Finally your degree, certificate or diploma will be recognised across Europe

Ireland is the first EU Member State to link its national qualifications to the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF). This new system will make it easier for people to study or work in another EU country and have their qualifications recognised.

The European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel' welcomed this development: "The EQF is a milestone in European education & training: for the first time, we will have a continent-wide framework for comparing people's qualifications and certificates.

This new voluntary scheme links national qualifications to the EQF and a commitment to accomplish this by 2010 by all EU Member States has been made. Ireland is the first country to have finalised this, well before the target date. A reference report explains how national qualifications levels are linked to the EQF. From 2012, all new qualifications should bear a reference to the EQF, so that employers and institutions can identify a candidate's skills knowledge, skills or competences.

The EQF will help both individuals and employers understand and compare the different national qualifications systems, whether in general or higher education or vocational education and training. The EQF is based on eight reference levels which are described in terms of learning outcomes, i.e. what a learner knows, understands and is able to do, rather than focusing on the input side, such as length of study.

The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland is the National Coordination Point for the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF).

What are the benefits of the European Qualifications Framework?
The EQF will make it easier to study or work in another European country by helping learners describe their competences to educational institutions or recruiters abroad. This transparency will, in turn, help employers interpret the qualifications of applicants and so support labour market mobility in Europe.

For example, currently a company in Ireland may hesitate to recruit an applicant from Hungary because they do not understand his or her qualifications. But once the EQF is fully implemented, the Hungarian candidate's certificate would contain a reference to an EQF level, such as "EQF level 5". Since the relevant qualification authority in Ireland will have already provided such a reference to EQF levels in Ireland's qualifications in the field concerned, the Irish employers will be able to understand the Hungarian's qualification and compare it with Irish qualifications.

Further information
European Commission: The European Qualifications Framework [with background information and the text of the EQF Recommendation]

National Qualifications Authority of Ireland: Ireland and the EQF