National Qualifications Authority

Policy development
Regulation/Legislation
Cyprus
Download PDF version
Timeline
  • 2017Approved/Agreed
ID number
28079

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 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 Qualifications Authority is operational; however, from the experience gained so far, it has become apparent that there is the need for its mandate to be redefined and further clarified in order to achieve its objectives more effectively. Further, its institutional role, as the competent authority for the assessment and validation of qualifications acquired through formal, non-formal and informal learning, is to become more concrete and to be expanded.

2017
Approved/Agreed

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)
  • Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth (MESY)

Target groups

Those who are positively and directly affected by the measures of the policy development; those on the list are specifically defined in the EU VET policy documents. A policy development can be addressed to one or several target groups.

Entities providing VET

  • Companies
  • Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
  • VET providers (all kinds)

Other stakeholders

  • Social partners (employer organisations and trade unions)

Thematic categories

Thematic categories capture main aspects of the decision-making and operation of national VET and LLL systems. These broad areas represent key elements that all VET and LLL systems have to different extents and in different combinations, and which come into focus depending on the EU and national priorities. Thematic categories are further divided into thematic sub-categories. Based on their description, policy developments can be assigned to one or several thematic categories.

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.

Comprehensive national qualification frameworks

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.

Learners' possibilities of accumulation, validation and recognition of learning outcomes acquired non-formally and informally

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

Part of the vocational education and training and lifelong learning systems the policy development applies to.
IVET
CVET

Further reading

Sources for further reading where readers can find more information on policy developments: links to official documents, dedicated websites, project pages. Some sources may only be available in national languages.
Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 82.592 on the establishment of a National Qualifications Authority
The National Qualifications Authority webpage

Country

Cyprus

Type of development

Policy developments are divided into three types: strategy/action plan; regulation/legislation; and practical measure/initiative.
Regulation/Legislation
Cite as

Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). National Qualifications Authority: Cyprus. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) [Online tool].

https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28079