In Spring 2011, specialised seminars on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) took place in seven regions in the Czech Republic. The participants in the seminars –representatives of schools, other educational institutions and employers – were introduced to the implementation of the common European framework, whose advantages and benefits are not only for candidates who are applying for a job.
The European Qualifications Framework will be used by people applying for a job or for studies, both at home and abroad. Its purpose is to make qualifications within Europe understandable and comparable. Through the EQF, a qualification level achieved in one country may be compared to one from any other European country, hence employers can easily find out what the candidates can do and what kind of job they can manage. The European Qualifications Framework follows from the results of learning, from the real knowledge and skills of the person. Through the EQF, lifelong learning is greatly supported – it is not only learning at school that is important, but learning after we have finished school, and learning during our working career and life. The EQF levels reflect other qualifications which you can acquire from courses or seminars, provided that you pass a standardized exam recognisable nationwide.
The implementation of the common qualifications framework was greatly appreciated by the participants of the seminars, as they considered it extremely beneficial. Mgr. Jiří Holý, Director of the Educational Institute of the Central Bohemia Region (VISK) said at the seminar in Prague that the implementation of the common European Qualifications Framework will help to solve, for example, the problem which graduates from tertiary technical schools encounter – at present, if they want to work or study abroad, it is difficult for them to explain what level their qualifications are. According to him, at present it is difficult for Czech authorities to deal with requests for nostrification of certificates and final reports from abroad as often they do not know which level the qualifications should be referred to. The common qualification framework will help with all those issues.
Starting in 2012, a reference to the relevant EQL level will be shown on all official documents, certificates and school reports. Official documents acquired before 2012 may be provided with the EQF classification retroactively, through Europass documents. In the future, a reference to the EQF level will be present on three Europass documents – on the CV, on the supplement to the certificate and on the supplement to the diploma.
Photographs taken at the seminars which took place at the consultation points in Jihlava, Prague and Nymburk.