It will make it possible to adapt reference bases more quickly when certain areas of competence are impacted by technological developments.
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
Skill sets are 'homogeneous and coherent sets of competencies that contribute to the autonomous exercise of a professional activity, which can be evaluated and validated'. Reforming vocational qualifications into skill sets (blocks de compétences) started in 2016. The first qualifications restructured into skill sets through legislation (decrees 2016-771, 2016-772 and 2016-1037) are the professional skills certificate (CAP, EQF level 3), the vocational baccalaureate (Bac-pro, EQF level 4)...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research
Ministry of Labour, Full Employment and Inclusion
Delegate Minister for VET under the education and labour ministers
France Compétences
Ministry of National Education and Youth (until 2024)
Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports (from 2020 till 2022)
Ministry of Labour, Employment and Professional Integration (until 2022)
reduce inequalities in access to training for low qualified workers and ease (re)training and skills acquisition;
support the transformation of companies, building employee loyalty and improve risk prevention.
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
In July 2018, a report was published detailing the results of a pilot initiative launched in 2015 that explored new approaches for work-based learning through scheduled and guided on-the-job training. This pilot involved collaboration between the Ministry of Labour and stakeholders such as social partners, the National Employment, Training and Vocational Guidance Council (CNEFOP), the National Agency for the Improvement of Working Conditions (ANACT), and training funds (OPCAs). The...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Ministry of Labour, Full Employment and Inclusion
Ministry of Labour, Employment and Professional Integration (until 2022)
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
In May 2016, the Finnish government launched an action plan for the better integration of immigrants in all types and levels of education, including vocational training. The plan, which is targeted at supporting immigrants, foresees an increase in the preparatory training for initial vocational qualifications (IVET) and competence-based qualifications (CVET). The general language proficiency requirement should no longer be an admission criterion for VET, but the education provider still...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
The competence-based qualifications in Finland embed validation of non-formal and informal learning as an integral part of the entire CVET qualifications system. The system has been in place since 1994 and was further strengthened in 2007 and in 2015 by the Decree on individualisation. The Decree defines principles of validation more precisely than before. The CBQ system is very popular among the adult population in Finland with 100 000 learners involved each year. In IVET, validation is...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
The was a need to strengthen the learning outcomes approach of vocational qualification requirements, the modular structure of qualifications, flexibility and individualisation in learning paths and validation of prior learning. In August 2015, the existing legislation on VET was amended to steer the IVET system to implement validation more effectively. The most drastic change was the shift from time-bound credit points to competence points, which show the relative importance of the unit of...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Reviewing the validation of informal and non-formal learning procedure regulated in RD 1224/2009 to make it simpler and easing access, as well as to meet validation needs of the different productive and service sectors.
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
Within the General Council for Vocational Training, a working group has been set up to review the results obtained during the almost 10 years of implementation of this procedure. Data are collected through a platform established by INCUAL. Validation is also carried out through the Reconoce project, launched in 2015 upon approval by the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE) and the youth departments of the Autonomous Communities. The project aimed to establish a new recognition system for...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (until 2023)
Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports
The Strategic plan for vocational training aims to make VET more responsive to the needs of the productive system, meeting skills demands in a quick and prospective way.
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
The new government, in power since June 2018, reorganised the administration. The change of name in the education administration state, now the Education and Vocational Training ministry (previously Education, Culture and Sports), reflects the new strategy to promote VET. In October 2018, the Government presented the Strategic plan for vocational training under education authorities. In February 2019, the Council of Ministers published the Agenda for change (Agenda del Cambio).
The agenda...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (until 2023)
Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports
Recognition of prior learning and validation of work experience aims to increase the permeability of the education system and to smooth transitions between levels and types of education, and to the labour market.
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
The development of RPL is a part of the Adult education programme. Since 2015, the Ministry of Education and Research has been widening access to education through:
validation of previous experience;
insertion of recognition-related data into the education database;
more precise regulation for validating non-formal and informal learning in general education.
RPL principles have been developed and are regulated in higher education and vocational education acts.
