Youthpath Empact Study - Erasmus+ Youth in Action

Youthpass Impact Study. Young people's personal development and employability and the recognition of youth work.

Youthpass is a European recognition tool for non-formal and informal learning in youth work it helps to identify and document the learning outcomes from activities supported by the EU Youth in Action Programme. Since the launch of Youthpass in 2007 it has been carrying three closely intertwined roles:

1. It's a recognition tool that consists of a number of certificates for certain types of youth work activities.
2. Youthpass also puts strong emphasis on systematic reflection on the learning process and outcomes in youth projects, known as the Youthpass process.
3. It is also seen as a strategy that aims to enhance the recognition of non-formal and informal learning, and of youth work

Since the launch in July 2007 until the end of 2012 more than 200,000 Youthpass certificates have been generated with the numbers steadily growing over the years. It has been applied in about 20,000 projects by approx. 10,000 organizations

To evaluate the impact that Youthpass has made on the people and organizations participating in the Youth in Action Programme the Youthpass Impact Study has been carried out in 2012 and 2013.

With this study we explored:

• How Youthpass has influenced the awareness and processes of learning;
• What kind of impact it has made on the employment and education perspectives of young people
• And whether and how it has influenced the recognition and quality of youth work

For assessing the impact, online surveys were sent to organisers of Youth in Action projects and to the participants of these projects from all over Europe altogether 1,143 participants and 741 organizations answered the questionnaires.

In addition to the surveys focus group interviews were carried out to get a deeper understanding of the views of the beneficiaries and of other experts in the field of youth

So let's have a look at the main results of the study

As probably the most significant part of Youthpass the interviews pointed out the importance of self-reflection which is pursued in the learning process

Youthpass was recognized as an instrument to help people think and learn in a specific way thereby supporting reflective learning and self-directed learning. All types of respondents expressed the opinion that filling out the Youthpass certificate's self-evaluation part extended participants' awareness of what is learning and of their own learning. Youthpass also helped them to become more responsible for their own learning.

Youthpass was also understood as a valuable document for listing the competences gained in the project. Respondents reported that using the eight key competences framework helped the participants to describe what they had learned (85 % agreed).

A similar percentage agreed that the 8 key competences framework helped participants to carry out the self-assessment In the interviews it was specifically highlighted that the development of social skills that is mostly not recognized in formal education has a place in the Youthpass.

However the self-assessment part of the Youthpass may also be seen as challenging. The youth workers interviewed underlined the need to give support to participants mentors, youth workers should assist young people to understand the concept of the key competences and to find the right words to describe their learning and competences

The role of youth workers, trainers, mentors and coaches is seen as a crucial one for the facilitation of the whole learning process. In some countries it was questioned how much only self-assessment is valued outside the youth field. There might therefore be a need for more information about the value of self-assessment.

It was emphasized in the interviews that being able to reflect on one's learning and to put this into words is an important competence for young people that also increases the chances of young people to succeed in other areas, like formal education and employment.

So how does Youthpass contribute to education and employment opportunities of young people?

The big majority of respondents saw Youthpass as potentially helpful when applying for a traineeship or an internship, an apprenticeship, or for vocational training or for a job. More than 40 % also saw the potential use for applications in higher education and when setting up a business.

An interesting pattern occurred. organization representatives were more positive about enhancing chances to succeed with a little help from Youthpass than the participants. They were also more confident when answering the questions.

Some respondents saw Youthpass as an important addition to one's CV because employers more and more recognize the value of skills obtained in youth work as complementary to what one learns at school. At the same time they would like Youthpass to be better known among employers and higher education institutions

But has Youthpass had an influence on the quality and recognition of youth work?

Reflection, the integral part of the Youthpass process was most frequently mentioned in the interviews as an element influencing the work of the organizations. Not that before Youthpass there was no reflection and evaluation of learning experiences. But now it is more structured, more positively valued and more thought through. The reflection is more sophisticated, as one group stated.

The organizations confirmed that Youthpass helps to increase the recognition of his work and the value of the project for the participants; that it has contributed to the quality of the project and; that it helped to become aware of, or also use new methods in their work.

Most of the participants also agreed that Youthpass helps them to communicate the importance of non-formal learning. It has raised consciousness about the achievements of the project and in many cases also helped to adjust the project according to the learning needs in the group.
It was reported in the interviews that Youthpass is seen as a kind of symbol for promotion of non-formal learning, as well as an instrument to make people rethink about what non-formal learning means. It is seen as an important activator for the discussions about the quality of youth work

So, Youthpass has a value as an educational instrument:

1. It supports the competence to learn, and raises awareness for learning.
2. It helps to describe what a person learned in a Youth in Action project.
3. Fosters the quality of youth projects by focusing on learning processes and outcomes.
4. And enhances the recognition of youth work by making the impact of youth work more visible.

Youthpass is also perceived as enhancing young people's access to labour market and further education not least by enabling young people to better explain their skills and competences