Czech Republic: Development and Implementation of NQF

The development and implementation of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF 2) in the Czech Republic is to be carried out during the years 2009-2015. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports works together with the National Institute of Technical and Vocational Education on the project, which is co-financed by the European Social  Fund and from the Czech Republic state budget. The project will be carried out during the years 2009-2015.  

The basis of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) evolved in the years 2005-2008. A register of statewide recognised qualifications, which are a prerequisite of acquiring the apprenticeship certificate, was established during this time.

The National Qualifications Framework will describe all partial and complete qualifications which are in demand on the labour market. A standard will be prepared for each of them enabling anyone to prove individual skills, regardless of whether these were acquired at school, at work or in a training ourse. On this basis people will be given a chance to acquire a valid certificate,  recognised by all employers without having to go back to school. This will be of particular help to people whose jobs are not related to their studies. This possibilty has been open since August 2007, by Act 179/2006 Coll. on Verifying and Recognising the Results of Continuing Education. 

The National Qualifications Framework mostly contains qualifications on trades and services. The main objective of NQF 2 is to include higher level qualifications. Again, standards will be used to define the content of each qualification and describe the ways in which mastery of skills can be proven. The structure and content of qualifications results from a consensus; the leading role is played by employer representatives in sectoral councils. The quality of the results is assured by the large number of specialists involved from all parts of the working world.  

A public register of all qualifications in the current labour market of the Czech Republic will be created, describing not only what each qualification requires but also how it can be acquired. Greater flexibility is expected to strengthen the publics interest in all forms of life long learning, while qualifications  acquired in newly conceived and designed programmes will be transparent for employers a significant advantage in the current economic crisis.