Cedefop newsletter

Context

The recognition of qualifications has become a key policy priority in the EU, underpinning the free movement of learners and workers, the functioning of the Single Market, and more recently the objectives of the Union of Skills and the Skills Portability Initiative. 

While the Lisbon Recognition Convention has improved recognition practices in higher education, and European tools such as the EQF, NQFs, ESCO and Europass have improved the transparency and comparability of skills and qualifications, recognition processes for foreign VET qualifications remain diverse across countries and purposes. 

Differences in legislation, governance arrangements and institutional responsibilities make recognition procedures difficult to navigate for learners, workers and employers, contributing to skills mismatches and underutilisation of talent. 

Drawing on evidence from the EU-27, Norway and Iceland, this Insight examines how recognition and validation arrangements are organised and what this means for the transparency and portability of qualifications and skills.

Facts and findings

• Recognition of foreign VET qualifications varies across the 30 systems analysed in terms of governance, assessment approaches and recognition outcomes.
• Although primarily associated with higher education recognition, ENIC-NARIC centres provide information and guidance on VET recognition in 23 systems for further learning, 18 systems for regulated professions, and 21 systems for non-regulated professions.
• ENIC-NARIC centres issue comparability or advisory statements for foreign VET qualifications in 18 systems for non-regulated employment purposes.
• Learning outcomes, NQFs and the EQF are increasingly used to compare and level foreign VET qualifications.
• Around three quarters of countries have validation arrangements leading to VET qualifications for further learning, while around two thirds have arrangements linked to labour-market access.
• Recognition and validation arrangements remain largely separate, with limited cooperation between the actors involved.

Key challenges

• Recognition arrangements continue to differ across countries, professions and recognition purposes.
• Recognition in non-regulated professions remains less transparent and consistent than in further learning or regulated professions.
• Responsibilities for recognition and validation are frequently distributed across different institutions and sectors, contributing to fragmented governance arrangements.
• Recognition outcomes are increasingly used across both education and employment contexts, highlighting the need for greater clarity regarding their purpose, value and use.
• Skills acquired through work experience and non-formal or informal learning are not always visible within recognition systems due to weak links between recognition and validation arrangements.

Policy pointers

• At EU and national level, improve the transparency and accessibility of recognition pathways, procedures and outcomes across education and employment contexts.
• Build on existing ENIC-NARIC cooperation structures to strengthen coordination, information sharing and guidance for users seeking recognition of foreign VET qualifications.
• Further promote the use of learning outcomes, qualifications frameworks, common terminology and digital credentials to support comparability and portability across countries and sectors.
• Support the development of user-oriented recognition methodologies that provide clear criteria and guidance for competent authorities while remaining adaptable to different recognition purposes.
• Strengthen cooperation between recognition and validation actors to improve the visibility and recognition of competences acquired through formal, non-formal and informal learning pathways.

Context

EU citizens still face challenges to access further education or change career because their skills and qualifications are not fully trusted or understood. This limits lifelong learning opportunities and labour mobility alike.

Qualifications databases or registers and digital credentials are becoming important digital tools to improve the transparency and portability of learning outcomes. EU initiatives such as the European Qualifications Framework, Europass, ESCO and the European Digital Credentials for learning infrastructure lay the groundwork. More recently, the Union of Skills proposed a Skills Portability Initiative building on transparency tools and promoting common European formats for digital credentials.

Drawing on selected evidence from 27 countries (for a total of 28 systems), this Insight explore developments related to qualifications databases as well as digital credentials, including their perceived benefits and challenges as well as understanding and use. 

Facts and findings 

• All 28 analysed systems recognise the value of digital tools for promoting the portability of learning outcomes, though attention and development vary significantly.
• Focus is more on digital tools for information on qualifications, programmes and accreditation, than on digital credentials.
• Issuing and storing digital credentials tools are more developed than sharing and verification tools, which rarely go beyond technical authenticity and integrity checks.
• Most countries report only partial implementation of digital credential, with no fully developed infrastructure covering all types of learning.
• Awareness of EU tools and infrastructures related to digital credentials (e.g. Europass, EBSI, and the EU Digital Identity Wallet) is high across countries.

