EQF NQF in The Netherlands

1
Your diploma is your passport implementing the
EQF in The Netherlands Janneke Voltman 15 July
2008
2

• A changing economy
• Labour market on the move
• production is transferred
• global trade, services
• research/development
• A flexible workforce is needed
• Knowledge
• Skills
• General competences
• Stimulating mobility
• study/internships
• qualifications
• quality assurance!
• The passport for mobility is your diploma

3
Education in The Netherlands
4

• One country, one system?
• Secondary education, preparatory vocational
  education
• Basic curriculum, gt 20 diplomas
• Vocational education
• Competency-based qualifications
• Labour market as a starting point
• Centres of expertise
• Higher education
• Bologna framework (short/first/second/third
  cycle)
• Non-formal education
• Branche certificates
• Informal education
• Accreditation of prior learning

5

• Implementing the EQF
• 2005 EQF consultation
• NL positive. Minister Maria van der Hoeven The
  initiative to develop a European framework for
  the international comparison of national
  qualifications has been welcomed. The Dutch
  stakeholders support the objective to encourage
  mobility on the European labour market.
  Developing an EQF can make a positive
  contribution to this.
• 2007 TransEQFrame
• bring together EU member states to develop and
  test the EQF, including national and sectoral
  qualifications frameworks
• Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland,
  Switzerland, Netherlands (Colo/MBO Raad)
• 2008 OCW Steering group EQF/NQF
• EQF on the agenda of the Ministry of Education
• We need a national qualifications framework

6

• Scenarios for the NQF
• How to refer national qualifications to the EQF?
• At one end Reform / revision of the educational
  system
• build up from scratch
• thats not very realistic
• At the other end 1-on-1 Translation
• tie up all existing qualifications
• VET 1-4 EQF 1-4
• HE Ad-Ba-Ma-Dr EQF 5-8
• too simple, especially for VET
• and what about lifelong learning
• Added value of the NQF a useful translating
  device, on an operational level

7

• Current situation in NL
• Agreement
• The importance of EQF is widely shared
• EQF is seen as a solid system
• The way of referencing qualifications is still
  unclear
• Discussion
• Referencing secondary education, overlapping VET
  levels
• How to avoid (discussion about) system change
• What about level 1 qualifications
• The position of informal/non-formal education
• National coordination
• Remarkable
• Knowledge gap concerning EQF/NQF
• Initiatives, but not much intersectoral
  co-operation

8

• Organizing the process
• Top-down
• Ministry, Steering Group bringing parties
  together
• Assignment of a national authority
• Bottom-up practical approach
• TransEQFrame and other (Leonardo) projects
• defining core activity areas turns out to be a
  useful basis for comparison of qualifications
• branch initiatives international qualifications
• Translating (parts of) qualifications
• Operational definition of EQF-descriptors
• MBO Raad, AOC Raad, PAEPON, Colo
• partners in VET are most active

9
(No Transcript)