Handing over the certificate of validation of professional skills at the Center of Excellence in Light Industry in Chisinau.

Since 2019, nine educational institutions across the country were accredited to assess and certify the vocational knowledge of people who have working experience in a specific field, but do not have formal education. For two years, 263 returning migrants and citizens that had been working for years in Moldova managed to obtain a certificate validating their professional experience and other 75 people are currently undergoing qualification testing.

These are the results of the pilot mechanism developed in 2019 by the Ministry of Education and Research, initiative supported by the UNDP “Migration and Local Development” Project, with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland, in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration, Mission to the Republic of Moldova.

The piloting results were presented on 2 December 2021 at an online event.

“Based on the European experience, we managed to develop the regulatory framework on validating non-formal and informal education, create validation centres and promote their education services. We aim that the competences validation mechanism contributes significantly to the employment and career development of our citizens,” said Galina Rusu, State Secretary, Ministry of Education and Research.

Currently, people that want to obtain a certificate recognizing their informal and non-formal learning may choose from 46 occupations in constructions, public catering, education, environment, textile industry, beauty industry, transport, IT, and healthcare. The curricula and tests for the certification exam are still being developed for: in healthcare field – certification of caregivers, and in education area – babysitters and driving instructors’ certification.

Therefore, people that want to certify their competences need to go contact a validation centre of an accredited educational institution and apply for it. The level of knowledge is tested at two exams: theoretical test and practical test. Ultimately, certificates are awarded to them, mentioning the acquired professional skills. Thanks to it, they may be legally employed, both in the country and abroad.

Most of the candidates, over 100 people, validated their professional experience in constructions. Their employers covered the fees so that the respective companies have properly documented personnel.

“Employers that comply with the legal requirements and aspire for quality work performed by their personnel, decide to invest in their professional development and in the companies’ reputation. By investing in human resources, employees have all the necessary documents to prove that the construction project is legal and is carried out by competent professionals,” said Sergiu Coceaș, Head of the Continuous Professional Development Unit of the Centre of Excellence in Constructions.

People who want their knowledge assessed or companies that want to grant their employees the opportunity to obtain a specific certification need to cover a fee from MDL1,600 to 3,000, depending on the area and the number of certified competences.

For more details about the recognition of qualifications, necessary documents and contact details of the validation centres, visit the website of the Ministry of Education and Research.