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28 août 2011

APEC Higher Education Diploma Supplement Project

http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/template-assets-custom/10/images/sub-banner-mastercshe.jpgBy Richard James (project director), Kerri-Lee Harris, Lynn Meek (LHMartin Institute), Grant Harman (CHEMP, UNE). Higher Education Diploma Supplements Among APEC Member.
Around the world, higher education graduates are increasingly mobile. Students travel abroad for their university study, and then look for recognition of their qualifications at home or elsewhere. Graduating domestic students seek further study or work in other systems or economies. And economies recognise the importance of a mobile and more global work force. It is in this context that many institutions and governments are commiting resources to the international recognition of qualifications and the general support of graduate mobility. This project was commissioned by the Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. The project examined the nature and extent of diploma supplement developments in the APEC member economies (MEs). In addition, the project explored the possibilities for consensus around common elements and guiding principles for diploma supplements, and sought to identify any related capacity-building needs of MEs. 
Background
The European Diploma Supplement (EDS), developed through collaboration by European nations, is by far the most important recent innovation of its type. Diploma supplements provide additional, ‘third type’ documentation to higher education graduates for the purpose of enhancing the information available to other educational destinations and to prospective employers. This enhanced documentation is in a form that supports international recognition of qualifications, facilitating interpretation of the aims and content of particular awards and the achievements of graduates.
Over the past two decades, use of the EDS has spread widely throughout Europe and beyond. Many European countries have made significant progress in introduction of diploma supplements and the momentum is set to continue. At recent Ministerial meetings on the Bologna Process held in Bucharest and Vienna, European countries have confirmed their commitment that each graduate in their respective countries should receive a diploma supplement – automatically, without charge, and in a major European language. Outside Europe there has also been considerable interest and activity. Australia, for example, is in the process of introducing its own version of a diploma supplement, known as the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (Guidelines for the Presentation of the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (May 2010). Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Australian Government. Accessed 15 Sept 2010). In New Zealand, the Tertiary Education Qualifications Statement is being introduced, following a period of economy-wide consultation and the publication of guidelines for implementation (Guidelines for Implementing a Tertiary Qualifications Statement for New Zealand, (2009). New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Wellington).
The European Diploma Supplement
The EDS consists of documentation issued to higher education graduates with the aim of improving international transparency and facilitating international recognition of higher education qualifications. The document is provided by higher education institutions and may be selfcontained or attached to other documentation, such as the ‘testamur’, ‘diploma’ or ‘degree certificate’. Following a standardised format, the EDS presents information on the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were successfully completed by the individual named on the qualification. It thus promotes transparency about higher education qualifications and enables employers and universities offering post graduate study an additional mechanism to make fair and informed judgements about the standing and content of particular qualifications. The EDS is designed as an aid to recognition, but it is not a curriculum vitae or a substitute for an original testamur.
European higher education institutions produce diploma supplements according to templates agreed to by their national ministries and/or higher education associations. The original EDS template (Outline Structure of the Diploma Supplement, European Commission - Education & Training) developed jointly by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES specified eight sections of information, identifying the holder of the qualifications, the name of the qualification, its level and function, the content and the results gained, certification of the supplement, details of the national higher education system of the country of issue, and other relevant information.
Further detail on the origin and evolution of the EDS is provided in Appendix 1. For graduates, the EDS offers:
• Documentation that is accessible and easily comparable abroad;
• A precise description of the qualification, including the key learning objectives; and
• An objective description of the student’s achievements and competencies.
A key outcome is that diploma supplements facilitate employability and help foster the international mobility of graduates and professional personnel.
For higher education institutions, the main benefits of the EDS are: the facilitation of academic and professional recognition through the increased transparency of qualifications; the assistance with making informed judgements about qualifications completed in other educational contexts; the improved employability of their graduates, both nationally and internationally; and the reduced time spent addressing external enquiries about the nature and status of their awards.
European nations have varied in their enthusiasm and support for the EDS and in the level and type of support provided to institutions. The United Kingdom, for example, began the implementation process relatively late but has since allocated Government resources to a special Higher Education Europe Unit located in the secretariat of Universities UK. This unit produced an implementation guide for institutions and, with other institutions, developed both model diploma supplements and agreed statements about the characteristics of the higher education systems of each of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Diploma Supplement, Europe Unit).
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