Italy 2024

6.1. Stage of implementation

The Italian NQF is at the activation stage. Implementation structures are in place, and the roles of different stakeholders have been formally defined. With the adoption of the updated referencing report in 2023, the QNQ has moved towards the operational stage.

6.2. Procedures for including qualifications in the NQF 

With the adoption of the updated QNQ referencing report, the public competent authorities should follow a specific process of referencing individual qualifications to the QNQ (Figure1).

1. Start-up phase: the public competent authority submits a referencing request to the EQF NCP, following specific requirements in alignment with national legislation of the NSCC.
2. Preliminary phase: EQF NCP reviews the referencing requests for qualification to the QNQ, checking the correctness of the request both in terms of the EQF/NQF level assigned and of the qualification's description in terms of learning outcomes.
3. Independent evaluation phase: INAPP also evaluates the referencing request.
4. Follow-up phase: the EQF NCP suggests revisions, if needed, to the public competent authority to ensure consistency with EQF standards and national regulations.
5. Approval and publication phase: the EQF NCP approves the referencing and publishes the qualification in the NQF register.

The referencing procedure focuses on ensuring that qualifications are correctly levelled based on learning outcomes and are accessible and comparable across European and national contexts. The process promotes continuous improvement in the description and quality of qualifications. Public competent authorities may delegate the process to other bodies or follow simplified procedures when needed.

When public competent authorities submit a referencing request for a qualification under their responsibility, they may also include proposals for referencing each individual competence within the qualification (micro-qualifications). This allows them to indicate the EQF/QNQ level for each specific competence in the certifications, as required by the national guidelines for the interoperability of public competent authorities (ANPAL, 2022).

The QNQ is also open to international qualifications but does not yet include them. They can be referenced within the NSCC, though this does not give them the legal status of public qualifications. To qualify for referencing, they must meet several key conditions: they need to fit the official definition of an international qualification, demonstrate stable and widespread availability, and be formally adopted and valid. Additionally, these qualifications must be described in competence-based language and aligned with the QNQ/EQF and the NSCC's legal standards. They must also be backed by robust quality assurance, either through NSCC-defined standards or internationally recognised ones, with transparent and public mechanisms. Once accepted, these qualifications are not included in the national repository but are listed in the Atlas of Work and Qualifications and in a special section of the Italian register of qualifications Referenced to the NQF. The referencing process for these qualifications will be further developed based on ongoing discussions within the EQF Advisory Group (ANPAL, 2022).

The 2024 decree sets the minimum criteria for the identification, validation, and certification of competences related to non-formal qualifications pathways under the responsibility of the labour ministry. The resulting certificate must be issued in an open digital format, digitally signed, stored electronically by the authorised issuing entities, and recorded in the worker's electronic file. It must also display the logo and name of the labour ministry, the issuing entity, and, where applicable, the delegated entity ([11]Internal communication with INAPP.). These non-formal qualifications pathways included in the NSCC are:

1. continuous training for workers;
2. chambers of Commerce training;
3. training policies and programs promoted by labour ministry;
4. volunteering and collective utility projects and Universal civil service;
5. professional apprenticeships;
6. internships;
7. entrepreneurship training.

6.3. Indicating EQF/NQF levels

According to the decree that set up the QNQ, all certificates issued under the NSCC should indicate the QNQ/EQF level. The QNQ/EQF level will be indicated following specific coding criteria, ensuring transparency and comparability for administrations, organisations, stakeholders, learners, and employers (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

6.4. NQF dissemination

Since 2022, Italy has actively engaged in communication and dissemination efforts to promote awareness and understanding of the QNQ, despite the absence of an official communication strategy document. The EQF NCP has organised various events, meetings, and initiatives at both national and European levels to share progress, best practices, and key developments.

