Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2008)180 - Establishment of the European credit system for vocational education and training (ECVET) [SEC(2008) 442 SEC(2008) 443] - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2008)180 - Establishment of the European credit system for vocational education and training (ECVET) [SEC(2008) 442 SEC(2008) 443]. |
|---|---|
| source | COM(2008)180  |
| date | 09-04-2008 |
The need for a continuous renewal of citizens' knowledge, skills and competence is crucial for the EU's competitiveness and social cohesion, and in this respect vocational education and vocational training have a key contribution to make. However, complexity and a lack of co-operation between different providers/authorities and between different national systems weaken its impact. Barriers hinder individual citizens from accessing education and training and from combining and accumulating learning outcomes achieved in different learning contexts. They make it difficult for citizens to move within the European Vocational Education and Training (VET) area and the European labour market and to pursue genuine lifelong learning without borders.
The Lisbon European Council in 2000 concluded that increased transparency of qualifications and lifelong learning should be two of the main components in the efforts to adapt Europe's education and training systems both to the demands of the knowledge society and to the need for an improved level and quality of employment.
The 2002 Council Resolution on the promotion of enhanced European cooperation in VET (the 'Copenhagen Process') emphasised that giving priority to a system of credit transfer for VET was one of the common measures needed in order to promote the transparency, comparability, transferability and recognition of competence and/or qualifications, between different countries and at different levels.
In the 2004 Maastricht Communiqué, the Ministers responsible for VET, the Commission and the European social partners agreed to give priority to the development and implementation of ECVET. This was confirmed by the same group in the 2006 Helsinki Communiqué which calls further development of common European tools namely ECVET i.
This ECVET proposal responds to the political mandate described above.
One of the main obstacles to attracting more interest in transnational mobility as part of initial and continuing vocational training and education is the difficulty in identifying, validating and recognising learning outcomes acquired during a stay in another country. Furthermore lifelong learning is taking place increasingly in different countries and in a wide variety of contexts, formal, non-formal and informal.
What is needed, therefore, is a way of enabling people to pursue their learning pathway by building on their learning outcomes when moving from one learning context to another, and from one country to the other.
One of the most important challenges to be faced is the diversity, even fragmentation of education, VET and qualifications systems in Europe. A large number of qualifications and of different competent institutions and actors may be involved. Their activities may include the definition of qualifications, methods for assessing and validating learning, setting training objectives, determining the content of learning outcomes, implementing training programmes. A wide range of providers may be involved: ministries, agencies, occupational sectors, companies, social partners, chambers, non-governmental organisations, and so forth. In some cases, a national authority may accredit or empower training providers or other actors to prepare and issue qualifications, points, etc. In other cases, these functions can be devolved to the regional level, or to the providers.
Countries have a national framework defining levels of qualifications or a classification for these levels. These frameworks may or may not be geared towards the organisation of education or training cycles. Moreover, depending on the systems, qualifications may be obtained either after only one type of formal training programme or following several kinds of learning processes.
The award of qualifications is based, in some systems, on the accumulation of units of learning outcomes either associated with credit points (United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden…) or without credit points (France, Spain…). Credit systems are sometimes developed within a broader qualifications framework (Scottish and Welsh credit and qualifications framework) or designed for specific qualifications (IFTS system in Italy). Furthermore, depending on the country, there are many ways of using units and points for learning outcomes and, in certain countries different practices for the allocation of points for learning outcomes may coexist.
Considering the diversity described above, common conventions and technical principles are required in order to ensure mutual trust and to enable the transfer and recognition of learning outcomes in the context of trans-national mobility.
This ECVET proposal belongs to a series of European initiatives, including the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), Europass i, the European Quality Charter for Mobility (EQCM), the European principles for the identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning and the European Qualification Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) i:
- ECTS was promoted by the Recommendation of the European Parliament and Council of 10 July 2001 on mobility within the Community for students, persons undergoing training, volunteers, teachers and trainers i, used in higher education. ECVET should be compatible with ECTS so as to enable bridging vocational education and training and higher education.
- Europass was created by Decision No 2241/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2004 on a single Community framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences.
- The European principles for the identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning were agreed in the form of Council Conclusions in 2004 i. The implementation of ECVET will take these principles into account.