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
Proposals for legislative and institutional changes aiming to improve the transition from school to labour market by extending the duration of in-company training; in EQF 4 programmes, workplace internship usually takes two weeks only, hence the proposal for extension to eight weeks.
Some schools, especially those offering hospitality and tourism programmes, have already extended the length of practical training in their curricula. Proposals prepared by the Pospolu project will be further...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
National Institute for Education (until 2019)
Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic
National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
The education ministry is coordinating the implementation of the project ‘Establishing a mechanism for the validation of non-formal and informal learning’. The project is jointly funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Republic of Cyprus. This project has supported a mapping study of the current situation in Cyprus on the validation of non-formal and informal learning. Based on this mapping study, an overall National action plan for the creation of mechanisms for the validation...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth (MESY)
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth (MoECSY) (until 2022)
Ministry of Education and Culture (MoEC) (until 2019)
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
On 18 May 2017, the Council of Ministers approved the establishment of the National Qualifications Authority, with the mandate to:
further improve quality assurance systems in education and training;
monitor and integrate in the CyQF the scheme for the validation of non-formal and informal learning after its completion;
monitor the CyQF/EQF levels on the certificates, diplomas and Europass documents;
further strengthen the legal aspect of CyQF;
develop a registry for the CyQF.
The National...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth (MoECSY) (until 2022)
Ministry of Education and Culture (MoEC) (until 2019)
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
The 2015-20 VET development strategy addressed the acquisition of key competences in secondary VET for personal and professional needs. The 2015-20 VET development strategy aims to increase the number of adults taking part in training and to improve the attainment of qualifications and key competences, complementing their professional knowledge and skills. The 2015-17 action plan for this strategy foresees measures promoting key competences, such as career management skills. The 2015-20 VET...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
Following the 2015-20 VET development strategy adopted in October 2014 (and the updated VET strategy in Bulgaria for the period 2019-21), the VET Act was amended, introducing the legislative basis for validation of prior learning in VET. Validation, using the State education standards (SES), can be carried out by VET providers for professions included in the national list of VET professions (LPVET), and could lead to qualifications at EQF levels 2 to 5. The procedures for partial validation...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET)
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
Since the academic year 2017/18, the EQF/NQF level of the occupation in which the qualification is acquired is stated in the completion documents: the ‛vocational qualifications certificate′ and the ‛vocational training certificate for part of the profession′. This applies both for young and adult learners. Changes to legislation are still needed to support the setting up of the BQF. A working group has to be established to prepare these amendments. The framework is not yet...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Ministry of Education and Science
National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET)
Official and social recognition of professional competences (ensuring visibility to all skills of both workers and jobseekers older than 18 through certification, access to adult education and higher education, access to job orientation, and access to recruitment).
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
In Adult Education, since 2017, the procedure for valorisation of acquired skills is framed by the decree of the Government of the French Community of 29 November 2017 (with reference to Article 8 of the decree of 16 April 1991 organising Adult Education). Valorisation aims to give access to courses for which learners do not have official prerequisite, to obtain exemptions from a part of a course or to obtain the certificate of the course in which they master the learning outcomes. The study...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Skills Validation Consortium (CVDC)
Ministry of Vocational Training in the Brussels Region
Ministry of Vocational Training in the Walloon Region
The long-term goals of of improving the governance of VET supply in Brussels are:
in a concerted manner, ensure the security of the training pathways for the target groups;
make Bruxelles Formation the benchmark public service for vocational training and skills validation in Brussels;
fully put Brussels Formation at the service of its users (trainees and partners);
make vocational training and skills validation more visible and readable for education stakeholders, employers and the business...
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
Following the amendment of the training decree in 2016, Bruxelles Formation (the French-speaking public vocational training provider in Brussels) is in charge of regulating French-speaking training and validation in the Brussels Region. Operational objectives and actions were set out in the Management plan 2017-22 approved in December 2017. On 26 January 2018, the management board of Bruxelles Formation agreed on the extension of the body’s mission, in which also social partners and the...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Bruxelles Formation (Brussels Institute for Vocational Training)
The aim of validation is to help individuals to achieve personal development, to contribute to a higher level of employment, to improve access to formal education systems and to stimulate lifelong learning. Developments at policy level aim at an integrated approach to validation, bringing existing separate validation measures together in a single comprehensive strategy.
