Ierland voert als eerste land Europees raamwerk voor kwalificaties in (en)

IP/09/1331

Brussels, 17 September 2009

Ireland first country to move towards Europe-wide transparency on qualifications

Ireland is the first EU Member State to link its national qualifications to the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) which will improve the transparency of qualifications and make it easier for people to study or work in another EU country.

The European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel' welcomed this development : "The EQF is a milestone in European education & training: for the first time, we will have a continent-wide framework for comparing people's qualifications and certificates. No longer will employers need to say they don't understand the level of qualifications presented by foreign job candidates, for example. Of course, the EQF takes time to implement, so I am very pleased to see that Ireland is first to implement the necessary changes to its national qualifications system to be compatible with the EQF. "

The EQF is a new European tool that aims to increase the transparency of qualifications across Europe. The EU Member States are taking part in this voluntary scheme to link their national qualifications levels to the EQF, and have committed themselves to do so by 2010. Ireland is the first country to have finalised, well before the target date, its referencing report which explains how national qualifications levels are linked to the EQF.

The objective of the EQF is to create a common reference framework which will help both individuals and employers to better understand and compare the different national qualifications systems and their levels, whether in general or higher education or vocational education and training. The EQF is based on eight reference levels which are described in terms of learning outcomes, i.e. what a learner knows, understands and is able to do, rather than focusing on the input side, such as length of study.

What are the benefits of the EQF?

The EQF is an ambitious and far-reaching instrument which has implications for education and training systems, the labour market, industry and commerce and citizens.

The EQF will make it easier to study or work in another European country by helping learners describe their competences to educational institutions or recruiters abroad. This transparency will, in turn, help employers interpret the qualifications of applicants and so support labour market mobility in Europe.

For example, currently an enterprise in Ireland may hesitate to recruit a job applicant from Hungary because it does not understand his or her qualifications. But once the EQF is fully implemented, the Hungarian candidate's certificate would contain a reference to an EQF level, such as "EQF level 5". Since the relevant qualification authority in Ireland will have already provided such a reference to EQF levels in Ireland's qualifications in the field concerned, the Irish employers will be able to understand the Hungarian's qualification and compare it with Irish qualifications.

Individuals will also benefit from the EQF through better access to lifelong learning opportunities. By establishing a common European reference point, it will be easier to combine what has been learned in diverse settings, such as different countries, sectoral education systems or informal learning environments.

Next steps

Member States are invited to relate their national qualifications systems to the relevant levels of the European Qualifications Framework by 2010. Several countries have already announced their intention to do so in the near future. From 2012, all new qualifications should bear a reference to the EQF, so that employers and institutions can identify a candidate's skills knowledge, skills or competences.

To know more:

European Commission: The European Qualifications Framework [with background information and the text of the EQF Recommendation]

National Qualifications Authority of Ireland: Ireland and the EQF

National Qualifications Authority of Ireland: Report on the referencing of the National Framework of Qualifications of Ireland to the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning: