The Competencies Passport

What is the Competencies Passport?

The Competencies Passport is an instrument for defining and assessing the knowledge, skills and experience acquired over the course of one’s life. Life skills are acquired through work, learning and engaging in various social fields. Our life skills, knowledge and capabilities are our competencies – what we are capable of, what we can do. Competencies are skills which must be valued and taken into account, regardless of whether we want to develop them further or offer them on the labor market.

Who is the Competencies Passport intended for?

The Competencies Passport is for everyone: those who are looking for a job, those who wish to find a better position for themselves on the labor market by undergoing professional retraining, to become aware of their own potentials and further develop them. The Competencies Passport is a pass for traveling into oneself, into the best of each of us. The Competencies Passport can be an effective tool for assisting employers in the process of professional selection or in the classification of professional positions

“Key competencies represent a transferable, multifunctional package of knowledge, skills and attitudes that all individuals need for personal fulfillment and development, inclusion and employment. These should have been developed by the end of initial education and training, and should act as a foundation for further learning as part of lifelong learning.”

Recommendation of the European Parliament and European Council

Key competencies according to the European Union’s qualifications:

Communication in one’s mother tongue

the ability to express and interpret thoughts, feelings and facts in oral and written form and in different contexts

Communication in a foreign language

in addition to the abilities which are part of communication in one’s mother tongue, this includes the ability of mediation and intercultural understanding

Mathematical literacy and basic competences in science and technology

the use of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to solve problems in everyday situations

Digital competences

mastering the use of electronic media in work, communication and leisure; logical and critical thinking, information management and communication skills

Learning to learn

the ability to organize one’s own learning; effective time management, problem solving, knowledge retention, processing and evaluating new knowledge

Interpersonal and civic competencies

effective interaction with individuals and groups, conflict resolution in public and private spheres of life

Entrepreneurship

passive and active component; ability and willingness to accept of the innovations of others, and the creation of one’s own innovations; taking responsibility for one’s actions

Cultural expression

valuing the importance of the creative expression of ideas, experiences and emotions through various media, including music, literature and applied arts

The Competencies Passport was designed in Germany under the name ProfilPASS by the German Institute for Adult Education and has been successfully applied in many EU countries as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was introduced in Serbia as part of the project “Creating opportunities for the employment of vulnerable groups through the improvement of municipal services” funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) within the Open Regional Fund for South-East Europe – Modernizing Municipal Services.