- EQCM was adopted through the Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on trans-national mobility within the Community for education and training purposes (European Quality Charter for mobility i). It states in point 8 of its Annex that, when mobility is undertaken by individuals, 'participants should be provided with assistance to facilitate recognition and certification' of learning outcomes. ECVET is intended to support the quality of individuals' mobility as required by the abovementioned Recommendation.
- EQF was launched by the 2008 Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European qualification framework (EQF) i as a reference tool for the comparison of qualification levels in national qualifications systems and also in qualifications systems developed by international sectoral organisations. ECVET will complement and build on common concepts and principles with the EQF. Indeed, ECVET uses EQF as the reference level for qualifications.
ECVET does not apply to the mutual recognition of qualifications in the area of regulated professions, as that is ensured by Directive 2005/36/EC i of 7 September 2005, because ECVET is not a tool for granting rights to migrants in recognition of their qualifications acquired in one Member State with a view to exercising a regulated profession in another Member State. In such a case, only the Directive imposes legally binding obligations on Member States' authorities.
Consultation of experts
The Cedefop (2005) report on " European approaches to credit (transfer) systems in VET – An assessment of the applicability of existing credit systems to a European credit transfer system for vocational education and training (ECVET)" builds extensively on relevant international cases and practices in the field of credit systems. In 2005 the Commission financed two studies to look into ECVET in the context of European mobility in the area of initial vocational training i. These two studies conclude that the ECVET principles are viewed in a positive light by the stakeholders who were met and interviewed. ECVET is also seen as a being key device for the improvement of the VET systems with the prospect of a better matching with the individuals' needs and the requirements of the labour market. However, the studies underline that ECVET cannot be introduced and used unless it is culturally and technically adapted to the national, regional or sectoral contexts. They confirm that ECVET can be applied without calling into question the existing initial education and vocational training system and the fundamental principles of certification and qualifications.
Lastly, the Commission has drawn useful conclusions from the results of projects previously funded under the Leonardo da Vinci programme that demonstrated that an approach based on units of learning outcomes is the appropriate answer to the issue of transfer and accumulation of learning outcomes of individuals who move from one learning context to another.
From November 2006 to March 2007, the European Commission launched a Europe-wide consultation process on an ECVET blueprint based on the Commission Staff Working Document "European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) – A system for the transfer, accumulation and recognition of learning outcomes in Europe" - SEC(2006) 1431. That document was based on the work of an expert group launched in 2003 and made up of representatives of all the main areas of education and training (general, adult, vocational, higher education and training) as well as representatives of public authorities, sectors, social partners and Cedefop.
As part of this consultation process, the ECVET blueprint was presented to and debated in a range of meetings organised by national authorities, social partners, sectoral bodies and others during the consultation period. An open consultation was conducted over the internet during the same period. The results i of the consultation process were discussed at a conference held in Munich in June 2007.
The consultation process confirmed the broad support for ECVET. The majority of respondents agreed that there is a need for a common European Credit system for VET. However, support was made conditional on a series of requirements and recommendations, which have been taken into account by this proposal.
Scientific/expertise domains concerned
Following the consultation process, an expert group was set up in 2007 to agree a new set of technical specifications as well as a set of key definitions underpinning this Recommendation. Cedefop and the European Training Foundation also contributed actively to the work, collaborating closely with the Commission, the external experts and the expert groups.
See above
Means used to make the expert advice publicly available
Lastly, the technical specifications agreed by the expert group were part of a document submitted to the Advisory Committee for Vocational Training, which delivered a positive opinion on the main elements of the proposal at its meeting of 13 December 2007.
The impact assessment underlines the added value ECVET would bring in facilitating lifelong learning and reducing barriers to mobility across Europe. It sets out the various options Commission has considered in seeking to find solutions to these issues and for ensuring take up of ECVET.
Failure by the European Union to take any action would allow the current unsatisfactory situation to continue, which would be unacceptable to many stakeholders, given the abovementioned obstacles to the transfer and recognition of learning outcomes; moreover, it would not fulfil the clear mandate given to the Commission.
A Communication from the Commission would not involve the Member States or the European Parliament in its adoption and therefore would not generate the necessary political commitment for the creation and the effective implementation of an operational ECVET.
Nor would a Commission Recommendation under Article 150 of the Treaty have a stronger impact than the previous option, as it would not involve Member States or the European Parliament in the formal adoption, and so would still not generate the degree of political commitment required to implement ECVET effectively.
A Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council under Articles 149 and 150 of the Treaty would adopt principles and obligations for those Member States which relate their national systems to ECVET. However, the overwhelming consensus of stakeholders (Member States, social partners, sectors and others) is that ECVET should be voluntary.
A Recommendation of the European Parliament and the Council, under Articles 149 and 150 of the Treaty would commit the Member States on a voluntary basis to using ECVET as a device to facilitate transparency, comparability, transfer and accumulation of learning outcomes between different learning contexts and different countries, with a view to setting up a lifelong learning area without borders. The Commission identifies this option as the most appropriate. It corresponds most closely to the expectations of both Member States and stakeholders, and it would provide the best basis for the successful implementation of an operational ECVET and for achieving the real added value that the European dimension can bring.
The Commission impact assessment report is accessible on the Commission’s website.
Contents
- Legal elements of the proposal
- Budgetary implication
- Grounds for and objectives of the proposal
- General context
- Existing provisions in this area at European level
- Consistency with other policies and objectives of the Union
- 2. Consultation of interested parties and impact assessment
- Consultation of interested parties (2006-2007)
- Collection and use of expertise
- Summary of advice received and used
- Impact assessment
- Summary of the proposed action
- Legal basis
- Proportionality principle
- Choice of instruments
- 5. Additional information
- European Economic Area
- Detailed explanation of the proposal
- Annex to the explanatory memorandum
- Chart 2: units of learning outcomes and ECVET points (example)
- Chart 3: Application of ECVET for transfer and accumulation of learning outcomes
The proposed Recommendation would commit the Member States to using ECVET on a voluntary basis. It establishes ECVET as a methodological framework that can be used to describe qualifications in terms of units of learning outcomes with associated points, with a view to transferring and accumulating learning outcomes. ECVET is based on the designing of coherent and meaningful units of learning outcomes and not on fragmentation of qualifications. ECVET does not aim for or require harmonisation of qualifications and VET systems; it aims instead for better comparability and compatibility. The proposed Recommendation includes two annexes presenting a glossary and the key features of ECVET.
It is recommended that Member States should implement ECVET by 2012. Member States are also recommended to develop partnerships and networks at European, national, regional, local and sectoral level, as appropriate, and to promote and apply the principles for quality assurance in VET when implementing ECVET. Members States should provide access to information on ECVET and guidance to stakeholders and individuals, and ensure that all relevant qualifications and related 'Europass' documents issued by the competent authorities contain clear information related to the use of ECVET. Lastly, Member States are recommended to ensure that functioning coordination, monitoring and review mechanisms are in place, which take existing instruments into account in order to guarantee the consistency of initiatives within and across countries. The national reviews will contribute to a European review to be organised by the Commission.
The proposal invites the Commission to support Member States in carrying out the above tasks, to develop an ECVET users' guide and tools, to establish a pilot ECVET users' group and to developing a European ECVET network in order to ensure the quality and overall coherence of the cooperation process for the implementation of ECVET. Moreover, the Commission will monitor the action in response to the Recommendation with a view to a possible review four years after its adoption.
Articles 149 and 150 of the Treaty
Subsidiarity principle
Community action better achieves the objectives of the proposal for the following reasons:
- The proposal provides a common device, a common terminology, common references and shared approaches and conventions for cooperation between involved stakeholders. These functions cannot be provided by action at the national level.
- The challenges related to mutual trust, transparency, validation and transfer of learning outcomes in VET on the European scale are shared by all Member States and cannot be solved exclusively at national or sectoral levels.
- If stakeholders involved in VET from all 27 Member States were to negotiate bilateral agreements on the subject covered by the proposed Recommendation with all other stakeholders individually and in an uncoordinated way, using specific and particular concepts, principles and rules, this would result in an extremely complex and non-transparent overall structure at the European level.
This Recommendation conforms to the principle of proportionality because it does not replace or define national qualifications systems and/or qualifications, it does not harmonise VET and qualifications systems and it leaves the implementation of the recommendation to the Member States. Existing reporting systems will be used, thereby minimising the administrative burden.
Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council
No implications for the Community budget.
Review/revision/sunset clause
The proposal includes a review clause.
The proposed act concerns an EEA matter and should therefore extend to the European Economic Area.
