Lithuania 2024

The LTQF is at an operational stage. It is an important element of the education, training and qualifications system, and provides a map of and references to all formal qualifications.

The process for registering LTQF qualifications and programmes leading to them into the Register of studies, training programmes and qualifications (RSTPQ) constitutes the formal process to include a qualification in the LTQF (order no V-1335). The National Education Agency (NSA) is appointed by the education ministry as the manager of the register. (KPMPC, 2024).

In VET, the KPMCP methodology defines the process for assigning qualifications to levels 1 to 5 following an analysis of the qualification descriptor (units of qualifications) and expected learning outcomes/competences against the LTQF level descriptors. The design of modular VET programmes is based on the qualification requirements defined in the sectoral qualification standards ([17]SPC committees review and discuss the LTQF levels proposed in the sectoral qualifications standards before endorsing them.) ([18]Formal VET programmes include core modules, which are based on LTQF-levelled qualification units; and optional modules, which undergo levelling procedure. In December 2023, 629 modular VET programmes were included in the RSTPQ. The register includes also 13 non-modular VET programmes designed to provide specific competences for statutory functions.); it is supervised by KPCMP experts and undergo external evaluation before submission to NSA for inclusion in the register (European Commission & Cedefop, 2025; KPMPC, 2024).

At tertiary level, higher education institutions are responsible for developing and awarding qualifications at LTQF levels 5 to 8, in line with the provisions of the Law on Higher Education and Research, the general requirements for conducting studies defined based on the qualification cycle/level (short-cycle, bachelor, master, doctorate), the LTQF level and study fields descriptors. The accredited study programme and the corresponding higher education qualification should be submitted to NSA and registered in the RSTPQ, for a programme to be implemented. Professional studies are outside the study cycles and cover teacher training programmes (at LTQF level 6, indicated in the study field descriptor) and residency studies in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine fields ([19]Professional studies were introduced with 2017 amendments to the Law on HE and Research; they can be referenced to level 6 or 7 (KPMPC, 2024)).

In general education, it is the learning outcomes that are referenced to the national framework. The alignment of primary, lower-secondary and upper-secondary programmes to LTQF level is established by legal acts governing the general education curriculum (KPMPC, 2024).

LTQF and EQF levels are indicated on primary (LTQF only) and lower and upper secondary general education certificates and VET diplomas ([20]Order No V-231 of 23 March 2015 on the description of the content, form and issuing procedure of VET diplomas and certificates and VET diploma template (in Lithuanian).) and Europass certificate supplements ([21]See the example of a Europass certificate supplement on the Online Open Information and Guidance System website (in Lithuanian).), as well as in higher education diploma supplements, apart from doctoral diplomas ([22]Order No V-362 of 15 May 2017 concerning the recommendations for filling in diploma supplements (in Lithuanian).) and teacher study certificates (level 6). LTQF/EQF levels are indicated on qualifications in the register of study, training programmes and qualifications (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

Information on the LTQF and EQF is channelled through the dedicated website on the LTQF, established in 2022. The revamped website of the SKVC posts information on study fields descriptors assigned to different LTQF levels as well. A methodological guide for stakeholders and employers involved in preparing qualifications standards emphasises the LTQF's role in improving quality and consistency in qualification design at all levels, and between and within sectors, while recommendations (in Lithuanian) for referencing qualifications to LTQF levels and a guide for developing and introducing mastery qualifications are available. In 2023, no communication strategy was yet in place. A series of promotional videos were launched on TV and youTube to inform the public on the LTQF and EQF frameworks as well the areas of application in the national context. As part of the updated referencing report to the EQF and EHEA consultations with VET, HE stakeholders and social partners representatives and a conference to discuss progress achieved and challenges ahead took place (European Commission & Cedefop, 2022; 2024).

The register of study, training programmes and qualifications (RSTPQ) includes VET and higher education ([23]Not all LTQF level 8 qualifications are included; general education qualifications at levels 1 to 4 were included in the LTQF, however implementation was pending in 2024.) qualifications and new types of qualifications, such as the level 5 short-cycle higher education qualifications. It does not include yet general education and doctorate (level 8) qualifications. By September 2024, the register included 1 498 qualifications. The slight decrease compared to 2022 (1 574) is the result of deletion of outdated qualifications not compatible with the new qualification standards. During the same period, 15 level 5 qualifications were registered at post-secondary and tertiary levels.

The RSTPQ aims to provide individuals with information, in Lithuanian and English, on qualifications, education programmes and standards. It targets individuals such as learners, employees and employers, as well as legal entities such as education institutions and other organisations. The information provided includes the title of qualifications, the LTQF/EQF level, the intended learning outcomes in an open text format, the awarding body and ways to acquire the qualification.

