What is the European Qualifications Framework (EQF)?
Tuesday, 23 November 2010 12:09
The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is an overarching qualifications framework that links the qualifications of different countries together. It acts as a translation device to make qualifications easier to understand across different countries and systems in Europe. This will help learners and workers who are moving between countries, from job to job and from one education or training institution to another.
The aims of the EQF are to help develop a European-wide workforce that is mobile and flexible, and to aid lifelong learning.
Benefits of the EQF
For employers and learning providers, the EQF will make it easier to compare the level of qualifications from different national systems. This will support labour market mobility both between and within countries and sectors . It will also enable a much better match between supply and demand for knowledge, skills and competence.
How does it work?
The EQF uses eight levels that are based on the knowledge, skills and competence required to achieve the qualification. The eight levels cover the entire span of qualifications.
Each level should be achievable through a variety of education and career paths. The focus is on learning outcomes – what a person holding or studying a particular qualification actually knows and is able to do – rather than on inputs such as the length of study.
Levels Correspondences
The work to reference the UK Frameworks to the EQF has been completed. The referencing of the levels in the UK frameworks to EQF is illustrated in the following table:
| EQF | QCF | CQFW | SCQF | EHEA (Bologna) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 3rd Cycle |
| 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 2nd Cycle |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 10/9 | 1st Cycle |
| 5 | 5/4 | 5/4 | 8/7 | Short Cycle |
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 1 | E3 | E3 | 3 | |
| E2 | E2 | 2 | ||
| E1 | E1 | 1 |
- EQF
- European Qualifications Framework
- QCF
- Qualifications Credit Framework
- CQFW
- Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales
- SCQF
- Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
- EHEA
- European Higher Education Area
The EQF exists alongside the metaframework for higher education - the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area (FQ-EHEA, or EHEA, also known as the Bologna Framework).
What is the scope of the EQF?
The EQF will relate different countries' national qualifications systems to a common European reference framework. Individuals and employers will be able to use the EQF to better understand and compare the qualifications levels of different countries and different education and training systems.
The EQF will not:
- replace existing national qualifications systems or require them to be adjusted in any way
- include specific qualifications, describe specific qualifications or an individual’s competence
- reference individual qualifications – the levels of a country’s qualifications framework are referenced to the EQF’s levels
- have any regulatory function.
Countries will not be required to sign up to the EQF – it is voluntary.
How is the UK involved in the EQF?
As the countries within the UK have different education systems and therefore different frameworks, three National Coordination Points (NCPs) have been established across the UK:
- The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership (SCQFP) as the NCP for Scotland to reference the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) to the EQF;
- The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) as the NCP for Wales to reference the Credit and Qualifications framework for Wales (CQFW) to the EQF; and
- Ofqual (England) and CCEA (Northern Ireland)] as the joint NCP for England and Northern Ireland to reference the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) to the EQF.
EQF Implementation: 2010 - 2011
The work to reference the UK Frameworks to the EQF has been completed and further projects will be undertaken during 2010 - 2011 to promote and use the EQF within the United Kingdom.
The UK report ‘Referencing the Qualifications Frameworks of the United Kingdom to the European Qualifications Framework’ can now be accessed on all NCP websites.
Coordinating the implementation of the EQF at UK and European level
The UK European Co-ordination Group for VET (previously the UK EQF Co-ordination Group) provides the forum at UK level to coordinate the implementation work on EQF. The UK is represented on the European Commission Advisory Group which co-ordinates the implementation of the EQF at the European level and is composed of representatives of member states, European social partners and other stakeholders as appropriate.
Frequently asked questions about the European Qualifications Framework
- What is the EQF?
- The EQF is a reference framework which relates different countries' qualifications systems and qualifications frameworks together. It acts as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable to employers, individuals and institutions, so that workers and learners can use their qualifications in other countries. It has two principal aims: to facilitate mobility and lifelong learning.
- Who is the EQF for?
- The EQF will help individuals, employers and education and training providers compare individual qualifications from different countries and education and training systems.
- How can individuals benefit from the EQF?
- For individuals, the European Qualifications Framework will make it easier to describe their broad level of competence to recruiters in other countries and make it simpler to read across from one qualification system to another
- How can the EQF benefit industry and commerce?
- The EQF will support labour market mobility in by simplifying comparisons between qualifications and enabling a better match between supply and demand for knowledge, skills and competences. For employers, the EQF will make it easier to interpret the qualifications of foreign applicants. In particular, once qualifications bear a reference to the EQF, this will make qualifications more understandable.
- Does the EQF award qualifications?
- No, the EQF describes levels of qualifications in terms of learning outcomes. The awarding of qualifications will remain a matter for national qualifications bodies.
- Why develop a European Qualification Framework?
- The EQF was developed in response to requests from Member States of the European Union for a common reference tool to increase the transparency of qualifications. The principal aims of EQF are to promote citizens’ mobility between countries and to facilitate their lifelong learning.
From 2012 it is proposed that all new qualifications should bear a reference to the EQF, so that employers and institutions can identify a candidate's skills, knowledge and competences - What are learning outcomes and why does the EQF use them?
- Learning outcomes are what a learner knows, understands and is able to do after a course of learning, as opposed to learning inputs such as the length of a learning experience or the type of institution etc.
The EQF uses learning outcomes - defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competences – because only this basis would enable it to connect the different national systems. An inputs basis could not accommodate the great diversity in Europe's education systems, for example the duration of training courses varies significantly between countries. - What levels and what types of education does the EQF cover?
- The EQF is a lifelong learning framework, applying to qualifications obtained in all sectors of education, including general education, higher education and vocational training. Its core is its eight reference levels of qualifications, from those obtained at the end of compulsory education, (level 1) to the highest (level 8: doctorate or equivalent). The three highest levels correspond to higher education levels as defined within the European Higher Education Area, or to highly specialised professional qualifications.
- How can the EQF promote lifelong learning?
- Most countries are already developing national qualifications frameworks (NQFs) which will be linked to the EQF. This is a relatively recent development – currently, only the UK, Ireland, France and Malta have NQFs. The fact that the number of NQFs is growing demonstrates that countries recognise their advantages – in particular in lifelong learning, including facilitating the recognition of non-formal learning, for example skills acquired at work but not formally certified.
- What is the relationship between the EQF and the Bologna process in higher education?
- The EQF's four highest levels correspond to higher education levels as defined within the European Higher Education Area: EQF level 5 corresponds to the descriptor developed for the higher education short cycle, EQF level 6 to the descriptor developed for the first cycle (Bachelor level), EQF level 7 to the descriptor developed for the second cycle (Masters level) and EQF level 8 to the descriptor developed for the third cycle (PhD level).
However, the EQF is an overarching lifelong learning framework, incorporating vocational and other qualifications as well as more academic qualifications. - What is the relationship with "Europass"?
- Europass introduced a portfolio of documents to be used by individuals to describe their qualifications and competences. Europass does not, however, ensure the comparability of levels of qualifications. The further development of Europass will need to reflect the establishment of the EQF. In the future, all relevant Europass documents, in particular the Europass diploma supplement and the Europass certificate supplement, should contain a clear reference to the appropriate EQF level.
- What is a National Coordination Point (NCP)
- The European Commission requested that each Member State sets up a National Coordination Point (NCP) as the means of relating their national qualifications systems to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). The NCP is the Commission’s first point of contact with Member States on issues relating to the EQF.
- Where are the National Coordination Points in the UK
-
- Ofqual and CCEA for England and Northern Ireland
- Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership for Scotland (SCQFP)
- Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales (CQFW)
