Cedefop’s third review of NQF/EQF development shows that all involved countries see the National Qualification Frameworks as valuable tools to support national reforms and coherent lifelong learning policies.
The 27 EU member states, five EU candidate countries and Liechtenstein and Norway are making rapid progress towards establishing and implementing national qualifications frameworks (NQF). By the end of 2011, 12 countries had linked their national qualifications levels to the European qualifications framework (EQF) levels.
By promoting the use of learning outcomes, the frameworks help to remove barriers between the various learning pathways, such as between vocational and higher education.
This report also shows that the links between NQFs and validation of non-formal and informal learning are becoming stronger in most of the countries reviewed, an issue that is currently of great interest to policy makers across Europe.