The European Qualifications Framework, or EQF, is one of a series of instruments developed to support European cooperation in education and training (other instruments include EQAVET, ECTS, NARIC and Europass).
Developed and tested over many years, the EQF was officially launched in April 2008 following a Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council. More...

What are Learning Outcomes?
Learning outcomes are defined in the official Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council for EQF (annex I), and in a similar ECVET Recommendation (annex I), as “statements of what a learner knows, understands and is able to do on comple­tion of a learning process, and which are defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence”. Learning outcomes are usually developed as a part of the process of designing and building qualifications, and can be achieved, by individual learners, through various different learning pathways, modes of delivery and learning contexts (formal, non-formal and informal). More...

ECVET is a technical framework for the transfer, recognition and, where appropriate, accumulation of learning outcomes, with a view to achieving a qualification.
ECVET is a decentralised mechanism that relies on the voluntary participation of Member States, and wider VET stakeholders, and relies on mutual trust being established among all those involved.
ECVET centres on a series of Technical Components that, together, facilitate the process of learning recognition, irrespective of the country or education system in which the learning took place. More...

ECVET relies on a series of common goals, principles and technical components, that centre on the recognition of learning outcomes and achievements for European citizens undertaking vocational education and training, irrespective of the learning context, location or delivery method.
ECVET works hand in hand with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) to provide greater transparency in European qualifications, promoting the mobility of workers and learners, and facilitating lifelong learning. More...

ECVET brings a range of benefits to all those involved in geographical mobility and lifelong learning.
Benefits of ECVET for Geographical Mobility
While mobility in vocational education and training (VET) is already happening, the EU’s political ambition is to significantly increase both the numbers and the duration of mobility exchanges. Developing and enhancing geographical mo­bility, in VET implies putting in place a range of support mechanisms and activities that are suited to the target group of VET learners including, for example, language learning, financial support and learning recognition. The recognition of learning and the transparency of what learners have achieved abroad are each vital crucial elements in developing and enhancing mobility in VET. More...

The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training, often referred to as ECVET, is a technical framework for the transfer, recognition and (where appropriate) accumulation of individuals' learning outcomes with a view to achieving a qualification. Guided by a European-level Recommendation, ECVET tools and methodology comprise a description of qualifications in terms of units of learning outcomes, a transfer and accumulation process and series of complementary documents such as learning agreements, personal transcripts and user guides. ECVET is intended to facilitate the recognition of learning outcomes in accordance with national legislation, in the framework of mobility, for the purpose of achieving a qualification. More...

In this introductory section of the Toolkit, we present the goals and principles of ECVET, confirming the benefits of ECVET use for geographical mobility and for lifelong learning. We also introduce the core technical components of ECVET, and present key ECVET actors at both national and European levels.

1st VPL Biennale - April 9 – 11 Rotterdam, the Netherlands
All across the globe, countries face big challenges in their learning and working systems, both qualitatively (reducing poverty and illiteracy, the need for lifelong learning and the upskilling and updating of competences) as well as quantitatively (division of labour, demographic challenges, drop-outs, (im)migration, retention). Much research has been done (and is going on) on the added value of the learning outcomes approach in National Qualification Frameworks (NQFs), the effectiveness of Human Resources Management systems (HRM) and on the methods for Validation of Prior Learning (VPL).
The mission of The 1st VPL Biennale is to share information, knowledge, ideas and visions on VPL ánd about the creative process of learning from each other’s successes, problems and solutions in ‘the VPL - world’. This entails a focus on the systematics of Validation of Prior Learning as the motor of mor e effective learning and working processes; all - inclusive for all citizens, regardless of status, gender, age, philosophy, special need, heritage or any other personal feature.

The ECVET Mobility Toolkit provides an online platform of tools, examples, information and resources able to support the gradual introduction of ECVET into new or existing mobility practices.
ECVET Toolkit webpage. Flyer.

The External Evaluation of Cedefop was conducted in compliance with Article 27 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities specifying that evaluations should be applied to all programmes and activities which entail significant spending and evaluation results should be disseminated to spending, legislative and budgetary authorities.
The evaluation follows the previous such effort provided in 2007 and covers the period until mid-2012.
The purpose of the evaluation was to provide information on whether Cedefop's activities are well chosen to provide support to the European VET policy agenda and take into account European-level policy, as well as to point out possibilities for further development of Cedefop's role as a resource for European VET policy.
Furthermore, the evaluation reflected on possible synergies between Cedefop and other EU decentralised agencies, with a view to enhancing cooperation among them for better results and a more efficient use of resources.
External evaluation.