Overview of National Qualification frameworks - Project-Nqf-Sqf

In March 2009, the General Directorate for VET of the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culturestarted a project on “curriculum design – learning outcomes orientation” which aims to integrateeducational standards in VET curricula.In apprenticeship (dual system), the training regulation is issued for each profile by the Federal Ministryof Economics. It consists of the occupational competence profile (Berufsprofil) with related activitiesand work descriptions, and job profile (Berufsbild) with knowledge and skills to be acquired byapprentices. The Lehrabschlussprüfung (final apprenticeship examination) is to assess whether thecandidate has acquired the necessary skills and competences for entry to qualified work. It comprises atheoretical and a practical test. Master craftsperson examinations (for manual trade vocations) andexaminations to prove the respective competence (for other regulated trades) are organised by theeconomic chambers in the Länder.In higher education a qualification profile, describing the expected learning outcomes (and definitionsof learning outcomes) for each module, was introduced by the University Act (Universitätsgesetz) in2002, but implementation differs between HE institutions. Universities of Applied Science offer practiceoriented HE and are more oriented towards learning outcomes but have not implemented the approachsystematically – a project has been commissioned to strengthen learning outcomes orientation in thisarea.__ Are the same descriptors used for all qualifications/sectors?Bachelor-, Master- and PhD-degrees will be classified on the basis of the Dublin descriptors, whilequalifications outside the Bologna architecture will follow the NQF descriptors:__ Define the NQF’s typology: Does it have a focus on coordinating the existing system (transparency,coherence), a focus on regulating the existing system (quality, accountability) or a focus ontransforming system (new standards and new provision)?The Austrian NQF will focus on transparency (of the qualifications system) and orientation and will notbe an instrument of regulation. This means that there will be no entitlements linked with a levelclassification of a qualification – neither in terms of access to qualifications placed on higher levels, norin terms of salary classification.__ Are there already revisions of the NQF planned?In Austria, the NQF development is still work in progress. Currently, the definition of criteria for theNQF classification, of the classification procedure and the NQF governance structure are beingdeveloped. The results of this work will enter into an NQF Manual. This Manual will provide supportthroughout the entire NQF classification process. Moreover, it will also give information on the mainactors/bodies involved in NQF matters (governance structure) and stipulate their tasks.