“If it wasn’t for the afternoon lessons of computing, guitar and my work at the local youth centre to earn some money for the summer camp, I would believe that I am a looser, a school failure and I would drop out of school at the age of 14. I am not doing well at school ... but I am not lazy and I am not stupid. Achieving a Grade 6 in guitar and getting my ICT Diploma should not count towards my school assessment?” The NON-FOR-LESL project aims to address the challenge of Early School Leaving (ESL) at the stage of school level-intervention and to contribute to the efforts of EU countries to meet the headline target set in the EU 2020 Strategy by reducing ESL to less than 10%. In doing so the project draws on aims of the Erasmus+ as well as on 3 main targets of the EC: the initiative for the Opening Up of Education through the use of OER, recommendation for the validation of non-formal and informal learning and for the acquisition of key competence and transversal skills for the new work-force to meet the market’s needs. Research has shown that ESL is a complex phenomenon which can cause serious consequences, on the students and their families, as well as on the society and the economy as a whole. ESL is a process rather than a one-off event that often starts in primary school with first experiences of school failure and growing alienation from school. “Facilitating the recognition and validation of knowledge, skills and competences acquired through non-formal and informal learning and its permeability with formal education pathways” as set in the Erasmus+ will promote “the improvement of the attainment of young people, particularly those at risk of ESL and with low basic skills” and at the same time “encourage the development of transversal skills which will lead to active citizenship”. It is well known that a “rich source of human capital” is achieved deliberately or incidentally (OECD) in everyday life which if validated can allow students to complete formal education more quickly, efficiently and cheaply while it can also help employers and workers to get a good job match. The NON-FOR-LESL Project comes to fill in the gap that appears to exist in relation to practical measures taken for the students’ assessment. School failure, as reported, by traditional assessment tools, often affects students’ perception of themselves leading them to have common characteristics, such as a growing sense of alienation from school, disruptive behavior, high level of absenteeism, lack of confidence and self esteem leading them to drop out of school. The NON-FOR-LESL project aims to develop and pilot-test, a new innovative multi-dimensional method - an OER validation tool which will be used additionally to the assessment procedures. The OER will be based on a holistic view of students’ learning, drawn away from subject boundaries and will present and validate skills, knowledge and competences acquired through non-formal and informal learning related to the key competences and transversal skills as described by the EU and in accordance with the EQF. The OER will also incorporate aspects of an ‘e-portfolio’ providing students with the opportunity to showcase their progress and achievement towards a specific learning outcome by presenting artifact evidence of their work in and out of school, while being engaged in a continuous reflection process towards their own learning, as well as their personal, academic and career development planning. The NONFORLESL project is planned to be completed in 24 months in which a period of one school term will be used for the implementation of the OER in secondary schools (chosen on set criteria) in each country/partner by students and teachers, on voluntary basis. The plan and organization of the project reflects a research cycle procedure with interrelated stages leading to the production of 6 main Intellectual Outputs in sequential order:(1) a Comparative Study Analysis in which the issues under investigation will be analysed and participants views collected through the use of questionnaires will be discussed; (2) a framework and a award system for the validation of non-formal/informal learning within school based on the key competences and transversal skills as described by the EU, and the rules set by the EQF; (3) the NON-FOR-LESL OER validation tool; (4) an “Information Pack” with a Step-by-step Guide and a training course for the successful implementation of the tool in schools; (5) an implementation report in the form of case-study portfolio and (6) finally an overall evaluation report with a strategy for exploitation at the national level. During the whole lifecycle of the project a strong dissemination strategy was planned starting from the school, the local/regional, the national and the European/international level. It is expected that the project will have a direct impact on the students, but also indirect impact on the teachers, schools, families and the community.