A EUROPEAN PROFESSIONAL CARD FOR PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCATES/LOBBYISTS

The European Union is dedicated to removing existing obstacles when changing jobs between Member States and promoting professional mobility. To achieve this, the process for recognising professional qualifications must be significantly sped up and simplified for public policy advocates (PPAs) in particular.

The (PPA card), a professional card for public policy advocates/lobbyists/public affairs could make a decisive contribution to this process. It would document educational and professional qualifications according to internationally recognised standards. As a result, it also would improve transparency on the European job market for PPAs, thereby making it easier for companies/clients to select suitable qualified practitioners from abroad. AALEP is calling on the political world to establish a suitable framework for the Europe-wide implementation of a PPA card.

For Reminder:

The European Professional Qualifications Directive from 2005 (2005/36/EC) is designed to remove obstacles when recognising professional and educational qualifications. The aim of the Directive is to make it much easier to take up and exercise professional activities within the EU. As far as implementation in the Member States is concerned, in principle, the Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EC) leaves the following paths open: automatic recognition, the creation of a common platform, the introduction of professional cards. The system of “Automatic Recognition” means that professional qualifications obtained in an EU country are automatically recognised throughout Europe. However, because of the highly heterogeneous country-specific requirements placed on professional qualifications, this system is not an option for public policy advocates. The introduction  of a common platform for public policy advocates would require Europe-wide uniform qualification standards to be defined to carry out individual public policy activities but again it may be difficult to achieve given the heterogeneous country-specific requirements placed on professional qualifications.

The PPA Card

For professional public policy advocates , the professional card would appear to be the only promising way to facilitate the recognition of professional and educational qualifications. The professional card would mean qualifications are reliably tested and clearly documented by competent bodies. The professional card therefore would provide those organisations responsible for recognition in the EU Member States with crucial aid in searching for information and making decisions and as a result could make the recognition process considerably simpler.

The PPA card as envisaged by AALEP would be characterised by the following five features, which are key to its success and acceptance as a professional card:

1. Completeness: the information contained on the PPA card would be comprehensive, i.e. it would provide a complete overview of the academic education, professional experience and further training of the card holder.

2. Standardisation based on European standards: the professional would provide information on academic education, professional experience and further training according to the European standards defined under the European Qualification Framework (EQF). The core of the EQF is its eight reference levels describing what a learner knows, understands and is able to do - their 'learning outcomes' - regardless of where a particular qualification was acquired. The EQF reference levels have moved the focus away from the more traditional approach, which emphasises learning inputs (length of a learning experience, type of institution) to learning outcomes (the skills, knowledge and competencies). Learning outcomes are what a learner knows, understands and is able to do after a course of learning.

Level 1: Basic general knowledge

Level 2: Basic factual knowledge of public policy advocacy

Level 3: Knowledge of facts, principles, processes and general concepts in public policy advocacy

Level 4: Factual and theoretical knowledge in broad contexts in public policy advocacy

Level 5: Comprehensive, specialised, factual and theoretical knowledge public policy advocacy and an awareness of the boundaries of that knowledge

Level 6: Advanced knowledge of public policy advocacy involving a critical understanding of theories and principles

Level 7: Highly specialised knowledge some of which is at the forefront of knowledge in public policy advocacy, as the basis for original thinking and/or research. Critical awareness of knowledge issues in public policy advocacy and at the interface between other fields.

Level 8: Knowledge of the most advanced frontier of public policy advocacy at the interface between fields.

3. Independent testing and recognition: the information on the professional card would be  reliable. The qualifications would be tested and recognised in the country of origin by an independent register commission. The register commission would be made up of experts from universities, relevant lobbyists’ organisations and industry. This would ensure that the PPA card is widely recognised.

4. Flexibility through decentralised administration: The professional card would be introduced and administered decentrally, i.e. in each individual EU Member State. This means that qualifications obtained in the card holder’s country of origin would be documented. In addition to the standardised entries, country-specific additions in line with national requirements would also be  possible.

5. Voluntariness: Possession of the PPA card would be voluntary, i.e. PPAs would not obliged to carry the professional card. Rather, the card would represent a service for all those PPAs who want to be mobile within the EU. This would ensure that the PPA card offers a needs-based solution and that unnecessary costs and bureaucracy would be avoided.

The PPA card would be issued by the competent professional organisations in each individual country. These would be the member organisations of AALEP. These professional organisations are best placed to ensure that applicants’ qualifications are adequately tested. AALEP would be responsible for monitoring the decentralised system and help coordinate public policy advocacy curricula as well as provide support to its members in terms of quality assurance, accreditation and professional standards.

Definitions

(a) “qualification” means a formal outcome of an assessment and validation process which is obtained when a competent body determines that an individual has achieved learning outcomes to given standards;

(b) “learning outcomes” means statements of what a learner knows, understands and is able to do on completion of a learning process, which are defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence;

(c) “knowledge” means the outcome of the assimilation of information through learning. Knowledge is the body of facts, principles, theories and practices that is related to a field of work or study. In the context of the European Qualifications Framework, knowledge is described as theoretical and/or factual;

(d) “skills” means the ability to apply knowledge and use know-how to complete tasks and solve problems. In the context of the European Qualifications Framework, skills are described as cognitive (involving the use of logical, intuitive and creative thinking) or practical (involving manual dexterity and the use of methods, materials, tools and instruments);

(e) “competence” means the proven ability to use knowledge, skills and personal, social and/or methodological abilities, in work or study situations and in professional and personal development. In the context of the European Qualifications Framework, competence is described in terms of responsibility and autonomy.