Qualifications

Qualifications are the formal outcome of an assessment and validation process by a competent body determining that an individual has achieved learning outcomes to given standards.

Information on qualifications at the European level is displayed in Europass, and comes from databases of national qualifications reflecting the National Qualifications Frameworks that are owned and managed by the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) countries. Europass offers the most up to date and rich repository of high-quality data on qualifications, national qualification frameworks and learning opportunities in Europe. It plays a crucial role in helping learners to find a course in different country and enabling employers and others (e.g. recognition bodies, education/training providers) to grasp the value of qualifications from different European countries.

One of ESCO's primary missions is to build stronger bridges between the world of education and training and the world of work. This aims at reducing skill mismatches and supporting the better functioning of the labour market. At the heart of ESCO's vision lies the provision of a common reference language that could support transparency, translation, comparison, identification and analysis of qualification content. This serves the purpose of demonstrating how qualifications relate to the skills and occupations demanded across various occupations and sectors. ESCO contributes to this objective in multiple ways.

ESCO supports describing and understanding of learning outcomes of a qualification

By offering a labour market terminology that can help connecting a qualification to relevant occupations and skills ESCO allows learners, job seekers and employers to use this informationeffectively. ESCO fills this need by providing an updated, evidence – based and multilingual skills and occupation vocabulary.

ESCO supports education and training systems in the shift to learning outcomes that serves better the labour market needs. Organisations that provide data on qualifications can use ESCO to enrich learning outcomes descriptions with skills-related terminology. This integration of knowledge, skills and competence concepts into learning outcomes descriptors simplifies the understanding of qualifications by labour market stakeholders and facilitates the attraction of learners from both within the Member States and across borders. 

ESCO is also used to collect and analyse data on skills trends across Europe and exploit the possibilities offered by big data analysis techniques. Results of skills intelligence projects are an important support and source of information to education and training institutions that can help them to develop curricula by taking into account emerging skills needs.

In 2019, the European Commission initiated a pilot project with the Member States to test automated linking of learning outcomes of qualifications with ESCO skills in different languages. This effort led to the development of a dedicated IT tool aimed at assisting national authorities in this exercise. The project demonstrated the value of using the ESCO skills classification to provide transparency of qualifications and improve the quality of data concerning individual learning outcomes of qualifications.

ESCO enhances personalised learning paths and supports career guidance services

By leveraging ESCO skills and occupations data, jobseekers and learners can receive tailored suggestions of learning opportunities. Digital platforms can use ESCO to provide citizens with information on learning opportunities, suggest courses, develop tailor made education and training opportunities and recommend learning paths based on people’s skills. Career guidance providers benefit from ESCO by offering targeted guidance services and recommending adequate training programmes based on the skills set and career aspirations of an individual.

ESCO supports validation of informal and non-formal learning

ESCO can be used for the validation of informal and non-formal learning. The clear and detailed learning outcomes that are provided using ESCO can be used to identify, document, assess and certify the skills and experience that an individual has acquired through informal or non-formal learning. 

Organisations can use ESCO to identify skills developed in a given activity. In the future, the Europass learning opportunity or qualification search function should be able to display relevant ESCO skills of displayed learning opportunities and qualifications. Furthermore, once a learning activity is concluded, the learner may receive a digital certification, such as a European Digital Credential for Learning.

The European Digital Credentials for Learning is a standard for digitally signed credentials that can relate to any learning achievement, whether acquired through formal, non-formal or informal learning. ESCO skills can be added to the description of learning outcomes. In this way credentials contain more information and provide more transparency of individual’s knowledge and skills. The digital credentials can be stored in a digital wallet such as the Europass e-portfolio wallet and can be shared with employers and other organisations, such as an education and training providers, as verifiable records of learning.