Do national qualifications frameworks (NQFs) make a difference – how to measure and evaluate impact of NQFs?
NQF developments in Europe have been rapid. Latest developments attest to the growing attention qualifications frameworks have been receiving from policy-makers and practitioners. The purpose of the event is to stimulate an open and critical reflection on the current and future role of NQFs.
Before 2005, qualifications frameworks were in place in 3 European countries – in France, Ireland and UK. By 2017, NQFs have been introduced by all 39 countries taking part in the implementation of the EQF. Given that these NQFs are increasingly operational, questions regarding their added value and their impact are timely:
Do these national qualifications frameworks make a difference to policies and practices and to the learners and citizens they are supposed to benefit?
Cedefop, in cooperation with the European Commission and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), organises a conference/peer learning activity on the issue of NQF impact. The main aim of the event is to allow policy makers and practitioners to exchange experiences and discuss about the impact and challenges of NQF implementation. The following key questions will be addressed:
What would be lost if your country did not have an NQF?
- For whom do NQFs make a difference?
- How do NQFs make a difference?
- Under which conditions do NQFs make a difference?
What kind of evidence is currently available to provide insights about the impact of NQFs
- In Europe?
- Internationally?
What kind of evidence may be required in the future to measure and evaluate the impact of NQFs?
- What useful base-line data or indicators could help to explain the impact of NQFs and help to maintain political support for NQFs?
- Which methodologies are most appropriate for measuring and evaluating the impact of NQFs?
What kind of European cooperation on NQF impact assessment is possible and desirable; can national approaches feed into the overall assessment of the EQF?
Participants are expected to contribute actively to the event and conclusions from the different working sessions will be brought together in a final note to be discussed by the EQF Advisory Group. Information on registration will follow in September.
The event is part of the European vocational skills week 2017 of which Cedefop is a partner. #EUVocationalSkills
For further information, please click on the following:Conference/peer learning activity on the impact of NQFs