Briefing note: Qualifications frameworks in Europe
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Experts from many international, regional and national agencies generously share their views, experiences and findings on skills, helping policy-makers among other stakeholders to understand the linkages between education, training and the world of work, and how to integrate skills into national development planning to promote employment and economic growth.
Lifelong learning
There is a critical need for a greater overall investment in education and training, particularly in developing countries. Education and training investments should be closely linked to economic and employment growth strategies and programmes. Responsibility should be shared between the government (primary responsibility), enterprises, the social partners, and the individual. To make lifelong learning for all a reality, countries will need to make major reforms of their vocational and education and training systems. School-to-work schemes for young people should integrate education with workplace learning. Training systems need to become more flexible and responsive to rapidly changing skill requirements. Reforms should also focus on how learning can be facilitated, not just on training for specific occupational categories.
Policy and strategy
Recommendations and advice on resolving policy challenges related to skills development systems and their linkages to the world of work. Concise syntheses of experience from the international organizations.
By December 2016, the following countries had linked their national qualifications frameworks to the EQF: Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland and Wales). Three additional countries (Cyprus, Slovakia and Romania) are currently discussing their referencing reports with the EQF advisory group. The remaining countries are expected to follow in 2017-18, which means that the first stage of EQF referencing is nearly finished. Completion of this first stage will be followed by regular updates in the event of major changes by the countries, which shows that EQF implementation is a continuing process. Estonia and Malta presented updates in 2015, starting this phase: for Malta, this was the fourth update since 2009.
Qualification frameworks
Europe and Central Asia
