National Qualifications Framework
The National Qualifications Framework is a systematic and competency-based description of qualification levels. The National Qualifications Framework is intended to be used by public authorities and local governments, institutions and organizations, educational institutions, employers, other legal entities and individuals for the purpose of developing, identifying, referencing, recognizing, planning and developing qualifications.
The National Qualifications Framework is based on European and national standards and principles of quality assurance in education, takes into account the requirements of the labor market for employee competencies. It is implemented to harmonize legislation in the areas of education and social and labor relations, promote national and international recognition of qualifications obtained in Ukraine, and establish effective interaction between the education sector and the labor market.
To ensure clarity, comparability and mutual alignment, academic and professional qualifications are described by learning outcomes defined in accordance with the descriptors of the National Framework, such as:
knowledge, skills, communication, responsibility and autonomy. At the international level, the comparison and recognition of qualifications is carried out through the referencing to the levels and descriptors of the National Qualifications Framework with the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning.
History of establishment the National Qualifications Framework. An introduction to the past.
In accordance with the powers defined by the statute of the National Qualifications Agency (hereinafter - the Agency), which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 1029 of 12.5.2018, the Agency supports the introduction of the National Qualifications Framework in compliance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On Education"; carries out international cooperation in the field of qualifications, in particular with the aim of harmonizing the National Framework of Qualifications with relevant international documents; provides support for the information provision of the National Qualifications System and the National Qualifications Framework, etc.
Thus, it is the National Qualifications Framework (hereinafter referred to as the NQF) that is one of those fundamental tools that ensure the comprehensibility and comparability of educational systems.
Analyzing the chronology of events regarding the creation and formation of the National Qualifications Framework in Ukraine, the following should be noted.
On May 19, 2005, in the Norwegian city of Bergen, at the Conference of Ministers of European Countries, Ukraine expressed its strong intention to join the Bologna process, taking on the responsibilities of making appropriate changes to the national education system and joining the work on defined priorities in the process of creating a single European space higher education until 2010.
The process of developing the Ukrainian NRC was initiated by the Order of the Ministry of Education and Culture dated July 3, 2008 No. 602.
"Some issues of the development of the National Framework of Qualifications" were approved by the Decree of the CMU of August 27, 2010 No. 1727.
The CMU Resolution No. 1225 dated 12/29/2010 approved the creation of an interdepartmental working group on the development and implementation of the NRC. In the process of developing the NRC project, the number of levels, structure and content of its descriptors were proposed. At the same time, extensive consultations and public discussion of the NRC project and proposals for it were provided, in which representatives of the sphere of education, the sphere of labor, national and international experts were involved.
The discussions were not easy, and only on 23.11.2011 the NRC was officially approved by Resolution of the CMU No. 1341 "On Approval of the National Framework of Qualifications" (hereinafter referred to as the Resolution). According to this Decree, the National Qualifications Framework is a systematic and competency-based description of qualification levels; it contains ten qualification levels and five descriptors describing the requirements for each qualification level.
The descriptor system of the approved NQF is generally consistent with both the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning and the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area, although it differs from the latter in the number of levels.
It is necessary to dwell on the definitions of the specified terms, in order to bring clarity and comprehensibility in the further presentation of information.
So, the qualification level is a structural unit of the National Qualifications Framework, which is defined by a certain set of competencies that are typical for the qualifications of this level (Regulation).
Кожний із 10 рівнів характеризується описом так званої «інтегральної компетентності» (поєднує усі чотири категорії результатів навчання), яка описує ступінь здатності діяти у ситуаціях навчання або роботи.