National qualifications frameworks (NQFs) have long served a pivotal role in ensuring transparency, comparability and portability of qualifications across Europe’s diverse systems, aligning themselves with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
As the European Union accelerates efforts through the Union of Skills initiative—aiming to address skill shortages, support lifelong learning and promote cross-border recognition—access to clear and reliable information has become paramount.
Cedefop’s newly updated NQF online tool is a direct response to this need, providing an accessible and comprehensive resource designed specifically to enhance learners’ and workers’ cross-border mobility and support core EU priorities.
Register now to our webinar on 9th December 2025
NQFs in action: what is their potential for the Union of Skills?
New features supporting mobility and trust
The updated tool brings together detailed information on the qualifications frameworks and systems of 41 countries participating in the EQF process. The new functionalities offer users the ability to navigate national frameworks, compare qualification levels and retrieve targeted information more easily.
Key enhanced features include:
NQF comparison: crucial for workers and learners seeking opportunities abroad. Users can select two countries and compare qualification levels directly through the EQF, offering a visual and easy-to-interpret overview.
Theme comparison: enables users to retrieve information across thematic areas such as learning outcomes, institutional arrangements, validation of prior learning, implementation, impact and referencing to the EQF.
Overview page: streamlines the mobility process by providing direct access to NQF websites, national qualification databases and registers, helping users locate information on individual qualifications.
Impact on key stakeholders
The tool's enhanced features offer tangible benefits across the mobility ecosystem. Learners and workers benefit from the NQF comparison function, which makes it easier to understand how qualifications relate across borders. For example, an EQF level 6 bachelor-degree holder from the Netherlands can quickly explore level 7 qualifications in Croatia, helping them plan their learning or mobility pathways.
For employers, the tool provides clearer insights into foreign qualifications, aiding informed recruitment decisions—for example, helping an Austrian employer understand the skills associated with an NQF level 6 qualification from Ireland. Education and training providers also benefit, utilising the tool to assess applicants’ qualifications from other countries, thus supporting smoother entry and progression into their programmes.
For policymakers and researchers, the tool serves as a consolidated platform bringing together extensive information on national frameworks, where users can, for example, explore the structure and use of each NQF, monitor developments in areas such as quality assurance or recognition and identify trends across countries.
Furthermore, recent analysis shows that NQFs are expanding to integrate qualifications from non-formal settings, including microcredentials. The updated tool facilitates the visibility of these qualifications, thereby strengthening transparency and supporting more coherent solutions for skills development and mobility across Europe in the years to come.
Join the webinar
The updated NQF online tool and the latest findings from Cedefop’s research will be presented at the dedicated webinar on 9 December 2025. The event will explore how countries are using their NQFs, highlight emerging trends and discuss future priorities within the EQF community.
