Norway: a wake-up call for greater cooperation on foreign qualification recognition

Norway explores extending recognition of foreign vocational qualifications within the ENIC-NARIC networks

The Norwegian ENIC-NARIC centre is responsible for responding to the demand for recognition of foreign qualifications. In 2016 and 2019, it added recognition services for vocational qualifications at EQF levels 4 and 5 to meet the needs of immigrants for formal recognition in the Norwegian labour market.

The government wants to reduce work-related crime and social dumping and is proposing new legislation that will place stricter requirements on employers. The first proposals relate to the construction and cleaning sectors, which rely on foreign workers in Norway. These proposals include requiring a minimum number of qualified workers on permanent contracts when companies work for the State. This would lead to increased demand for recognition certificates.

ENIC-NARIC networks
The ENIC-NARIC networks include recognition and information centres in 55 countries in Europe and beyond. They support the recognition of foreign qualifications within national education systems. Initially focused on higher education qualifications, the networks have expanded to include the recognition of foreign vocational qualifications in response to increased cross-border mobility of workers.

The BRAVO project

The Norwegian ENIC-NARIC centre is leading the 2-year projectBridging a European network for recognition of vocational qualifications (BRAVO), that is working to develop NARIC into a network for the recognition of vocational qualifications. It aims to map knowledge on how vocational qualifications are currently assessed and recognised in Europe and to enable the exchange of best practices.

Jointly funded with Erasmus+, BRAVO brings together partners from the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills in Norway, the Swedish Council for Higher Education, and the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education in Lithuania.

BRAVO partners identified relevant stakeholders and conducted a survey on the recognition practices of ENIC-NARIC member organisations to help cooperation in offering services for foreign vocational qualifications. The survey also examined how ENIC-NARIC members use EU tools such as the EQF and Europass certificate supplements, and their views on the Lisbon Recognition Convention for vocational qualifications.

BRAVO outcomes
The BRAVO project is measuring the networks' interest in putting vocational qualifications higher on the agenda and formalising recognition practices and cooperation between member organisations responsible for the recognition of foreign vocational qualifications.

A BRAVO mid-term report included some of the results of the survey:

56% of ENIC-NARIC centres assess vocational qualifications themselves. Of those who did not, the majority indicated that other organisations provided this service;
the purpose of the existing vocational recognition schemes in the networks is twofold: to ease access to the labour market, and to be used in the process of applying for further study;
respondents report little exchange of information on recognition statements of foreign vocational qualifications, signalling the need to improve cooperation in the sector. It is encouraging that 2/3 of the respondents are in favour of joining a network for this purpose;
most ENIC-NARICs use the NQF/EQF tools and the Europass certificate supplements in their work, but some responses indicate that these tools are used only as guidance rather than as automatic recognition tools.

Based on workshops and analysis, the second and final BRAVO report discusses the potential and risks of establishing a network. The report recommends gradually extending the scope of the ENIC-NARIC networks to include VET qualifications, starting with more formal sharing of information on VET systems and qualifications. The project ends in December 2024.

Need for cooperation
The EU/EEA needs to recognise foreign vocational qualifications for employment. The lack of formal and coordinated recognition of VET in the network limits cooperation between VET partners. In some countries, organisations outside the ENIC-NARIC network provide recognition services for foreign qualifications, but there is no single point of reference to identify them.