- 2019Approved/Agreed
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Completed
Background
The link between training or validation programmes and professional qualifications is important; so is their quality. To guarantee this, a common quality framework and neutral and independent quality supervision was implemented. Common basic principles for quality supervision on VET programmes (nationally referred to as qualifying programmes) offer substantive guarantees that what learners, employees and jobseekers acquire in terms of competences is more in line with labour market requirements and that the competences are taught and/or evaluated in a qualitative manner. It is also clearer to all parties involved which competences are part of qualifications obtained. Training providers and assessment centres have a clear and common frame of reference, the professional qualifications, and so a tool to shape their offer.
Objectives
To prescribe the terms for certifying professional qualifications outside formal education.
Description
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 (or validation) pathway. The quality assurance is focused on five quality areas:
- learning objectives;
- design of the learning process;
- learner guidance;
- learning process evaluation;
- internal quality assurance processes.
The quality of training (and validation) pathways will be verified at least once every 6 years. The quality assurance framework has been developed by the Education Inspectorate and the Flemish Social Inspectorate and is aligned with the quality assurance framework of the Education Inspectorate used in formal education.
Several vocational training programmes have already been recognised. The aim is to expand the offer. If an organisation wants to organise a qualifying training or RAC (Recognition of Acquired Competencies) pathway, that pathway must be recognised by the Department of Work and Social Economy. A register keeps track of all recognised pathways. These recognised pathways contain vocational programmes from Work and...
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 (or validation) pathway. The quality assurance is focused on five quality areas:
- learning objectives;
- design of the learning process;
- learner guidance;
- learning process evaluation;
- internal quality assurance processes.
The quality of training (and validation) pathways will be verified at least once every 6 years. The quality assurance framework has been developed by the Education Inspectorate and the Flemish Social Inspectorate and is aligned with the quality assurance framework of the Education Inspectorate used in formal education.
Several vocational training programmes have already been recognised. The aim is to expand the offer. If an organisation wants to organise a qualifying training or RAC (Recognition of Acquired Competencies) pathway, that pathway must be recognised by the Department of Work and Social Economy. A register keeps track of all recognised pathways. These recognised pathways contain vocational programmes from Work and Education.
Especially for EVC, AHOVOKS contributes to the preparation of legislation and has a role in the implementation.
In 2019, approval of the Decree on common principles about the quality assurance of training (and validation) pathways outside the formal education system.
In 2020, a new procedure for recognition of training pathways leading to professional qualifications outside formal education was introduced. At the end of 2020, there are 10 training pathways and four validation pathways recognised within this quality framework.
In 2021, there are 16 training pathways leading to professional qualifications outside formal education and four validation pathways which were recognised within this quality framework.
In 2022, there are 26 training pathways leading to professional qualifications outside formal education and 7 validation pathways which were recognised within this quality framework.
In 2023, there are 23 training pathways leading to professional qualifications outside formal education and 7 validation pathways which were recognised within this quality framework.
In 2023, 980 learners started a training (and validation) pathway, of which 478 were in a validation pathways of previously acquired competences and 502 in a training pathway leading to professional qualifications.
Until October 2024, there were 45 training pathways leading to professional qualifications outside formal education and 15 validation pathways of previously acquired competences offered by providers outside of formal education, recognised within the common quality framework.
The quality assurance of non-formal VET is based on a decree and agreed procedures and runs as a regular activity.
Bodies responsible
- Flemish Department of Work and Social Economy
- Agency for Higher Education, Adult Education, Qualifications and Study Allowances (AHOVOKS)
Target groups
Entities providing VET
- VET providers (all kinds)
Other
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers to further development of national quality assurance (QA) systems for IVET and CVET, for all learning environments (school-based provision and work-based learning, including apprenticeships) and all learning types (digital, face-to-face or blended), delivered by both public and private providers. These systems are underpinned by the EQAVET quality criteria and by indicative descriptors applied both at system and provider levels, as defined in Annex II of the VET Recommendation. The sub-category concerns creating and improving external and self-evaluation of VET providers, and establishing criteria of QA, accreditation of providers and programmes. It also covers the activities of Quality assurance national reference points for VET on implementing and further developing the EQAVET framework, including the implementation of peer reviews at VET system level.
Transparency and portability of VET skills and qualifications
European principles and tools, such as EQF, ESCO, ECTS, Europass and ECVET, provide a strong basis for transparency and portability of national and sectoral qualifications across Europe, including the issuing of digital diplomas and certificates.
This thematic category looks at how individuals are supported in transferring, accumulating, and validating skills and competences acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings – including learning on the job – and in having their learning recognised towards a qualification at any point of their lives. This is only possible if qualifications are transparent and comparable and are part of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks. Availability of qualifications smaller than full and acquirable in shorter periods of time is necessary; some countries have recently worked on developing partial qualifications, microcredentials, etc.
This thematic sub-category concerns all developments related to national qualification frameworks (NQFs). As in most countries NQFs are in place and referenced to the European qualifications framework (EQF), the thematic sub-category covers updating and expanding the frameworks, developing new qualifications and using NQFs as catalysts for other reforms.
This thematic sub-category refers to validation mechanisms allowing individuals to accumulate, transfer, and recognise learning outcomes acquired non-formally and informally, including on-the-job learning, or in another formal system. In case they are not automatically recognised, a learner can have these learning outcomes validated and recognised through a particular process with a view to obtaining a partial or full qualification. This thematic sub-category covers such provisions and mechanisms.
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Quality assurance for non-formal VET: Belgium-FL. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28007