In March 2022, the updated referencing report was introduced to social partners, ensuring their involvement in the ongoing dialogue about qualifications and transparency. It was officially presented through a national conference in October 2023 (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

To further extend outreach, the EQF NCP has implemented a coordinated multi-channel communication strategy, including joint webinars and training sessions aimed at education professionals, vocational training providers, and public employment service (PES) guidance counsellors. The EQF NCPs project (GA 2021-2023) aimed to increase awareness and use of the QNQ through targeted activities, including webinars, job fairs, and the distribution of publications and promotional materials. These initiatives were designed for various target groups such as policy makers, practitioners, end users (learners, workers, jobseekers), and the general public. Further, the EQF NCP team has been highly engaged in a series of important national and international events, aiming to increase awareness and share valuable insights on the QNQ/EQF framework and the VNFIL. One significant event was the 'Making all skills visible: The validation of transversal skills', which supported cross-boarder cooperation. Additionally, the Italian referencing report was presented during an open online seminar in December 2022. The EQF NCP participated in the Job&Orienta Fair in Verona in November 2022. The team also took part in the 'Biennale of identification, validation, and certification of skills' held in Rome in October 2022. Moreover, the team contributed to the monitoring of VNFIL practices carried out by INAPP. Additionally, they played an essential role in developing the first draft of a one-off Report on VNFIL, aligning it with Italy's updated referencing to the EQF.

A comprehensive record of all national and international events involving the EQF NCP is available on the SkillON portal, a joint information platform managed by Italy's three national coordination points (Europass, Euroguidance and EQF), aiming to reach the main target audiences, including end users, through online communication tools (website, Facebook, X platform and videos) and onsite communication products and activities (publications, promotional material, etc.) (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024). The jointly branded website, with dedicated sections for each Contact Point, has steadily grown since its monitoring began in April 2022. Additionally, coordinated communication efforts - including a bi-monthly newsletter that achieved around 7 000 downloads, three editions of the annual EG Magazine, and 14 issues of the online 'SkillONews' - have significantly enhanced outreach and engagement with stakeholders across national and European levels (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

6.5. Qualifications databases and registers

Since 2023, the QNQ register has been under development. The register will complement the information infrastructure of the National repository of education and vocational training qualifications, already implemented with the Atlas of Work and Qualifications, and will be interoperable with national databases and with the European Europass portal as required by the Europass Decision ([12]Internal communication with INAPP.). It will be populated in parallel with the levelling procedure of individual qualifications to the QNQ. The register will provide, for all included qualifications, a common set of information covering the data fields of Annex VI of the 2017 EQF recommendation. It will have a double function:

1. a back-office function, for managing the levelling procedure;
2. a front-office function, which will make QNQ qualifications transparent and comparable at national and international level.

Due to governance changes, the testing phase with public competent authorities was delayed, and internal testing took place instead. The next steps include improving interoperability with European databases and involving stakeholders to ensure the register's usability and effectiveness (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

Currently, the QNQ qualifications are published in different databases and registers, which are not interconnected. The portal of the education ministry (La scuola in chiaro) includes the qualifications of the first and second cycle of general and vocational education and training, targeting teachers, learners, and their families. UniversItaly is the web portal of the Ministry of University and Research, including all university qualifications, diplomas of academies of fine arts or music conservatories, and higher technical education institutions diplomas. It targets high schools and universities along with Italian and international students, graduates and their families, providing information in Italian and English.

INAPP has developed the Atlas of Work and Qualifications: a classification and information tool, aiming to systematise information on qualifications and correlate it with the needs of the labour market and economic sectors. It supports stakeholders involved in lifelong learning and active employment policies, providing standardised references for skills needs analysis, skill gap analysis and supporting the services for the identification, validation and certification of competences, qualification design and guidance. The Atlas hosts the National repository of education, training and vocational qualifications, which includes 116 qualifications from the second cycle of education, 4 738 higher education qualifications and 5 074 regional vocational training and IFTS qualifications ([13]Accessed on 1 April 2025.).

