Qualifications, comparisons and trust

The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is considered a benchmark to develop national as well as regional frameworks to improve the recognition of qualifications in an increasingly mobile and globalised world. Being able to compare qualifications frameworks is key to [NK(1] support students, job seekers and employers to utilise talents and skills across borders.

To further improve frameworks and engagement, the European Training Foundation (ETF) hosted a peer learning activity (PLA) in cooperation with the European Commission, “Comparison of the EQF and third country qualifications frameworks – what have we learned from pilots - how can we take it forward?” on 29-30 October in Turin at its headquarters.

National, regional, continental

Bringing together representatives from 15 countries, as well as agencies and student organisations, the PLA discussed the development of the EQF, national qualifications frameworks (NQFs), and regional qualifications frameworks (RQFs), and what is needed to improve the comparative process as more countries establish or improve such frameworks. 

“By looking at the history of comparisons undertaken so far, we can analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of the processes,” said Michael Graham, the ETF’s Senior Human Capital Development Expert on Qualifications Systems.

NQFs are relatively new, with only France, Malta, the United Kingdom and Ireland having had one in 2008, when the EQF was established. Regional qualifications frameworks are more nascent, although there are now 17 worldwide. 

While every EU Member State now has a NQF aligned with the EQF, external linking of comparisons was only enabled by  the revised EQF Recommendation in 2017. The EQF includes 41 countries, including the EU Member States, the European Economic Area countries, EU candidate countries, and potential EU candidate countries, while the ETF has been working to assist in the development of qualifications frameworks in its partner countries and beyond, including the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF). 

“By enhancing mutual comprehension of qualifications systems across borders it is generating trust and facilitating qualifications recognition. This is enabling mobility, migration, investment and platform work, so there are very tangible benefits,” said Graham.

Skills, talent and labour shortages

Requests to the ETF to support the development of qualifications frameworks and heighten transparency has shown the value of being able to compare, said Graham. “It is positive for the EU, and such requests are a tribute to the value of the EQF and the national systems linked to it,” he said. 

Such heightened engagement has been propelled forward by the Skills and Talent Mobility Package adopted by the European Commission in 2023, which was also the European Year of Skills.

“It’s an important package as an objective is to attract through legal migration workers to Europe to cope with labour market shortages,” said Koen Nomden of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG-EMPL). 

42 occupations in the EU have been identified as having a shortage of qualified workers, which includes being over 10 million short of a 2030 target of 20 million ICT professionals, and requiring 1-2.5 million additional jobs to enable the green transition.

Building up trust

One of the key aspects for a qualifications framework to work at a national and international level is to have trust in the quality and level of qualifications that have been issued, whether professional, vocational or at the micro-credential level. This also requires a high level of transparency in the process to enable comparisons of qualifications standards, said Nomden.

“The comparison exercise can’t just be desk research, as you need to have a real understanding of the framework of another country. It’s a difficult task, and that’s why it’s important to have dialogue at an EU level with member states, preferably among EU level stakeholders, and also for third countries. If we can get a broader landscape of comparisons, we can get a more global approach,” said Nomden.

Arjen Deij, a senior expert on qualifications system,having been involved in developing the framework from the start, is keen to have frameworks co-owned by everybody. “I am confident this is something solid we can do together, as it has a practical value for people,” he said. 

Pilot schemes

Indicative of mutual co-operation is the development of three pilot schemes to establish and inter-connect frameworks in Ukraine, Cape Verde and Southern African Development Community (SADC)countries. The process has also become more efficient over the years, noted Eduarda Castel-Branco, an ETF Senior Human Capital Development Expert and Coordinator for the ACQF. For the first pilot country to be involved, Ukraine, 15 meetings were required, but with Cape Verde eight meetings, and just seven with SADC countries. 

Yuriy Rashkevych, a member of Ukraine’s National Qualifications Agency, said that in 2019, there was no clear understanding of what a qualifications framework means, but following in-depth discussions, “we understood the process is not a comparison of two tables or descriptors, but involves a deep analysis of our national qualifications system, and is about adhering to basic principles and key instruments.” 

Ukraine’s NQF and its comparison project with the EQF was fast-tracked following the Russian invasion in 2022. “Millions of Ukrainian refugees went abroad, so the question of recognising qualifications became crucial, and there was [the realisation that] the NQF was very important,” said Rashkevych. 

The framework will also be of importance in a post-war future. “We hope there will be a lot of investment to rebuild, and we definitely know we will have a shortage of qualified specialists, so we will need to be prepared for the immigration of a workforce and have minimal bureaucracy. We hope the framework will help us,” he added.

Southern Africa

For Southern African countries involved with the SADC Qualifications Framework (SADCQF), the pilot has been an “invaluable initiative,” said Fiona Ernesta, CEO of SQA Seychelles, SADC. “The comparison of SADCQF and EQF is an important step forward for the two regions to have mutual understanding, and trust in the frameworks and qualifications,” she said.

The Europass platform, an online tools to help users create CVs, find jobs and courses in the EU, and match skills with location and topic, has also been useful for SADC, said Ernesta. The comparison process “has been a motivation for all SADC states to align with SADCQF, as it will facilitate in the future decisions to compare with the EQF,” she said.

Amilcar Mendes, Coordinator of UC-SNQ (Coordination Unit National Qualifications System), Cape Verde, said significant work had been carried out to develop their NQF and compare it with the EQF. “We live in a globalised world with a lot of mobility, and the role of the EQF in such a context is very fundamental. Cape Verde has been conducting important reforms, mostly improving quality and aligning with international standards and qualifications,” he said. 

The results show impact when they are practical and tangible, and in turn ensure trust and transparency between frameworks allowing countries to work together for the benefit of people and society. Looking forward, more work is underway under the European Commission and the ETF to better integrate frameworks, improve transparency, and involve more stakeholders with the EQF and other frameworks worldwide.