Recent initiatives for recognizing non-formal or informal learning as credit toward vocational

qualification in Brazil have been implemented to harness the knowledge acquired by

individuals throughout their lives, especially work-based knowledge, in the service of

governmental policies that seek to contribute to reducing unemployment and increasing social

inclusivity. Beginning in 2010, the responsibility for assessment and accreditation of work-

based knowledge was assigned to the National Network of Professional Certification and

Training, known as the CERTIFIC, which establishes what types of achievements can be

recognised and sets evaluation parameters. According to the legislation, the CERTIFIC is a

public policy for vocational education of workers, both young people and adults, who seek

accreditation of their lifelong learning experiences, regardless of where and when the learning

took place, and to those who want to enter or return to school.

This paper presents and analyses the conceptions that guide the process of recognition of

work-based knowledge in Brazilian legislation and in the CERTIFIC, with the goal of

providing elements to consider how the debate on lifelong learning has been developing in

Brazil. To address this question, this paper examines Brazilian laws that deal with the

recognition of knowledge for vocational certification purposes.

The results indicate the existence of a controversy around the policies and programs relating

to recognition of work-based learning, since for some people, what is sought from the

development of this type of program is to meet the demands of the labour market, while for

others, the goal is realizing the historical demands of social movements for the recognition of

lifelong learning.

Additionally, the monitoring of the implementation of the CERTIFIC indicates that these

programs aim to increase emphasis on the (re)insertion of the worker into the school setting to

advance their schooling, as opposed to the recognition of work-based learning. Thus, the

analysis of assessment methods conducted here show that the knowledge required for

vocational qualification is still tied to educational content and to standards that guide the

organization of work, leaving in the background the recognition of the knowledge constructed

in and by the work experience.