6.6. Awareness and use of the NQF

Awareness of the QNQ/EQF varies across different target groups. Learners and students, as well as workers and jobseekers, show moderate awareness of the framework, as do employers. The trade unions, along with the employment services, guidance and counselling practitioners, and quality assurance bodies, exhibit a high level of awareness. The education and training providers, as well as recognition authorities and bodies, stand out with very high awareness (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024). The EQF NCP's project for increasing awareness, has successfully enhanced the understanding of the QNQ/EQF as a transparency tool, with notable improvements in knowledge among stakeholders, including education and training providers, guidance experts, and employment services (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024). The public consultation that took place during the updating of the referencing report showed that lifelong learning stakeholders (general, vocational and higher education institutions, along with central and regional administrations and public bodies and agencies) have a medium to high level of awareness and usage of the QNQ/EQF (European Commission & Cedefop, 2022).

Learners and students have a moderate level of use, as do workers and jobseekers, due to its high level of complexity. Similarly, employers and employment services use the framework moderately, whereas the guidance and counselling practitioners, as well as quality assurance bodies, use the QNQ to a high extent in their work. Recognition authorities and bodies make extensive use of the QNQ/EQF. Bodies and authorities responsible for the design, review and renewal of qualifications also show high use (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024). Labour market stakeholders (employers and trade unions) use it in collective bargaining, specifically the national collective agreement of metalworkers (European Commission & Cedefop, 2022).

The QNQ is also used in the implementation of policy measures. The Guaranteed employability of workers programme aims to help individuals obtaining a QNQ-levelled qualification (or part of it), included in the national repository, thus increasing education and training attainment in the country (European Commission & Cedefop, 2022).

6.7. Impact of the NQF

The QNQ implementation, through the adoption of the updated referencing report aligning qualifications to the EQF, has significantly improved transparency, comparability, and governance of the qualifications system. It has also ensured better coordination between education, training, and employment policies. By bringing together all public competent authorities and stakeholders responsible for the regional and national qualifications systems, the adoption of the new referencing report has promoted a shared and cohesive model of governance of education and training systems. This model is capable of responding to the dynamic and evolving nature of qualifications and competences, driven by the green, technological and digital transitions and the changing labour markets. It also helps to ensure a better link between formal, non-formal and informal learning. The report defines common criteria for transparency and readability of qualifications, aiming to facilitate comparability and financial processes, while also enhancing the identity of individual qualifications systems. The entire process is carried out in harmony with the work and governance structures of the National System for Certification of Competences, with active involvement and cooperation from the public competent authorities. In particular, the referencing process was based on three approaches:

1. the cooperative approach between the administrations involved, aimed at ensuring a shared and participatory application of the referencing process in order to safeguard mutual trust and the collective and coordinated growth of qualification systems;
2. the progressive approach, which maximises the value of established experiences, allowing for gradual adaptation of legal systems and limiting the introduction of new elements to what is strictly necessary;
3. the substantial approach, which prioritises sustainability, timeliness and cost-effectiveness of the referencing procedures, thus ensuring the use of existing information assets and, where possible, the adoption of mechanisms to simplify procedures according to proportionality criteria.

The QNQ decree has introduced common criteria for describing and levelling national and regional individual qualifications. The levelling procedure is fully consistent with the EQF quality assurance requirements, thus contributing to the improvement of qualification quality. The decree also promotes the use of learning outcomes in qualification design. The levelling of regional VET qualifications to the QNQ has established progression routes to higher levels of the framework and different qualification types. It also aligns qualifications with labour market needs, promotes work-based learning and improves employability. The QNQ is the reference point for the identification, validation and certification of competences acquired through prior learning. The QNQ aims to support the recognition of qualifications for professional and learning purposes, but it does not automatically confer legal equivalence with national or foreign qualifications at the same level. The framework has also fostered cooperation among education and training stakeholders and between them and labour market representatives (European Commission & Cedefop, 2022; 2024).

Overall, the QNQ has had an impact, at the individual level, by empowering users and influencing their educational and career decisions. At the organisational level, service providers are now better equipped to address client needs, leading to the modernisation of skills development, validation, and recognition processes. At the system level (institutions), improvements in transparency and governance have facilitated referencing processes and enhanced the attractiveness of international education and training (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).