The information is transferred to Europass certificate supplements. The register is hosted within the national Online Open Information and Guidance System (Atvira Informavimo Konsultavimo Orientavimo Sistema, AIKOS), which is an entry point to qualifications, education and training programmes, and also offers data on learning opportunities (i.e. through the database of study and training programmes). There is interoperability with the European learning model v.3 (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

The LTQF is well known to (and extensively used by) education and training providers, quality assurance bodies and authorities involved in recognition processes and, to a lesser extent, to sectors and other stakeholders.

Policies on the development of learning outcomes for VET and higher education treat the LTQF as an overarching principle. LTQF descriptors are embedded into methodological guidelines for developing and updating qualifications standards, VET curricula and higher education study descriptors. System changes introduced by the progressive implementation of the VET reform boosted employers' involvement in designing, developing and assessing VET qualifications and programmes in line with the LTQF principles. LTQF levels are mentioned in job openings (mainly in the public sector) and in the Europass CV, which is widely used when applying for a job.

The LTQF is also used by guidance and counselling practitioners when presenting education systems, and training, study and career opportunities. The national public employment service (PES) uses the framework to define the level of 'competences and qualifications that create high added value' ([24]Aukštą pridėtinę vertę kuriančių kvalifikacijų ir kompetencijų įgijimas, in Lithuanian. The order V-294 of 22 September 2022 specifies the list of 40 qualifications and 590 competences at LTQF level 4 or higher in research and development (R&D) priority areas established by the Government of Lithuania.), which can be obtained through PES training programmes for the (un-)employed (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

The LTQF has simplified the procedures for recognising foreign qualifications and older Lithuanian qualifications (e.g. by indicating LTQF/EQF levels on diplomas). The LTQF is also used in the quality assurance of qualifications, in validation procedures and is mentioned in the decisions confirming the recognition of a foreign or international qualification (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

The KPMPC has assessed the impact that referencing the LTQF to the EQF had from 2012 to 2020 ([25]The evaluation is intended for internal purposes, and is not published.). The study examined the role of the LTQF in strategic projects and policy initiatives in VET and higher education.

The study concluded that the LTQF has affected the design and development of VET and higher education curricula; in higher education, it has also supported quality assurance. Furthermore, the LTQF level descriptors made it easier to compare national and foreign VET and higher education qualifications. The study also identified actions areas, such as improving permeability between education institutions, enhancing the capacity of education providers to recognise competences acquired through non-formal and informal learning; assigning LTQF levels to qualifications awarded outside formal education and training and completing the legal framework regulating EQF level 5 qualifications (European Commission & Cedefop, 2022; 2024).

As part of the KPMPC Erasmus+ programme 2021-23 project on the implementation of the EQF in Lithuania, the joined referencing report of the LTQF to the EQF and the QF-EHEA was updated to better reflect changes in education and training over the past decade and to better support the implementation of the LTQF in all sectors, providing specific recommendations for future actions, including opening up the framework to diverse qualifications and supporting the recognition of non-formal learning as well as periodical assessment of the framework and its impact (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

The LTQF has been conceived and developed as a tool to classify qualifications per level according to their learning and/or study outcomes. It ensures the development of a unified national qualifications system to improve the quality, comparability and relevance of qualifications to existing economic needs but also support continuity of learning for professional mobility (KPMPC, 2024).

The compliance of qualification standards and higher education study field descriptors with LTQF descriptors and levelling criteria ensures that qualifications are expressed in terms of learning outcomes, thus promoting their comparability and transparency. In addition, the LTQF is one of the instruments used to perform the external quality assessment in higher education (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).

The framework has contributed to the standardisation of qualifications delivered at the same level and ensures consistency of qualifications issued at different levels. The (early) implementation of the LTQF facilitated the promotion of the learning outcomes approach in qualification and programme design across education sectors and levels; this in turn has positively impacted horizontal and vertical permeability in general education, VET and higher education It also contributed to increasing parity of esteem between VET and higher education and has led to the development of level 5 qualifications offered in post-secondary VET as well as in short-cycle higher education programmes.

Both, the regular operations of the framework in qualification design, assessment of competences of qualifications and the updating of the referencing report in 2023, create the space for dialogue and cooperation among national authorities and stakeholders, for instance, through the network of sectoral professional committees operating under the KPMPC.

The systematic use of qualification levels in VET diplomas and HE diploma supplements facilitates recognition of qualifications, international mobility for work or study and international recognition of qualifications.

The LTQF offers a common language linking education and the labour market ([26]VET institutions report that former graduates contact them to confirm the level of their qualifications or training programmes, which can be levelled using the LTQF principles.); for instance, the employment authority uses the LTQF in evaluating the diplomas and qualifications of jobseekers. In parallel, the LTQF helps employers to evaluate the competences that employees have and lack, plan training needs and design job descriptions. (European Commission & Cedefop, 2024).