide the basis for flexible learning pathways.
A key takeaway was, that tackling these challenges is a multi-level problem: policy-makers, higher education institutions and practitioners need to work together to build trust in RPL and implement the practical steps needed to make the recognition of all learning a lived reality. Collaboration within networks facilitates overcoming these challenges!

The online conference took place on several days in November 2024:

• 5.11.2024    Understanding RPL: The what, why and how of RPL

• 6.11.2024    Navigating RPL: Leadership and Policy Perspectives in Europe

• 12.11.2024  Implementing RPL in Higher Education Institutions: Building a trust-based
                        culture

• 13.11.2024  European collaboration for RPL: Sharing good practice within and across
                        borders.

More information, presentations and recordings of the conference are available here.

The 11^th project meeting of the European RPL Network was held in presence in Vienna and partly in a hybrid setting. It provided an opportunity to get to know representatives of the new network members (Malta Further and Higher Education Authority, European Students' Union and an individual RPL-expert from Finland), reflect on last years work and planning next steps for the network, i.e. thematic focuses for 2025 and integration of new members.

The 5^th Validation of Prior Learning Biennale offered the opportunity to talk about collaborating on RPL in higher education across Europe and to start conversations with new potential network members. During the panel session Making Fewer Strangers – Networking Networks the European RPL Network shared about their work and talked about how networks are connecting people, policies, and practices for the recognition and validation of prior learning. The Lightning talk European RPL Network: Peer support through networks introduced the European RPL Network with the aim of attracting new members. Flyers were also distributed to help promote the network.

European RPL Network members presented at the 1^st conference of the RPL Network Austria on the recognition of non-formally and informally acquired competences. The three presentations covered:

• RPL friendly culture in Ireland,

• Recognition culture at German HEIs, and

• presenting the European RPL Network with the aim of attracting new members.

Presentation about RPL networks at the 2nd symposium on recognition and validation entitled "Recognising and validating non-formal and informal learning at universities: Orientations in a complex field".

The presentation included...
• presenting the European RPL Network and the RPL Network Austria,
• the benefits of RPL networks,
• the importance of Life Long Learning (LLL),
• how an "RPL friendly culture" can be achieved.

The following contributions were made by members of the European RPL Network at the Social Dimension Networking Conference 2023: 

• Presentation about the topic "RPL friendly culture",

• Workshop "High-quality education: Widening access" with insights into European RPL examples.

The 8^th project meeting of the European RPL Network was held in presence in Vienna. During the course of this meeting the network was officially founded. Three working groups will focus on the following topics

• RPL at the Access to Higher Education,
• Skills Shortage and
• Support to National (RPL) Networks.

During the 5^th project meeting of the European RPL Network, which took place in presence in Brussels, the following topics were covered: The future network structure, how to create a database to facilitate study visits, how to achieve an RPL friendly culture, the importance and quality assurance of Micro Credentials and RPL and how RPL can be used to adress the skills shortage.

The kick-off meeting took place in Vienna and offered the opportunity to get to know the national networks of the partner countries and to exchange experiences on the implementation of RPL in the different higher education systems. Furthermore the network addressed expectations regarding values and cooperation within the network.

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