The EQF and experiences to date. Effective communication with employers

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1 Dr Brendan McCormack Registrar Institute of Technology, Sligo Ireland Member Bologna Expert Group Higher Education Authority Ireland EQF Pro, Oporto, November 26-27th 2009 What is an Institute of Technology? y Applied topics (science, technology, business) y Emphasis on education for the workplace y Providing education and training from Craft to PhD y Increasing numbers of learners based in the workforce EQF Pro, Oporto, November 26-27th 2009

2 Overview The EQF and experiences to date Employability Europass Diploma Supplement Effective communication with employers What is the EQF? an overarching qualifications framework for Europe voluntary (2010) acts as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe consists of 8 qualifications Levels, described through learning outcomes The EQF aims to promote citizens mobility between countries facilitate their lifelong learning

3 The EQF: Facilitating Mobility Attend another institution for a semester/year Through the EQF, the equivalence between the host and home Programmes is understood, with a good fit into the host Programme Recognition of the learning upon return home and within the home award Referencing the EQF Country A Country B 1 1 Qualifications (A) 2 3 EQF Qualifications (B)

4 Referencing the EQF Bologna Short Cycle within the first Cycle First Cycle Second Cycle Third Cycle EQF Levels Irish NFQ Levels Irish Qualifications 2 nd Level Bachelor Masters PhD Compatibility of the Irish NFQ with Bologna ( Higher Certificate is an intermediate qualification within the first cycle. Ordinary Bachelor Degree is compatible with the first cycle. However, do not generally immediately access programmes leading to second cycle awards. The Honours Bachelor Degree and the Higher Diploma are compatible with the first cycle. The Masters Degree is compatible with completion of the second cycle. The Post Graduate Diploma is an intermediate qualification within the second cycle. The Doctoral Degree is compatible with completion of the third cycle.

5 Benefits of the Framework: The Irish experience Develops stronger links with business/industry especially SMEs Highlights the role of lifelong learning in terms of job retention; creativity and innovation (a work place focus) Tools such as qualifications frameworks, learning outcomes, diploma supplement are enabling forces in helping learner employability Awareness of the value of placements in programmes Mobility actions like Erasmus enhances the experience for learners in terms of personal development and future employability Greater flexibility and clarity for the learner Learning outcomes What a learner is expected to know, understand and be able to do at the end of a learning experience Module: The set of knowledge, skills and competencies that the learner must achieve to pass the module at that Level on the Framework Programme: The set of knowledge, skills and competencies that the learner must achieve to attain the award at that Level on the Framework Modules = Programme

6 Access: Entry requirements in terms of the framework i.e. appropriate to the Level of learning required relevance of work experience The EQF & Articulation Clarity and Transparency Transfer: Can evaluate and equate to learning already achieved to permit entry at the appropriate stage in, say, a Level 6 programme e.g. certified and non certified (i.e. experience) learning Progression: Need a Pass at a Level 5 (or equivalent) to progress to a Level 6 again, recognition of cognate and non cognate learning is important Good/Bad practices: lessons Learned Phrasing of the learning outcome statement means what it says academic versus work based outcome A pass the learning outcomes have been attained Linking the learning outcomes for the set of Modules to those of the Programme specific skills versus the whole graduate Clearly stating entry requirements that facilitate access based in prior learning, and ensures a reasonable chance of completing the programme Being open to recognising prior learning Real flexible choice is difficult to implement

7 Employability The ability to gain initial and meaningful employment, or to become self employed, to maintain employment, and to be able to move around within the labour market (Bologna Working group in Employability) Employability Employability of undergraduates (Bachelors) is a key element of the Bologna Process. The degree awarded after the first Cycle shall also be relevant to the European labour market as an appropriate level of qualification. (Question: Will Level 6 meet Cycle 1 standard of employability?)

8 Skills expected of the employable graduate (meeting of EU Ministers, April 2009) transfer of (academic) knowledge to professional work assignments: problem solving activities; development of typical working styles : e. g. working under pressure, working independently without clear assignments; development of typical working values : loyalty, achievement orientation; social skills : leadership, team work; supplementary knowledge: foreign languages, ICT, organisational knowledge; context awareness : adaptation, reflection, risk taking, etc.; learning to manage one s own career. Who wants to know about qualifications? Life long learners Employers Professional bodies Education and training providers Career guidance teachers 2 nd level pupils Choice makers: Mothers of Europe!

