CH-Q Internationaal

A system for the recognition of acquired competences in Switzerland

See also http://www.sozialzeitausweis.ch/

1. What is CH-Q?

CH-Q is the name of an integral concept for the recognition of acquired competences in Switzerland. It consists of a wide package of different services in the entire chain of VPL: portfolio, assessment, career formation, quality assurance and accompanying trainings programs. The ‘Qualifizationsbuch’ is the read thread in the chain of the services.

The target of CH-Q is twofold: (1) the individual development or career formation in training and occupation and (2) the development of the flexibility and mobility of that individual on the job market.
CH-Q addresses with that emphatic on:

• To provide the basis for a goal-directed development and career planning,
• The stimulation of personal development,
• The support of self managed learning and acting,
• To stimulate young and adults to document continuously their professional- and personal development continuous

CH-Q addresses with this a wide public: youngsters, starters, adults, re-entering; in short, everybody regardless of origin, training, occupation or social position.

• The ‘Qualificationsbuch’

The qualification book is an open, individual folder. It forms the red thread through the whole system of CH-Q because this is the personal development plan. Each action of the individual will be written down and prepared.
The general idea behind the use of the qualification book is: to become conscious of your own, present competences (knowledge, abilities, skills and attitude) and to keep on ordening, writing down and proving these in accordance with your – whether or not changing - professional and personal situation. Profession and profession-crossing competences are weighed equal, also those from volunteer work for instance. Existing differences between different target groups in occupational life are taken away by the logical appreciation of all kinds of competences. The users of the qualification book themselves can decide when they use the documents that they have documented in their own ‘book’, for applying to a job, career formation or to formulate the learning path for further development.

• Program for personal career development

The ‘Qualificationsprogram’ can serve several goals:

• To deepen activities using the qualification book towards a desired or obligatory (new) level,
• In the professional building, as well within as outside business training or continuing training
• By the integration of difficult learning, school dropouts and jobseekers.

For this personal program different type of support can be used. Specialists, teachers from vocational and secondary education, counsellors from regional department of employment and others receive special schooling to support the activities in the program.

• History and points of departure

The project began in 1993 with the motion of Member of Parliament Jufith Stamm on basis of action from women and training circles. Main issue was a transparent system for training and retraining in which everybody would have equal chances for development. The instrument of the acknowledgement of acquired competences would have an effective, binding role between personal learning and the offer of formal, non-formal and informal learning. First consideration was the conviction that the employment chances for women and men effective could be supported and expanded through increased transparency between training and education and the labour market on basis of VPL.

Result of the motion was the start of the national project titled CH-Q. The original initiating organisations (women organisation and employment offices) were in charge. The project management consists of representatives of initiating organizations, the authorities and of the social partners. The project started in 1995.
Since the summer of 1997 CH-Q also develops instruments and procedures to assess competences and to validate them. CH-Q also evaluates national and international developments and the different quality standards that are in use.

2. The Swiss ‘qualification book’

2.1 Content and application

The use of the Swiss qualification book encompass all steps that the individual can undertake for furtherer development in training and profession, from the description of the actual starting position till the determination of the competencies already present to obtain the training and career goals. It is in fact an open and accessible frame for formulating and executing a personal development plan, a PDP; a person can work on his/her PDP individually, independently or in consultation with the organisation in which that individual is active.

The qualification book is subdivided in three chapters:

1. Personal development
2. Determine and proof of the present competences
3. Planning and realisation of further development

Concerning the personal development working with the qualification book means that the individual can make concrete choices over his/her own career (professional and social). It is about someone gets insight in the important stages of their own story of life and the professional, personal and knowledge development.
Who can bring about a connection between its personal experiences and the occupation development, can also draw conclusions from him-/herself, e.g. strengthen of the strong side or develop the weak side. Point of departure of this chapter is that, if someone has insight in his/her own learning capacities, he/she also is able (or can be enabled) to draw their personal learning path.

2.2 Determining of acquired competences

Most of the work of the qualification book goes into describing as well possible the competences that someone has and the search to the associated qualifications.
The determination of the actual qualifications has been spread over seven domains:

1. Education (traditional, formal)
2. Training (non-formal, on the job)
3. Activities within the profession
4. Activities in the private situation
5. Volunteer work
6. Leisure activity
7. Particular occupational and life situations

The work of organising and evaluating the qualifications has been standardised in order to get a balance between all domains. It encompasses the four competence domains:

1. Professional competencies
2. Personal competences
3. Social competences
4. System (Method) competences

An important part of the qualification book is the so-called qualification balance. This ‘balance’ can be use to get an overview of the correct balance of (still) required training and education and a specific career step. For this balance most of the important qualifications within the seven qualification domains are briefly defined. On basis of that someone thus put together a qualification profile, for instance if one wants to apply for a particular job, for further training and for other purposes.

2.3 Composition of the proof

 In the qualification book all personal proof of competences that is considered by the individual as of interest, no matter in which way, is collected and organized by the individual. The most important motto is: “Collect all documents of acquired competencies/qualifications within and outside your occupational practice.” Beside certificates of work relations and diploma’s, it also can be for instance a project description of an associations initiative, messages from the media about managerial positions, certificates/ affirmations of volunteer work, a final assignment of a course, the personal evaluation of a course leader; affirmation of regular neighbour help, etc.

2.4 Planning and realization of the furtherer development

This chapter is directed to the future planning and the realization of the desired training and professional aims. The design of concrete career steps or further training must correspond with their professional and life reality.
This requires the realistic search into the possibilities and determining the targets. This chapter provides the building stones for that

2.5 Determination of the action plan

In accordance with the aims (comparable with the PDP) the users define an action plan, that gives answers to the questions such as ‘what to do?’ ‘how?’ and ‘with whom?’. By the starting the plan the qualification book can have different functionalities:

• As basis for the job seeker: life story and letter of application can precise be matched to the personal profile

2. As pieces of evidences for continuation training: the demonstrated qualifications can be recognized and contribute to a abbreviation of the training time.
3. As basis for promotion: as proof of the achievements on which promotion can be based.
4. For getting a (more) appropriate volunteer job
5. Documentation as input for a professional and career advice

3. The Swiss qualification program for a career

Next to the acknowledgement of qualifications within and outside the profession and the concrete activation of the personal development, CH-Q concentrates also on the support of a personal application: the support of people who would like to work on their own qualification book.

The career program has been put together from a number of learning units that in education or courses, or in special trainings program’s for particular organizations or region’s has been integrated. They have been adapted according to the supplier and to the domain in which it is used. Content, the way it is offered and the work method are thus addressed towards the needs of the target groups.

Suppliers of the CH-Q model are organizations that independently can/may carry out the qualification declaration and evaluation:

1. Through the state recognized institutions
2. Through branch organizations certified institutions
3. Through institutes and branch organisations qualified suppliers.

For the transfer of the CH-Q program as whole and the guidance while working with the qualification book professionals have been assigned, who have participated in the CH-Q trainings program for supporting persons.
This training is meant for persons that have the responsibility through personnel and/or training/education management. Thus, for persons that in the frame of career formation possesses:

1. A professional competence (teacher, educator, psychologist active in occupation mediation and adult education, e. a.)
2. An educational experience
3. The possibility to transfer the offer of CH-Q to the basic principles and guidelines in the own field of work or domain.

The supporting program has in the meanwhile led that the CH-Q model in Switzerland is widely spread. Organizations that work with the model varies from the Red Cross and branch associations till businesses and schools.
The CH-Q correct is also in use and tried in South-Tirol (Italy), Germany. Luxembourg and Belgium (German speaking area).