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An overview on National Qualifications Frameworks
As NQFs gather speed across Europe, their benefits and added value become increasingly visible.
Cedefop's latest European inventory, analysing National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) around Europe offers a myriad of information regarding the state of national regulations and frameworks.
There has been a shift towards accepting more comprehensive maps of qualifications in European framework development. Sectors such as vocational education and training, higher education, general education and adult learning have been influenced by this effort to open up frameworks.
Undoubtely these frameworks have been expanded to validate non-formally and informally acquired skills and competences, therefore including qualifications outside the formal education panorama.
Transparency, comparability and trust in qualifications across systems and countries is promoted by the framework.
Countries consider linking frameworks and validation arrangements one of the top priorities. And even the oldest frameworks in Europe - such as France, Ireland and the UK - have made progress in an effort to become more inclusive of different kinds of learning systems. They have integrated all education and training policies, all types of qualifications, public and private, and all types of learning, non-formal and informal.
Nowadays (in April 2019) 35 countries have formally linked their national frameworks to the EQF, which goes to show the importance of Cedefop's frameworks comparison.
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