9 So the Europass was created A clear statement of skills and qualifications Facilitate the mobility of both learners and the workforce Consists of a portfolio of five documents : completed by the individual Europass Curriculum Vitae Europass language passport completed by a competent organisation Europass Mobility Europass Certificate Supplement Europass Diploma Supplement Typical ways to communication a Qualification Parchment Transcript Europass Diploma Supplement (* but ultimately the learner communicates their learning to the employer)

10 The Europass Diploma Supplement (EDS) A (supplementary) document that explains the qualification which otherwise may be understood only within the awarding country Provides all the information necessary to make a valid assessment of any degree or qualification Issued to every learner, upon graduation, free of charge, in a widely spoken European language What does the EDS tell us? Graduate name, date of issue, legal basis, status of the awarding body. Name of providing Institution and language of delivery Qualification, title main field(s) and NFQ award type and level Number of ECTS credits and the indicative duration Learning mode: FT; PT; work based ; distance learning, placements Learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skill and competencies List of all programme modules taken Detail of grading scheme Academic and/or professional study paths available to the learner Rights to practise, or professional status accorded to the graduate

11 What s in the EDS for Employers? An official and consistent EU statement of an award Facilities fair, informed judgements about qualifications for selecting/short listing candidates. Transparency/comparability, e.g. graduate education profile work placement other learning activities Identification of standards and Levels Clarity on learning outcomes and learning Levels Points for Discussion How well do we communicate the qualifications to employers Awareness of the EDS among employers/learners The way we present education to employers

12 Information: who reads this? Council of Europe web site The Diploma Supplement is a document attached to a higher education diploma aiming at improving international transparency and at facilitating the academic and professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas, degrees, certificates etc.). It is designed to provide a description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were successfully completed by the individual named on the original qualification to which this supplement is appended. It should be free from any valuejudgements, equivalence statements or suggestions about recognition. It is a flexible non prescriptive tool which is designed to save time, money and workload. It is capable of adaptation to local needs. Communication: who reads this? Official Guidelines for Completion of EDS, Feb 09 The Diploma Supplement (DS) is a joint initiative of UNESCO CEPES, the Council of Europe and the European Commission. In 1996, a working group was established in order to to examine the introduction of a European administrative annex to the diploma, the aim being to facilitate transparency and recognition in States other than in which they were dispensed.since then, the Diploma Supplement has been identified as one of the key instruments of transparency and recognition, and is referenced in conventions and policy documents, including the Lisbon Recognition Convention and the Bologna Process.

13 Communication: who reads this? Berlin Communiqué, Ministers for Education, Sept They [Ministers] set the objective that every student graduating as from 2005 should receive the Diploma Supplement automatically and free of charge. It should be issued in a widely spoken European language. They appeal to institutions and employers to make full use of the Diploma Supplement so as to take advantage of the improved transparency and flexibility of the higher education degree systems, for fostering employability and facilitating academic recognition for further studies. In five years of producing the EDS we have never been asked for one by a student or an employer. Not even our Erasmus students want the EDS. employers here are largely innocent of the EDS and were it not supplied there would be little indigenous student demand employers are far keener on a clear qualification and transcript most students don t get the value Awareness: User Feedback from HE Sector in the last year or so, we have had just two queries from students relating to EDS this touches upon a need for the addition of programme title to the award transcript employers are generally in dark regarding the National Qualification Framework never mind the EDS as a former HR Manager my eyes were opened by new terminology like The learning outcomes the EDS will only take on currency if it is publicized and explained in a cohesive manner by all HE players employers simply are not aware of its existence

14 Effectiveness of the words we use Life Long Learning, Open and Distance Learning, Modular, Part time, Full Time Evening, CPD EQF, NFQ, NQAI, HETAC, FETAC, EHEA, ENQA, ENIC, NARIC Syllabus vs Learning Outcome Access, Transfer & Progression Knowledge Skills Competencies Awards: Major Minor Special Purpose Supplemental Programmes or Courses Mobility Modules or Subjects or Courses Further Education Higher Education Vocational Training Levels versus Title (e.g. Certificate, Diploma, Degrees) Examined vs Assessed Bologna Frameworks Europass Challenges for the use of the EDS (ENQA-ENIC/NARIC DS, 2008) Increase the usability and relevance of EDS for further study and labour market purposes Insufficient information provided, relevant to labour market needs Improvements needed in: o o readability and clarity role of national guidance Provide more emphasis on learning outcomes DS should: o o be included in QA work and processes of HEI s use words understood by persons who are not HE professionals

15 Some Supporting Agencies for award recognition The ENIC Network (European Network of Information Centres) Provides information on: recognition of foreign diplomas, degrees and other qualifications; education systems in both foreign countries and the ENIC s own country; opportunities for studying abroad, including information on loans and scholarships, as well as advice on practical questions related to mobility and equivalence. The National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC) To improve academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study in the Member States of the EU, the EEA countries and the associated countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Cyprus. Some Sources learning policy universities reform/ects/ www2.uj.edu.pl/ects/guide/index.html berlin2003.de/en/communique_minister/index.htm

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