The Framework Recommendation
The Recommendation of the European Parliament and Council on the establishment of a European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training was adopted on 18 June 2009. With this Recommendation, which should be applied at the VET system, VET provider and qualification-awarding level, the EU member states are encouraged to continuously improve their quality assurance systems by using a quality assurance cycle (plan – do – check – act) and by using and developing common quality criteria, descriptors, and indicators. Furthermore, the member states should participate in the work of the EQAVET network and establish national reference points for quality in VET. These should bring together the national and regional actors and cross-link them. Finally, in the Recommendation it is laid down that each member state should develop a concept for improving the quality assurance systems at national level within 24 months (until 18 June 2011) and that it should monitor the implementation process every four years.
One central goal of the Recommendation is to create a common understanding about quality assurance in VET and thereby improve the transparency and coherence of VET policies between member states.
The Recommendation influences and is influenced by the three instruments explicitly mentioned in it, while learning outcomes and their comparability, transferability and recognition/validation are at the centre. The EQF (European Qualifications Framework), which has been designed for all areas of education, is the focus. The EQAVET Recommendation, ECVET (European Credit System for VET) and the principles for the validation of non-formal and informal learning should also support the implementation of the EQF.
Short chronology
The Recommendation marks the preliminary end of a series of works on the issue of quality in VET involving a wide range of stakeholders at European level. Cooperation amongst these stakeholders first took place within the European Forum on Quality in VET (2001-2002), followed by the Technical Working Group on Quality in VET (2003-2004, with the CQAF as its product) and finally within the European network for quality assurance in VET (ENQA-VET, 2005-2009), which was replaced by the new network EQAVET in 2010 (see: www.arqa-vet.at/eqavet/quality_milestones).
The Recommendation builds upon the Common Quality Assurance Framework (CQAF) developed in 2003, which, however, did not have – in its legal binding character - a comparable status to the EQARF Recommendation.
More information about the EQARF:
www.arqa-vet.at/eqavet/quality_milestones/eqarf/EN
Information about the European network EQAVET: www.eqavet.eu
