European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training
Thomas Gruber
The kick-off conference for the implementation of the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQARF) will be held on 22 September 2010. The conference will be conducted by Germany's National Reference Point for Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (DEQA-VET) and the Education for Europe - National Agency (NA) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Its aim is to initiate and subsequently structure and organise at national level the communication process between all players in vocational education and training. The conference will help establish and build confidence between the players in the Member States and between the Member States.
With the EQARF, the European Union has given Member States a 'toolbox' with ten indicators. These indicators were designed to enable comparable statements about the status of quality assurance in vocational education and training not only in the individual EU Member States but also in the EU itself. To achieve this, the Commission switched from the ENQA-VET process (European Network on Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training) to the EQAVET process (European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training) in early 2010. Based on the EQAVET process, the Member States are, individually and together, to review the applicability of the EQARF indicators, modify them and, when necessary, reject them. EQAVET is now the framework for the communication process. The social partners' umbrella organisations belong to this process, along with competent federal and state ministries. To support the process, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research set up the DEQA-VET office at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training in Bonn in 2008.
The conference has been organised for a maximum of 100 persons. It will be held at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) in Bonn.
In their recommendation issued in June 2009, the European Parliament and the European Council did not stipulate any particular quality model. They did however prescribe quality assurance in vocational education and training. They also explicitly classified the self-evaluation of vocational education and training and evaluation that is conducted through established certification procedures as equivalent to one another in connection with quality assurance. The European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training is therefore to be understood as a 'toolbox' from which the individual users can select indicators which they feel are most relevant to the requirements of their particular quality assurance system. The proposed indicators were meant to provide guidance. EQARF users can select and use them in accordance with all or some of their needs and their particular situation. The indicators can be used for initial vocational training and/or continuing vocational training, irrespective of the relevant characteristics of the vocational training system of the respective Member State and irrespective of the type of vocational training provider.
For further information or to register to attend the meeting, please visit www.deqa-vet.de or www.na-bibb.de .
