Non-Formal Adult Education plays an essential role across Europe. It provides flexible and accessible learning opportunities that help adults develop personal, social and professional competences in areas ranging from digital literacy and employability to entrepreneurship, social inclusion and active citizenship.

These learning experiences are especially important for adults who face barriers to participating in formal education. However, the value, level and complexity of Non-Formal Adult Education courses are not always communicated in a way that external stakeholders can easily understand or compare.

Course descriptions may not clearly specify what learners will be able to do after completing the training, how much work the course requires or what evidence has been used to assess their learning. This can make it more difficult for learners to explain their achievements to employers, formal education providers and other organisations where relevant recognition or progression routes exist.

The A-NFAE project - Aligning the Credit System for Non-Formal Adult Education - addressed this need by developing a practical methodology that uses principles from the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System as a common language for describing Non-Formal Adult Education.

The methodology helps providers plan, describe, deliver, assess and document their courses more transparently. It focuses particularly on learner profiles, learning outcomes, course level, learner workload and assessment evidence, while preserving the flexible, inclusive and learner-centred nature of Non-Formal Adult Education.

A-NFAE did not seek to transform non-formal education providers into formal or accredited education institutions. Nor did it attempt to impose a rigid model that could reduce the flexibility and diversity that make Non-Formal Adult Education valuable.

Instead, the project developed a practical framework that providers can adapt to their own learners, courses and organisational contexts. By using concepts that are widely understood in European education systems, the methodology allows providers to describe their learning provision in a clearer and more structured way.

The approach was based on three central elements:

Learning outcomes: clear and measurable statements describing what learners will know or be able to do after completing a course.

Learner workload: a transparent estimate of the total time and effort required, including teaching sessions, supported practice, individual work, group activities, projects and assessment.

Assessment evidence: appropriate methods through which learners can demonstrate that they have achieved the intended learning outcomes.

The A-NFAE project does not award ECTS credits, accredit courses or guarantee recognition of non-formal learning. Its purpose is to improve transparency and alignment, making it easier for providers and learners to present learning outcomes, workload and assessment evidence where relevant recognition or progression routes exist.

Fundación Marcelino Champagnat is a non-profit organisation that develops educational, social and employment-related programmes for children, young people, adults and families experiencing or at risk of social exclusion.

Through its Second Chance Schools and other educational programmes, the Foundation provides Non-Formal Adult Education and supports learners in developing personal, transversal and vocational competences. Its courses use a learning-outcomes-based approach and frequently support adults who have encountered barriers within formal education and training systems.

The Foundation coordinated the A-NFAE partnership, managed the project's administrative and financial implementation and contributed its extensive experience in Non-Formal Adult Education, social inclusion and European cooperation. It also brought knowledge developed through previous Erasmus+ initiatives, including the EnChance project on the assessment and recognition of learning outcomes from Entrepreneurship-Based Learning.

Munster Technological University is a multi-campus higher education institution serving the south-west of Ireland. It has extensive experience in lifelong learning, work-based learning, Recognition of Prior Learning and cooperation between higher education institutions, employers and community organisations.

MTU has been working in the recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning for more than 25 years. It has developed mentoring services, templates, staff guidance, training programmes and institutional procedures to help learners present previous learning for access, transfer and progression where suitable routes are available.

Within A-NFAE, MTU provided the partnership's principal higher education, ECTS and Recognition of Prior Learning expertise. It led the methodological development of the Guide, supported the partners during the pilot implementations and coordinated the evaluation and refinement of the methodology.

Asociación Espiral Loranca is a non-profit organisation based in Fuenlabrada, in the Madrid region. It works with adults and families experiencing or at risk of social exclusion, providing educational, community and social-support activities.

The organisation contributed its direct experience of delivering flexible learning opportunities adapted to people with diverse educational backgrounds and support needs. It implemented one of the project's pilot activities in Madrid and helped assess how the A-NFAE methodology could be applied in an inclusive community-based adult learning environment.

Fondazione Siamo Mediterraneo is a non-profit foundation based in Syracuse, Sicily. Its work focuses on the social inclusion and educational support of migrants, refugees, young adults and other people in vulnerable situations.

The Foundation contributed its experience in intercultural education and learning provision for participants with diverse linguistic, educational and cultural backgrounds. It implemented the A-NFAE methodology in Italy and provided practical feedback on its accessibility, adaptability and application within inclusive educational programmes.

Határtalan Szív Alapítvány supports children, young people, adults and families experiencing social and economic disadvantage. Its educational activities are designed to promote personal development, practical competences, employability and greater social participation.

The organisation has experience in Entrepreneurship-Based Learning and in providing accessible learning opportunities for disadvantaged and Roma communities. During A-NFAE, it piloted the methodology in Hungary and contributed practical evidence on its application with learners who may have had limited or negative previous experiences of formal education.

Asociația Fraților Mariști ai Școlilor din România is a non-profit organisation providing educational, residential and social support to children, young people, adults and vulnerable communities in Romania.

Its work combines education with personal and social support, helping participants strengthen their autonomy, competences and opportunities for inclusion. The organisation implemented one of the project pilots in Romania and contributed its experience of learner-centred education and support for people facing social and educational barriers.

The first work package covered the overall coordination, financial management, communication, quality assurance and monitoring of the project.

A Project Management Board comprising representatives of all six organisations met regularly to monitor progress, review the project's quantitative and qualitative indicators, manage risks and ensure that activities and results remained aligned with the agreed objectives.

The partners also organised transnational meetings to take important methodological and operational decisions and to review the results achieved during the different phases of implementation.

The partners began by agreeing on the structure and contents of the Methodological Guide during their first transnational meeting in Málaga in December 2023.

