The European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) provides a common reference framework which assists in comparing the national qualifications systems, frameworks and their levels. It serves as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe, and thus promote lifelong and life-wide learning, and the mobility of European citizens whether for studying or working abroad.
In order to make the EQF work, European countries participating in "Education and Training 2020" are invited to relate their national qualifications levels to the appropriate levels of the EQF and to indicate in all new qualification certificates, diplomas and Europass documents the relevant EQF level.
The EQF portal provides the results of the national process for relating national qualifications levels to the levels of the EQF. In "Compare Qualifications Frameworks" page, it is possible to compare how national qualifications levels of countries that have already finalised their referencing process are been linked to the EQF.
The EQF portal further presents information "About the EQF" implementation, "Key Terms" that are agreed by all countries participating in the EQF and are essential to take into account when cooperating with stakeholders at national and international level in implementing the EQF. The EQF portal also seeks to gather relevant "Documentation" - legal text of the recommendation on the establishment of the EQF, other key policy documents and EQF notes and "Useful links" leads to other information sources that may prove useful for the comparability of qualifications. It is also possible to read and subscribe for the various issues of the "EQF Newsletter" through the EQF portal.
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The European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) provides a common reference framework which assists in comparing the national qualifications systems, frameworks and their levels. It serves as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe, and thus promote lifelong and life-wide learning, and the mobility of European citizens whether for studying or working abroad.
In order to make the EQF work, European countries participating in "Education and Training 2020" are invited to relate their national qualifications levels to the appropriate levels of the EQF and to indicate in all new qualification certificates, diplomas and Europass documents the relevant EQF level.
The EQF portal provides the results of the national process for relating national qualifications levels to the levels of the EQF. In "Compare Qualifications Frameworks" page, it is possible to compare how national qualifications levels of countries that have already finalised their referencing process are been linked to the EQF.
The EQF portal further presents information "About the EQF" implementation, "Key Terms" that are agreed by all countries participating in the EQF and are essential to take into account when cooperating with stakeholders at national and international level in implementing the EQF. The EQF portal also seeks to gather relevant "Documentation" - legal text of the recommendation on the establishment of the EQF, other key policy documents and EQF notes and "Useful links" leads to other information sources that may prove useful for the comparability of qualifications. It is also possible to read and subscribe for the various issues of the "EQF Newsletter" through the EQF portal.

What is it about?
When moving to a new job or to further learning, whether within or across borders, learners and workers should see their skills and qualifications quickly and easily recognised. This is essential to raise skill levels and increase employability. The European Union has developed several instruments to support the transparency and recognition of knowledge, skills, and competences to make it easier to study and work anywhere in Europe.
What has been done so far?
To date, a variety of initiatives have been launched with a view to simplifying the transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications across Europe. These include:

• The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) helps in comparing national qualifications systems, frameworks and their levels to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe.
• Validation of non-formal and informal learning is a way to recognise the full range of an individual’s knowledge, skills and competences, regardless if acquired within or outside the formal education system. If validated (identified, documented, assessed, and/or certified) these learning experiences can be made more visible and usable for further studies or work. Member States are invited to put the necessary arrangements for validation in place by 2018. Guidelines for implementation of these arrangements in the Member States are being developed. A European Inventory is updated on a regular basis to provide an overview over good practices in the area of validation.
• Europass , a set of five standardised documents and a skills passport available for free in 26 languages, designed to enable users to present their skills, qualifications and experience across Europe.
• Credit systems, ECTS for higher education and ECVET for vocational education and training.
• Quality assurance arrangements in higher education and vocational education and training.

What is next?
The European Commission is collecting the views of stakeholders through the online public consultation on the "European Area of Skills and Qualifications” . The consultation concerns the problems faced by Europeans with regard to the transparency and recognition of their skills and qualifications when moving within and between EU Member States, on the adequacy of the related European policies and instruments, and on the potential benefits of developing a “European Area for Skills and Qualifications”. See more...

The European Training Foundation (ETF) held its international conference entitled “Making Better Qualifications” at the European Parliament in Brussels on 8 and 9 April 2014.
During the event, 120 participants from the EU and ETF partner countries and beyond (Hong Kong SAR China and Australia), as well as UNESCO representatives, identified how vocational qualifications are being reformed. The ETF study on qualifications reforms in ETF partner countries was presented, and in three workshop sessions, participants discussed how to make better qualifications, ensure trust, and bring qualifications closer to their countries’ citizens.
UIL is collaborating with ETF and the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) on the Global Inventory of National Qualifications Framework.
More information on the ETF conference is available at: https://connections.etf.europa.eu/.

Recognition of professional qualifications
This briefing prepared by the EPRS aims at giving an overview of how Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications has been implemented but also highlighting the important issue of extending the scope of the system to more professions.
In November 2013 was published the Directive 2013/55/EU amending Directive 2005/36/EC. This modernisation is one of the twelve levers for growth set out in the Single Market Act and aims at further facilitating professional mobility across the EU. More...

‘Through systematic research over many years, Cedefop has been analysing how qualifications are awarded and used across Europe and how they support the needs of individuals for lifelong learning, recognition and employability,’ the Centre’s Deputy Director told a European Training Foundation (ETF) conference on making better qualifications, at the European Parliament in Brussels. Christian Lettmayr noted that ‘the overall role of qualifications in our society can be described through two main, but contradictory, trends. More...

The objective of the consultation is to collect the views of stakeholders on the problems faced by learners and workers with regard to the transparency and recognition of their skills and qualifications when moving within and between EU Member States, on the adequacy of the related European policies and instruments and on the potential benefits of developing a 'European area of skills and qualifications'. More...

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) contributes to the Global Inventory on National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) which is prepared by two EU agencies, the European Training Foundation (ETF) and the Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), in collaboration with the Section for TVET at UNESCO headquarters. More...

Le 9ème Forum Régional de la Formation s'est tenu le jeudi 20 février à Ruelle sur Touvre (16) sur le thème "La Qualification en débat". Plus de 300 professionnels ont participé à cette journée de rencontre et de débats.
L'expert en droit et politiques de formation Jean-Marie Luttringer a ouvert une réflexion d'ensemble sur la réforme de la Formation Professionnelle et sur les principes affirmés du compte personnel de formation et du droit à un premier niveau de qualification. Il s'est arrêté sur les termes clés des débats actuels : qualification, niveau, reconnaissance, évolution professionnelle,...
Deux tables rondes ont rythmé la journée :
- la première portant sur "L'usage des qualifications", introduite par une conférence de Mme Fabienne Maillard, Professeur des Universités à l'Université de Lille 3 , intitulée "La politique de généralisation de l’accès à une certification : accessible et efficace pour les adultes ?"
- la seconde, sur "la fabrique des Qualifications", précédée d’une conférence de M. Pascal Caillaud, Chargé de recherche CNRS à l'Université de Nantes, traitant des "Qualifications individuelles et classifications de branches".
Les échanges entre les témoins des tables rondes et les participants ont été riches et variés. Mme Danielle Kaisergruber, Présidente du Conseil National pour la Formation Tout au Long de la Vie (CNFPTLV), a conclu cette journée en livrant une analyse personnelle des différents thèmes abordés.
Retrouvez également ici :
Une note de problématique de Jean-Marie Luttringer
Une sélection de références autour de la qualification.