The objective of ECVET is to support and promote transnational mobility and access to lifelong learning in VET. While EQF provides a common reference framework which is meant to serve as a translation device between different qualifications systems and their levels, ECVET provides a common methodological framework which is meant to facilitate transfer of credit for learning outcomes from one qualifications system to another, or from one learning pathway to another (see examples in the annex to the explanatory memorandum, chart 1). It contributes to the permeability of learning systems, compatibility between autonomous education and VET systems and, in so doing, supports the possibility for learners to build individual learning pathways leading to qualifications. Its implementation is based on the principle of voluntary participation by the Member States and stakeholders.
The ECVET methodological framework includes principles and key technical specifications to enable qualifications to be described in terms of units of learning outcomes and associated ECVET points (see chart 2 in annex), for the purpose of credit transfer and accumulation and to support partnerships. The ECVET principles and technical specifications are designed for use in a flexible but structured way. They will be further detailed in the ECVET users’ guide.
As a unit-based credit system , ECVET will contribute to developing and extending European cooperation in education and training. Based as it is on learning outcomes, the proposed unit-based credit system is compatible with all qualifications systems, learning contexts and learning approaches. A unit-based approach supports flexible individual learning pathways, where learners can accumulate the required units of learning outcomes over time, in different countries, and in different learning modes to achieve a qualification. Its flexibility facilitates the process of organizing mobility experiences for VET learners, while its principles preserve the overall coherence and integrity of each qualification and avoid the excessive fragmentation of learning outcomes that have to be validated and recognised. Finally, a unit-based credit system creates the possibility of developing common references for VET qualifications by providing a common structure and conventions.
ECVET partnerships and networks involving competent institutions, authorities, social partners, sectors and providers are essential for the testing, development and broad implementation of ECVET. They provide a way for the wide variety of VET institutions to work together. They create an environment in which mutual trust can be developed and provide a framework for ECVET credit transfer. These partnerships should be formalised through ECVET Memoranda of Understanding. Learning Agreements offer simple, convenient and systematic guidelines for practical implementation of credit transfer arrangements and procedures for an individual learner.
ECVET points are attached to qualifications and units of learning outcomes as a necessary and complementary source of information. These are developed on the basis of common European conventions and, by enhancing the legibility of achieved learning outcomes they facilitate transfer and accumulation of learning outcomes achieved by a learner.
Furthermore, by assigning ECVET points to both a qualification and its component units, learning outcomes become more 'tangible'. In this way, ECVET points provide information in terms of the overall weight of the learning outcomes required to achieve a qualification and allow the relative weight of each of its component units to be identified. They reflect the achievement of units of learning outcomes and the accumulation of units. It is to be noted that ECVET points have a meaning only in relation to learning outcomes within the particular qualification, unless the national, regional or sectoral rules allow for ECVET points to be used in another way. As a convention, 60 points will be assigned to the learning outcomes expected to be achieved in a year of formal, full-time VET.
In ECVET, any credit obtained by a learner is an expression of the validity of his/her achieved learning outcomes for the purpose of transfer and accumulation towards a qualification. These learning outcomes are assessed and validated so that credit (units of learning outcomes) can be transferred from one VET qualifications system to another or from one learning context to another. ECVET can be used regardless of whether these qualifications systems have their own credit system(s). ECVET can be implemented within any VET qualification at any EQF reference level. It is applicable to learning outcomes achieved in any context (examples in annex, chart 3). The end users of ECVET are learners. ECVET will be effective only after it has been made operational by the relevant competent institutions at national, regional, local or sectoral level. These institutions should define and decide the scope of implementation and formalise decisions at the appropriate level. They also have a role in ensuring that the implementation and use of ECVET follow quality assurance criteria.
In order to create conditions for effective recognition and credit transfer processes, and thus promote mutual trust among the different actors, ECVET requires commitment to quality assurance criteria and procedures by all actors involved and at all the levels of the system.
Implementation of ECVET should be a continuous process which requires the effective and sustainable commitment of competent institutions, authorities, social partners, sectors and providers, and will require a high degree of synergy between initiatives at the European, national and sectoral levels.
Chart 1: EQF and ECVET for transparency and portability of learning outcomes (example) .
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In the above example, the individual obtained his/her qualification in FR by accumulating learning outcomes transferred from HU, EI.
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Example n°1 : transfer organised by two partners (VET providers) in a formal learning context for individuals who are involved in a mobility programme, such as Leonardo da Vinci.
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Example n°2 : transferring and valuing learning outcomes achieved in a professional and life experience (non-formal and informal learning context), by an individual who has professional experience and wishes to attain a qualification.
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