Qualifications Frameworks: aims and functions Michael Graham

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Qualifications Frameworks aims and
functionsMichael Graham
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30 ETF partner countries
Potential candidate countries Albania, Bosnia
-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia
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24 countries developing NQFs
Potential candidate countries Albania, Bosnia
-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia
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ETF activities in the field of qualifications

• Operations in partner countries support to
  partner countries in exploring the relevance of
  NQF as tool for reform, facilitation of the
  design phase
• Studies research on NQFs development,
  inventories
• Linking EU policies to agenda in partner
  countries
• Increasingly focus is on building capacities for
  implementation, and assisting countries to be in
  control of their reforms in order to ensure
  sustainable results

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ETF work with partner countries in 2011

• Country- specific activities in 16 countries
• Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and
  Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Georgia, Kosovo,
  Lebanon, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territory,
  Republic of Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Turkey,
  Ukraine
• Regional projects
• Pre-accession region Post2ndary VET Mutual
  Learning EQF Conference Budapest
• Eastern Partnership Transparency within Lifelong
  Learning project
• Mediterranean Regional dimension of
  qualifications Social Partnership
• Corporate activities
• Qualifications Platform Oct 2011 international
  conference implementing qualifications frameworks

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Why Qualifications?

• Education and training are important for social
  inclusion, employment and economic development
• Quality is linked to relevance
• - Qualifications showing what people are able to
  do (learning outcomes)
• So that qualifications are trusted on the labour
  market and open possibilities for further
  learning

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Why Qualifications Frameworks?

• Classification of qualifications not new.
• But bringing together qualifications from
  different sectors into one system - is new
• Creating better linkages between qualifications
  systems- e.g. HE to VET - making qualifications
  comparable
• But also bringing together different stakeholders
  involved in the design and delivery of
  qualifications
• Strengthening the role of representatives from
  the world of work and social partners
• Link E and T to labour markets universal aim in
  our partner countries.

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Why Qualifications Frameworks?

• NQFs contribute to LLL by
• - putting learner at centre
• - improving access, progression and transfer
• - promoting cooperation between stakeholders
• EQF and other transnational QFs

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QFs as a tool to improve qualifications systems
and qualifications

• Qualifications framework provide platform to
  bring stakeholders into qualifications systems.
• Qualifications Frameworks are framework of
  qualifications the qualifications are central.
• Reform is about the qualifications systems,
  qualifications and qualifications frameworks

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Findings from our work

• Countries develop QFs in context of new VET/HE
  policies
• NQFs seem most useful as a generic tool, linked
  with other approaches
• Not one model, NQFs are highly context and
  capacity-dependent
• Capacity building and policy learning are central
  to our approach

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Findings from our work

• Implementation about both technical and
  social/institutional challenges
• Impact depends also on quality of implementation

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Kosovos NQF

• Integrating, lifelong learning
• Kosovo ahead of most of its neighbours (and some
  EU Member States)
• Linking to EQF and Bologna Process