Key messages

• The high number of information tools – in many countries – indicates attention to information access but also raises risks of dispersion of information.
• Countries are moving from static qualifications registers towards more user-oriented services, integrating learning opportunity and labour market data (e.g. job vacancies and skills anticipation).
• Digital credentials hold potential to increase the visibility of all types of learning (including non-formal and informal learning), but fragmentation risks widening gaps across types of learners.
• Limited advances in digital credential verification tools reflect interoperability and governance challenges as well as underuse of information on learning outcomes.
• EU-level infrastructures (e.g. European Learning Model) have laid important groundwork and influenced national developments, yes this has not translated into coherent national systems.

Policy pointers

• Connect and balance – A user-oriented digital ecosystem requires coordinated development across all its components, from tools that inform about programmes and qualifications to those that record, share and verify credentials and their learning outcomes.
• Sustain and monitor - Investment should continue in connecting qualifications, learning opportunity and labour market data; monitoring of users and uses is needed to assess effectiveness and reach.
• Spotlight digital credentials - Greater policy discussion is needed on how digital credentials can build on existing developments such as national qualifications frameworks databases, accreditation registers and skills intelligence, but also support developments related to recognition of qualifications, stackability of microcredentials and validation of non-formal and informal learning.
• Make learning outcomes count - The value of digital credentials depends on whether and how learning outcomes are presented and used with verification tools supporting employers, recognition authorities and other key users.
• Converging before diverging - As national approaches towards digital credentials are still developing, there is an opportunity to reinforce EU cooperation, moving beyond technical developments and providing directions on their strategic role, conceptual basis and governance. 

The European Union’s green transition represents a major economic transformation toward climate neutrality, driven by policies such as the European Green Deal and the Net Zero Industry Act. This shift combines environmental objectives with industrial strategy, energy security, and geopolitical resilience.

Large-scale public and private investments are accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, energy-efficient systems, and clean technologies, reshaping labour demand across sectors. The shift toward climate neutrality is creating a surge in demand for specialised clean-tech occupations.

Facts and findings

• Green investments amount to hundreds of billions of euros under EU funding frameworks and this massive investment is driving employment changes.
• 92% of EU firms are taking action to reduce emissions and 79% of firms report skills shortages as a barrier to investment.
• Several pivotal roles across the cleantech value chain were identified:
  • Engineers: Design engineers (for PV and HVAC) and energy engineers are crucial for translating climate goals into technically viable, efficient energy systems.
  • Installers & Technicians: HVAC and PV installers are essential for building decarbonisation. Commissioning technicians bridge the gap between installation and operation.
  • Maintenance professionals: Maintenance technicians, including specialised blade and wind turbine technicians, ensure the longevity and efficiency of installed systems.
  • Quality & security: Supplier Quality Engineers (SQEs) and Quality Assurance (QA) specialists safeguard product integrity. Cybersecurity architects are increasingly vital to protect digitalised and interconnected grid infrastructures

Key messages

• The shift to a climate-neutral economy is transforming labour demand, creating new roles and changing existing ones across the clean technology value chain.
• The success of the green transition in EU will depend not only on technology and investment, but on whether we can equip people with the right skills and ensure the transition is fair and inclusive for all.
• Many of emerging occupations are not yet fully captured in existing classifications, which makes it harder to anticipate and respond to changing labour market needs.
• Wages, working conditions, and career prospects in green jobs are critical for attracting workers and ensuring public support for the transition.

