What to do when you have skills but no diplomas?
28 December 2010
Read by 1941 persons
Companies still rely on diplomas to classify their employees.
A bill with provisions for validating professional experience is still pending.
Unskilled workers suffer most from the current void.
In the French model inherited by Morocco, companies very often only see skills through diplomas. Unlike Anglo-Saxon pragmatism, which emphasizes personal skills (motivation, dynamism, rigor, organization, business sense, service, and numbers), people are judged on the length of their CV and the prestige of the schools they attended. It is therefore difficult for non-graduates to apply for responsible positions if they cannot even apply for an undervalued job. In short, knowledge is poorly recognized when it does not go through normative knowledge, teaching in this case, even if, in the private sector, some companies do not systematically require the presentation of diplomas, being content to trust what is mentioned in the CV.
In France, as in other European countries, this disregard has been corrected by the introduction of the system for validating acquired experience (VAE), which has proven its worth. This is a system that allows any individual (employee, non-employee, temporary worker, etc.) to have their experience, particularly professional experience, recognized in order to obtain a diploma, title, or professional qualification certificate. The system thus applies to all diplomas and titles with a professional vocation as well as qualification certificates.
The VAE is a right open to all: employees, self-employed workers, job seekers, volunteers, public officials, people who have held union responsibilities. This is regardless of the diploma obtained or the level of qualification. The only condition is to have 3 years of continuous or discontinuous professional experience related to the content of the certification (diploma, title, etc.) considered.
The number of qualified employees is a sign of seriousness
Unfortunately, we are still far from this in Morocco. The bill on continuing education, which introduces incentive measures to promote skills through the implementation of the validation of professional experience (VAEP), seems to have been forgotten. However, the country has to its credit a pilot experience carried out in 2007 by the National Federation of Building and Public Works (FNBTP) which allowed about thirty workers, mostly masons, to obtain a certificate proving their acquired skills. Since then, nothing.
Fouad Najeddine, HRD of Centrelec, points out in this regard that "training is a poorly understood aspect among companies". He adds that "the country still has a problem of equivalence of diplomas". We can deduce that there is a lot of work to be done to raise awareness among companies and harmonize diplomas before implementing a VAE system.
In reality, it is mainly the unskilled workers who suffer from the current void. "The problem does not arise for high school graduates or those with a Bac+2, they can always undertake studies with proven professional experience," stresses Saïd Benamar, consultant and development director at Interp Formapro Conseil.
"The company and the employees would gain a lot if the system were implemented. Some time ago, I met a candidate who has a high school level but who has enormous potential. This is a person who could have aspired to a Bac + 4 or 5 level if they had been given the chance to recognize their achievements. That said, we are all called upon to further develop our skills," comments an HRD. In addition, the VAE can be considered as a label for a training company, and the number of employees with a high level of qualification is always a guarantee of seriousness with external partners.
Published on December 20, 2010
Posted online on December 28, 2010
lavieeco.com
A bill with provisions for validating professional experience is still pending.
Unskilled workers suffer most from the current void.
In the French model inherited by Morocco, companies very often only see skills through diplomas. Unlike Anglo-Saxon pragmatism, which emphasizes personal skills (motivation, dynamism, rigor, organization, business sense, service, and numbers), people are judged on the length of their CV and the prestige of the schools they attended. It is therefore difficult for non-graduates to apply for responsible positions if they cannot even apply for an undervalued job. In short, knowledge is poorly recognized when it does not go through normative knowledge, teaching in this case, even if, in the private sector, some companies do not systematically require the presentation of diplomas, being content to trust what is mentioned in the CV.
In France, as in other European countries, this disregard has been corrected by the introduction of the system for validating acquired experience (VAE), which has proven its worth. This is a system that allows any individual (employee, non-employee, temporary worker, etc.) to have their experience, particularly professional experience, recognized in order to obtain a diploma, title, or professional qualification certificate. The system thus applies to all diplomas and titles with a professional vocation as well as qualification certificates.
The VAE is a right open to all: employees, self-employed workers, job seekers, volunteers, public officials, people who have held union responsibilities. This is regardless of the diploma obtained or the level of qualification. The only condition is to have 3 years of continuous or discontinuous professional experience related to the content of the certification (diploma, title, etc.) considered.
The number of qualified employees is a sign of seriousness
Unfortunately, we are still far from this in Morocco. The bill on continuing education, which introduces incentive measures to promote skills through the implementation of the validation of professional experience (VAEP), seems to have been forgotten. However, the country has to its credit a pilot experience carried out in 2007 by the National Federation of Building and Public Works (FNBTP) which allowed about thirty workers, mostly masons, to obtain a certificate proving their acquired skills. Since then, nothing.
Fouad Najeddine, HRD of Centrelec, points out in this regard that "training is a poorly understood aspect among companies". He adds that "the country still has a problem of equivalence of diplomas". We can deduce that there is a lot of work to be done to raise awareness among companies and harmonize diplomas before implementing a VAE system.
In reality, it is mainly the unskilled workers who suffer from the current void. "The problem does not arise for high school graduates or those with a Bac+2, they can always undertake studies with proven professional experience," stresses Saïd Benamar, consultant and development director at Interp Formapro Conseil.
"The company and the employees would gain a lot if the system were implemented. Some time ago, I met a candidate who has a high school level but who has enormous potential. This is a person who could have aspired to a Bac + 4 or 5 level if they had been given the chance to recognize their achievements. That said, we are all called upon to further develop our skills," comments an HRD. In addition, the VAE can be considered as a label for a training company, and the number of employees with a high level of qualification is always a guarantee of seriousness with external partners.
Published on December 20, 2010
Posted online on December 28, 2010
lavieeco.com