Munster Technological University coordinated the methodological development, while all partners contributed information about their national adult education systems, organisational practices and experience of Non-Formal Adult Education.

The first edition introduced the relevant ECTS principles and provided guidance on course design, delivery, monitoring, assessment and documentation. It was subsequently translated and published in English, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian and Romanian.

The methodology was tested in five adult education centres in Spain, Italy, Hungary and Romania.

More than 10 educators and 100 adult learners participated in the pilot process. The centres applied the methodology to real Non-Formal Adult Education courses, including the definition of learner profiles and learning outcomes, estimation of workload, planning of assessment and documentation of achievement.

Each participating organisation produced an evaluation report examining the clarity, usability, effectiveness and transferability of the methodology. The five reports were analysed jointly by the partnership and reviewed during the transnational meeting held at Munster Technological University in Cork in August 2025.

Based on the evidence and feedback collected during the pilot implementation, the partners improved the structure, instructions, templates, examples and practical applicability of the methodology.

The final Guide incorporated stronger step-by-step guidance, examples and case studies derived from the pilot experiences. It also included policy recommendations addressed to public administrations, education stakeholders and organisations working in adult learning.

The final edition was translated and published in all five project languages. Complementary resources, including a multilingual AI-supported assistant and practical videos, were also developed to help providers understand the methodology and apply it to their own courses.

Dissemination took place throughout the project through the multilingual website, social media, partner newsletters, publications, presentations and participation in local, national and European events.

The partners organised face-to-face and online multiplier events to present the final methodology and train representatives of the project's principal target groups:

• providers and directors of Non-Formal Adult Education organisations;

• adult educators, trainers, facilitators, tutors and programme coordinators;

• representatives of public administrations and policymakers with responsibilities in education.

The project's practical resources and event materials were made available online so they could continue to be used after the funded implementation period.

The principal result is a comprehensive Methodological Guide supporting providers in aligning the planning, description, delivery, assessment and documentation of their courses with ECTS principles.

The Guide is available in English, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian and Romanian and presents a practical six-step methodology covering:

1. profiling the target learners;

2. estimating the course's reference level;

3. defining clear and measurable learning outcomes;

4. estimating the learner workload;

5. planning assessment and mapping it to the learning outcomes;

6. documenting learning and achievement.

The methodology is supported by ready-to-use resources that organisations can adapt to their courses and learners. These include tools for preparing course descriptors, profiling learners, writing learning outcomes, estimating workload, mapping assessments, preparing assessment rubrics, evaluating courses and documenting achievement.

These resources allow providers to apply the methodology progressively, beginning with one existing course before extending the approach to other programmes

The five pilot implementations generated practical examples showing how the methodology can be applied in different countries, organisations, educational settings and target groups.

The resulting evaluation reports and case studies helped the partners identify practical challenges, refine the methodology and demonstrate its adaptability to diverse forms of Non-Formal Adult Education.

The project developed a multilingual AI-supported assistant to help users navigate the Guide, clarify concepts and obtain practical support while applying the methodology.

The assistant complements rather than replaces the Guide. Its purpose is to make the content easier to explore and help practitioners identify the sections, instructions and tools most relevant to their work.

A series of videos presents the methodology in an accessible format and guides practitioners through its main concepts and implementation stages.

The audiovisual resources allow organisations and educators to approach the Guide progressively and can also be reused in training, internal capacity-building and dissemination activities.

The partners produced policy recommendations for public authorities, education stakeholders and organisations involved in adult learning.

The recommendations aim to encourage greater transparency and comparability in the description of Non-Formal Adult Education, promote dialogue between non-formal and formal education sectors and support the development of appropriate articulation and recognition routes.

A-NFAE gives providers a structured but adaptable process for reviewing and improving their courses. Organisations can use the methodology to clarify the purpose and target group of each programme, formulate measurable learning outcomes, estimate workload more transparently and ensure that assessment activities correspond to the intended learning.

The resulting course documentation can make it easier to communicate the value, content and complexity of a programme to learners, employers, education providers, funders and other stakeholders.

Educators and trainers gain practical tools for moving from descriptions based mainly on teaching content towards course designs centred on what learners are expected to achieve.

Mapping learning outcomes, learning activities, workload and assessment can also help practitioners identify gaps or inconsistencies and improve the overall coherence and quality of their programmes.

Learners can receive clearer information about what a course involves, what they are expected to achieve and how their learning will be assessed.

Better documentation of learning outcomes, workload and achievement may also help learners explain their learning more effectively when seeking employment, further education or recognition of prior learning through an existing institutional route.

However, A-NFAE documentation does not itself constitute accreditation, an award of ECTS credits or a guarantee that another institution will recognise the learning.

The project strengthened the partners' capacities in course design, learning-outcomes-based education, workload estimation, assessment planning, quality assurance, multilingual resource development and European cooperation.

The pilot organisations were also able to review real courses using a shared methodology and integrate relevant tools and practices into their educational provision.

A-NFAE created a common resource that can be used across national and organisational contexts while still allowing providers to respect local requirements and the distinctive character of their programmes.

By bringing together Non-Formal Adult Education organisations and a higher education institution, the project encouraged dialogue between sectors that frequently use different terminology and documentation practices.

The methodology, policy recommendations and dissemination activities can therefore support a broader European discussion about transparency, articulation and the value of learning undertaken outside formal education systems.

A-NFAE recognises Non-Formal Adult Education as a valuable and distinctive part of lifelong learning.

Its contribution is to offer providers a practical common language for making that learning more visible, transparent and understandable. It does not replace national accreditation systems, confer ECTS credits or guarantee recognition.

Instead, it helps organisations describe what learners have achieved, how much work their learning required and how achievement was assessed - creating stronger evidence that can be considered wherever suitable recognition, articulation or progression routes exist.