Mobility and lifelong learning instruments

There are several related initiatives to help make qualifications, experiences and skills better appreciated and easier to recognise throughout the EU. The aim is to give greater access to learning or employment opportunities in different countries and encourage greater mobility – for individuals, businesses and other organisations.

• The European Framework of Key Competences is a tool for policy-makers across the EU which identifies the fundamental skills that people need to lead successful lives in today's world.

• The European Qualification Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) aims to better link different national qualifications systems, acting as a translation device for employers and individuals to better understand qualifications from different EU countries, thus making it easier to work, study or hire staff abroad.

• The European Quality Assurance Reference framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET) helps national authorities to improve their Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems, through the development of common European references.

• The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) provides a common basis to recognise higher education study periods abroad.

• The Diploma Supplement (DS) accompanies a higher education diploma, providing a standardized description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies completed by its holder.

• The European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) is being developed to help the transfer and recognition of learning experiences in Europe, including those outside formal training systems.

• Europass helps people make their qualifications and skills better understood and recognised throughout Europe, increasing their employment prospects. Its web portal includes interactive tools that, for example, allow users to create a CV in a common European format.

• The National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC) provide information and advice on the academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study abroad. 

• Other guidance tools and information sources on learning and career opportunities in the EU, including the PLOTEUS portal and the Euroguidance network.

Other tools are being developed for the validation of informal and non-formal learning. Read more about actions to help recognition of qualifications across the EU.