Adults with professional competences acquired in other ways than the formal ones (non-formal and informal) can be assessed in the competence assessment centres authorised by the National Authority for Qualifications.

The procedure for the assessment and the certification of professional competences acquired in other ways than the formal ones, approved by Order of the Minister of Education and Research and of the Minister of Labour, Social Solidarity and Family 4543/468/2004, with its subsequent changes and completions, contains both the description of the authorisation process for the assessment centres, and the process for the assessment and certification of professional competences.

Also, according to the Law of National Education, community centers of lifelong learning at local level can provide educational services through programs for validating the results of non-formal and informal learning.

The validation process is highly focused on qualifications, mostly VET qualifications.

The validation process has the following characteristics:

• It should be voluntary
• It should be carried out in accordance with established occupational standards; the evidence of professional competences should be gathered through the application of different methods of evaluation applied in various contexts and on different occasions
• The assessment should be independent of formal professional education and training, meaning that it can take place outside a formal education or training programme
• The assessment of each unit of competence should conclude with a result for the candidate - competent or not yet competent.

Starting with June 2018, the Methodology for establishing the criteria and procedures for evaluation and certification of professional competencies evaluators, evaluator evaluators and external evaluators has entered into force (Order of the Ministry of National Education no. 3,629 of May 2, 2018).

This methodology also approved the structure of the National Register of professional competencies evaluators, evaluators of evaluators and external evaluators.

The Register is published on the National Agency of Qualifications website, and it is updated periodically, based on the criteria and procedures for evaluation and certification provided by the methodology.

The Law on National Education adopted in 2011 emphasises the role of validation of informal and non-formal learning in the context of a broader lifelong learning perspective, based on a learning outcomes approach. 

The law is promoting a general approach to validation and there are no targeted measures for a specific sector, with the exception of validation of the learning outcomes acquired by teaching staff in non-formal and informal contexts.

The evaluation and validation of the acquisitions acquired by the teaching, management, guidance and control personnel through different programs and forms of organization of the continuous training are carried out on the basis of the system of accumulation, recognition and equivalence of the transferable professional credits, elaborated by the Ministry of National Education and Research , and approved by order of the minister.

In December 2013, Romania adopted the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) by the Government Decision no. 918/2013. The NQF has 8 levels of qualifications that can be acquired through the formal education and training system in Romania and by recognition of learning outcomes acquired through non-formal and informal learning.

At the moment, the methodology allows the validation only for level 4 or lower to obtain a qualification through the validation of non-formal and informal learning. Validation is still linked with occupational standards and is not yet operational with regards to formal education.

For more information on Validation of Non-formal and Informal Learning see the European inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning 2014: country report Romania.