Policy pointers

The policy brief highlights six priority areas to support a just, efficient, and inclusive green transition:

• Use big data (e.g. online job ads) to track emerging green jobs in real time, regularly update occupational classifications to reflect new roles and map transferable skills across occupations.
• Invest in modern vocational training systems, updated curricula, and stronger industry partnerships to ensure workers gain practical, job-relevant clean tech skills.
• Focus on transferable skills between occupations and create clear, short reskilling pathways to help workers move into green jobs without full retraining.
• Promote flexible, modular learning systems with micro-credentials to make upskilling faster, more accessible, and better recognised across sectors.
• Develop regional transition strategies for fossil-fuel-dependent regions, linking training, investment, and job creation to support local communities.
• Integrate technical, digital, and environmental skills (e.g. data, AI, cybersecurity) into training to match the needs of increasingly complex clean energy systems.

The Spotlights provide insights into the current labour market landscape, future trends, and skills anticipation in each country. The analysis is based on Cedefop’s skills intelligence online tool, its skills forecast, the European Skills Index (ESI), online job advertisements, sectoral and occupational skills intelligence, and country-specific skills anticipation reports.

The study contributes to ongoing European efforts to strengthen the quality, transparency and labour-market relevance of IVET while supporting lifelong learning and workforce adaptability. Its findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, VET providers, companies, trainers, and learners, underscoring the importance of systemic cooperation and the practical integration of learning outcomes to strengthen IVET effectiveness and improve learner employability.

Facts and findings

• Learning outcomes are formally embedded in national VET frameworks across all studied Member States but their practical use in companies varies significantly, often depending on national traditions, sectoral characteristics, and company size.
• Structured partnerships between VET schools and companies, including formal agreements and liaison roles, support the alignment of workplace training with curriculum goals, especially in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Finland.
• In-company trainers play a pivotal role in translating learning outcomes into practice, yet many lack formal pedagogical training and institutional support, limiting consistent application.
• Learner awareness and engagement with learning outcomes are highest in systems with structured planning tools, personalised learning plans, and clear communication, such as in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Finland. In contrast, learners in Bulgaria, Malta, and Poland often focus on task completion with limited reflection on competence development.
• Assessment practices strongly influence the implementation of learning outcomes; systems with aligned formative and summative assessments involving both VET providers and companies show higher consistency and quality assurance.

Key messages

• Learning outcomes help connect VET and labour market needs: stronger cooperation between VET providers and employers improves the relevance of training and supports EU skills and employment objectives.
• In-company trainers are critical to quality work-based learning: their ability to translate curriculum requirements into workplace practice directly affects learner outcomes, highlighting the need for targeted professional development.
• Learner-centred approaches can improve employability: active engagement with learning outcomes, feedback and reflection helps learners develop transferable skills and clearer career pathways.
• Implementation remains uneven across countries and sectors: differences in workplace practices can limit the consistency, transparency and quality of learning outcomes.
• The findings support continued VET reform: better guidance, employer engagement and monitoring can help ensure that learning outcomes are effectively applied in workplace settings and contribute to EU policy goals.

Policy pointers

• EU and national level: promote policies that clarify the pedagogical purpose of learning outcomes, emphasizing their role as tools for guiding learning and assessment beyond formal curriculum descriptors.
• VET providers and companies: encourage the co-design of personalised learning plans and joint planning mechanisms to ensure learning outcomes are contextualised and operationalised in workplace tasks.
• Trainer support: invest in accessible, mentor training programmes to enhance trainers’ pedagogical skills in applying learning outcomes and providing constructive feedback.
• Assessment development: develop and disseminate practical, user-friendly assessment tools aligned with learning outcomes; foster cooperation between schools and companies in formative and summative evaluations.
• Learner engagement: implement communication strategies and learner-centred tools (e.g. reflective journals, self-assessment frameworks) that make learning outcomes understandable and actionable, thereby promoting learner responsibility and progression.
• Future research should explore the long-term impact of learning outcomes on learners’ labour market transitions and professional development to further inform policy and practice.