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
There is increased cooperation between different validation providers (inside as well as outside education) and the willingness to create a single framework linking validation processes to the Flemish qualifications framework (FQF). In July 2015, the concept for an integrated framework for validation in Flanders was approved by the Flemish government; a task force was set up to develop the integrated policy framework and to draft a decree on validation. A cost-benefit analysis has been...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Flemish Department of Education and Training
Flemish Department of Work and Social Economy (until 2025)
Agency for Higher Education, Adult Education, Qualifications and Study Allowances (AHOVOKS)
Flemish public employment service (VDAB)
Flemish Department of Work, Economy, Science, Innovation and Social Economy
To define the terms for certifying professional qualifications outside formal education.
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
On the 26 April 2019, the Flemish Government approved a new Decree on common principles about the quality assurance of training (and validation) pathways outside the formal education system, leading to professional qualification, formally linked to the Flemish qualifications framework (Vlaamse kwalificatiestructuur). The decree prescribes the terms for certifying professional qualifications by regulating the conditions for quality control at the level of the provider and that of the training...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Flemish Department of Work and Social Economy (until 2025)
Agency for Higher Education, Adult Education, Qualifications and Study Allowances (AHOVOKS)
The aim of this project is to support citizens in shaping their career paths by offering opportunities for validating and recognising their vocational competences.
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
In 2015, a strategy for the introduction of a validation system was developed and a public launch event on the recognition of competences took place in October 2016. Sixty key actors from the German-speaking Community were invited to participate in a debate. Subsequently, a steering group was established with the participation of stakeholders from formal and non-formal education, as well as employment and social partners. Between February and November 2017, the steering group developed a...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Ministry of German-Speaking Community
Institute for vocational and educational training in small and medium-sized companies (IAWM)
The objectives of the digital competence model are:
acceptance: the Austrian DigComp competence framework should become and remain a work base for the development and improvement of the digital competences of all citizens which is as widely accepted, as broadly understood and as coherently interpreted as possible;
updating: the Austrian DigComp competence framework and the application scenarios derived from it are to be updated continuously and, if necessary, expanded by the...
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
In 2019, the Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) published the Digital competence model for Austria (DigComp 2.2 AT). The tool is intended for supporting the assessment and description of personal digital competences and the identification of possibilities for further development. It is based on the DigComp reference framework of the European Commission.
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) (until 2022)
Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF)
Federal Ministry of the Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport (BMKOES)
Federal Ministry of Education (BMB)
Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism (BMWET)
Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy (BMAW) (until 2025)
Increase of transparency in the acquisition of engineering (Ingenieur) qualifications.
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
A new Engineering Act (IngG 2017) came into force on 1 May 2017. Graduates of VET colleges of engineering (HTL) or of VET colleges in the agricultural and forestry/environmental sector (HBLA) who have a minimum of three years relevant professional experience, can now apply for certification to obtain the formal engineer qualification (Ingenieur, NQF/EQF level 6).
Beside the engineer qualification discussed above, application for certification is also allowed for other qualifications...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) (until 2022)
Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy (BMAW) (until 2025)
Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism (BMWET)
The objective of the National strategy on validation of non-formal and informal learning is to:
increase the value of competences acquired in non-formal and informal learning contexts;
make validation arrangements more accessible by providing low-threshold, central information and advisory services;
improve opportunities for education and work (e.g. by making it easier for adults to obtain qualifications as second chance education);
improve permeability at the central interfaces...
Description
What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.
Following a national consultation process, the national strategy for validating non-formal and informal learning was finalised and adopted in November 2017. The national strategy is expected to serve as the starting point for defining organisational structures, a catalogue of quality criteria (issued in May 2018) and a detailed implementation plan. The validation strategy provides an overview of existing validation arrangements, serves as a basis for developing new initiatives, assuring...
Bodies responsible
This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) (until 2025)
