67th Meeting of the EQF Advisory Group

The 67th Meeting of the EQF AG was held online on 10th and 11th March 2025. Ireland is represented on this group by QQI with Órla Barry, Head of Qualifications Information and Learning Opportunities and Andrina Wafer, Head of International Mobility and Prior Learning, acting as representatives for qualifications frameworks and validation of non-formal and informal learning respectively.

The meeting opened, as usual, with updates on national developments with reference to the EQF Recommendation.

• All 27 EU Member states have now conducted an initial referencing to the EQF, and an additional 10 non-EU countries have done so. 10 of the EU member states, including Ireland, have conducted a re-referencing report since the 2017 recommendation. Türkiye presented the first draft of its re-referencing report at this meeting.
• 26 member states, including Ireland, have EQF Levels on certificates, diplomas or supplements, while 23 member states, including Ireland, have EQF Levels on databases or registers of qualifications.
• Only 11 member states, including Ireland, connect the national database with the Qualifications Dataset Register (QDR) in Europass. A further 10 countries are transitioning to connecting the databases and a further one country is conducting testing.

Updates on European cooperation in education, training and employment

Further updates were provided in relation to developments in European cooperation in education, training and employment.

Union of Skills

• The Political Guidelines for the next European Commission (2024-2029) of July 2024 outlined a new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness, including a Union of Skills to tackling skills and labour gaps. One of the horizontal enablers is “Promoting skills and quality jobs” stating that to ensure a good match between skills and labour market demands, the Commission will present an initiative to build a Union of Skills focusing on investment, adult and lifelong learning, future-proof skills creation, skill retention, fair mobility, attracting and integrating qualified talent from abroad and the recognition of different types of training to enable people to work across our Union.

Europass Anniversary

• 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of Europass and 5 years since the launch of the new Europass platform in 2020. The anniversary provides an opportunity to showcase how Europass is evolving to meet emerging challenges in education and the labour market. By embracing digital solutions, expanding interoperability and implementing AI-driven tools while further improving its accessibility to all user groups, Europass will remain “future-ready”. The anniversary campaign will be integrated into broader EU communication initiatives, including partnerships with EURES, Public Employment Services and participation in DG COMM’s “Network of Networks” initiative, which brings together EU-funded multiplier networks.

ESCO

• The Commission has started working on a new minor version of the ESCO classification, ESCO v1.2.1., and its release is expected in Q3 2025. The Commission will soon release an open version of the IT tool that will allow any interested stakeholder to receive suggestions of ESCO skills connected to learning outcomes of any type of qualification or learning opportunity. Finally, ESCO is working towards an approach for a green intensity index of occupations.

Bologna/QF-EHEA

• The Bologna Follow-Up Group Board meeting took place on 9 January 2025 in Tirana. The Terms of Reference for the working structures were circulated. A presentation of the outcomes of the first meeting of the advisory group were presented during the Bologna Follow Up Group (BFUG) meeting which took place on 24-25 February 2025 in Warsaw. Among the topics discussed were the revision of the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in European Higher Education Area, artificial intelligence in the context of Higher Education and the application of the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE) for EHEA partnership status.

Certificate Supplements

• The EQF-Europass project group on the revision of the certificate supplements had its first meeting on 24 October 2024 to discuss the mandate of the group. Ireland is represented on this group by QQI with Keith Tomney from Certification attending the meetings. It was agreed to run a small questionnaire on national implementation, with Cedefop support in developing it and analysing the results. During the second meeting, on 20 February, members discussed the findings and they further discussed the content of a draft EU-wide survey aimed at stakeholders and learners to identify key users and uses of the certificate supplements.

Peer Learning Activity (Warsaw, 8/9 April)

A Peer Learning Activity (PLA) will be hosted by Poland in Warsaw on 8th and 9th April. The PLA will focus on ‘inclusion of qualifications from outside formal education and training in NQFs referenced to the EQF’. Órla Barry and Naomi Oldenburg from QQI will facilitate a workshop as part of the PLA about the recognition of flexible learning pathways for learners.

Coherency of EU policy for qualifications and quality

Cedefop presented the results of two studies; Transparency and transferability of learning outcomes: a 20-year journey, and Refernet survey on the recognition of VET qualifications. This supported a discussion exploring the relationship between the EQF and other skills and qualifications policies.

The study about transparency and transferability of learning outcomes considered the coherence of European level policy and the synergies available particularly in the areas of credit systems and quality assurance. A key question is whether these aspects should be further explored, particularly in relation to compatibility of credit systems or similar developments across subsectors as well as the interplay between NQFs, credit systems, and validation (RPL). Similarly, cooperation on exploring links between EQF/NQFs and quality assurance developments could be strengthened to enhance trust and coherence, considering the ongoing work on international qualifications, qualifications outside formal systems and developments related to micro-credentials. This requires collaboration with relevant vocational education and training and higher education quality assurance networks, while also addressing how to ensure the quality of qualifications outside the formal education and training systems

Additional findings from the project will be presented at the next meeting in June which will help inform the next work programme of the EQF AG.

To understand how comparison and recognition function in Europe, explore ways to support this work, and delve deeper into the practical application of transparency tools, a survey was addressed to ReferNet members in April 2024 to which 27 countries responded. The scope of the survey was specified as “qualifications defined as part of each country’s VET, including post-secondary and higher VET qualifications”. The data received indicates that there are many similarities in the process of comparing and recognising qualifications across countries, as well as, to some extent, in how tasks and responsibilities are organised at the national level. Overall, the picture of comparing and recognising qualifications and learning outcomes is fragmented and complex. Comparison and recognition are primarily a national competence, and they tend to happen in silos in different sectors and qualification levels. There are many actors involved in decision-making, different information and guidance providers and several competent authorities. During the last decades the main attention and progress has been on higher levels and academic qualifications but less so in VET. The comparison and recognition of VET qualifications represents a particular challenge, due to the diversity (and richness) of VET qualifications across countries and levels.

Based on evidence from the ReferNet Survey and analysis of transparency tools, a working paper is currently being prepared by Cedefop. An expert online workshop titled “Towards a Methodology for Comparing and Recognising VET Qualifications” will bring together experts to discuss key issues that require further study, paving the way for a dedicated Cedefop study to be launched in early 2026. Consultation with Recognition experts is ongoing.

Update on Validation

The meeting concluded with a presentation from Cedefop regarding the work it is undertaking with CareersNet in a collaborative framework for lifelong guidance.

A brief demonstration of the new European database on validation of non-formal and informal learning followed. This database aims to support European countries in their efforts to develop and establish arrangements to validate non-formal and informal forms of learning. It is also a tool for anyone interested in validation, helping them understand better how validation is carried out in Europe. The database links the European guidelines for validation of non-formal and informal learning (2nd edition, 2015) with the European inventory on validation (2014 update). It provides an overview of how countries are meeting the various challenges of establishing validation arrangements. It follows the chapters of the European guidelines. Detailed information per country is available in the country reports. The publication of the 2024 update is pending, anticipated by the end of March.

The new database is available here: European database on validation of non-formal and informal learning | CEDEFOP