The transfer of qualifications in the European Union. A simplified description of the ways to transfer qualifications adopted by the EU (note 1)

In this article with the word ‘qualification’ I mean an official record showing that you a. have finished an educational or training course or b. have the necessary skills. In most of European countries qualifications are usually granted at the end of an educational or vocational training path.

Qualifications are important because for many professions (called ‘regulated professions’, there are 800 in Europe) a qualification is required. . Compulsory qualifications are a problem because they limit mobility between different European countries. There are several solutions to this problem:

1. to allow a person qualified in one EU country to settle in all other countries (‘if you are qualified in your country, then you are qualified in all the others’)
2. to provide in every country a competency based system for accreditation, so that the need for a qualification based on educational or training course or years of previous experience can be ignored
3. to agree that in all EU countries a certain qualification can be granted only after a training path that has the same content
4. to study the content of each qualification in each EU country and to develop systems of equivalences for each qualification
5. to recognise equivalence of foreign qualifications on the base of some general parameters (usually years of education or years of previous experience)

At moment , for regulated professions (note 2):

• solution 1 applies only for temporary work in a different country
• a true solution 2 exists only in a very few EU countries (amongst them FR –‘validation des acquis de l'expérience (VAE)’- and UK -NVQ) and often only for a limited number of professions
• solution 3 has been adopted for several few professions: architects, doctors, dentist, veterinarians, nurses, etc.
• solution 4 was initially adopted for vocational training qualifications (219 for vocational training qualifications in 19 sectors were compared), but then it has been abandoned because too cumbersome
• solutions 5 (with regard to the number of years of previous experience) has been adopted for the regulated professions in the fields of crafts, trade and industry
• for most regulated professions outside crafts, trade and industry each EU country can choose between solution 5 (with regard to the number of years of education) or a solution that mixes solutions 2 and 5: only if the person has a qualification or a minimum number of years of education gain/attended in its own country (solution 5), then to work in a different country he/she can choose to pass an examination to prove is competent (solution 2) or to undergo a internship of a maximum of 3 years.
  

Is worth noting EQF European Qualification Framework has not been quoted so far because it doesn’t apply to regulated professions, but only to lower educational qualifications and to vocational training qualification related to professions not regulated.

Note: this information is given without any responsibility on our side. If you need to be sure about this topic, please consult the official source(s).

Note
1. for more information see my articles (in Italian) La normativa europea sulle professioni regolamentate, at http://www.orientamento.it/orientamento/6l.htm and Il Quadro Europeo delle Qualifiche (European Qualification Framework EQF) at http://www.orientamento.it/orientamento/6m.htm.
2. Solutions 1 and 5 are operative starting from October 2007.