Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ Quality Assurance in Education and Training - European context -

Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ European milestones Copenhagen Declaration (2002) – quality assurance in vocational education and training becomes a priority at European level In 2003, at the initiative of European Commission, the Common Quality Assurance Framework (CQAF) is developed - a reference meta-framework to support cooperation in the field between EU member states; CQAF comprises: – a model based on the quality cycle (Planning – Implementation – Evaluation – Review) – a methodology focused on training providers self- assessment, combined with external evaluation – a set of quality indicators

Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ European milestones In 2007, CQAF is revised and a proposal for a European Quality Assurance Reference Framework (EQARF) is developed, to include: – A set of common quality criteria, detailed at system and provider level – A set of quality indicators CQARF supports the implementation of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), of the European Credit System (ECVET) and of the Common European Principles for the identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning In April 2008 the European Parliament formulated a proposal for a recommendation on the establishment of a European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training

Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ CQARF – set of quality indicators IndicatorType of indicator No 1 Relevance of quality assurance systems for VET providers: – share of providers applying a quality management system – share of accredited providers Context / Input No 2 Investment in training of teachers / trainers: – share of teachers/ trainers participating in further training – amount of funds invested Input / Process No 3 Participation rate in VET programmesInput / Process / Output

Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ CQARF – set of quality indicators IndicatorType of indicator No 4 Completion rate in VET programmesProcess / Output / Result No 5 Graduates placement rate: – destination of graduates after 6, 12, 36 months – share of employed graduates in 6, 12, 36 months Result No 6 Utilisation of acquired competences at the workplace: – information on occupation – satisfaction rate of graduates and employers with acquired competences Result

Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ CQARF – set of quality indicators IndicatorType of indicator No 7 Unemployment rateContext No 8 Prevalence of vulnerable groups: – percentage of participants in VET classified as disadvantaged groups – success rate of disadvantaged groups Context No 9 Mechanisms to identify training needs in the labour market: – information on mechanisms set up – evidence of their usefulness Context / Input No 10 Mechanisms to improve access to VET: – information on mechanisms set up – evidence of their usefulness Process

Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ Common Principles for Quality Assurance (QA) in HE and Vocational Education and Training (Annex III to EQF) - 1 Quality assurance policies and procedures should underpin all EQF levels Quality assurance should be an integral part of the internal management of education and training institutions QA should include regular evaluation of institutions, their programmes or their quality assurance systems by external monitoring bodies or agencies External monitoring bodies or agencies carrying out quality assurance should be subject to regular review Quality assurance should include context, input, process and output dimensions, while giving emphasis to outputs and learning outcomes

Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ Common Principles for Quality Assurance (QA) in HE and Vocational Education and Training (Annex III to EQF) - 2 Quality assurance systems should include the following elements: – clear and measurable objectives and standards – guidelines for implementation, including stakeholder involvement – appropriate resources – consistent evaluation methods, associating self- assessment and external review – feedback mechanisms and procedures for improvement – widely accessible evaluation results

Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ Common Principles for Quality Assurance (QA) in HE and Vocational Education and Training (Annex III to EQF) - 3 QA initiatives at international, national and regional level should be coordinated in order to ensure overview, coherence, synergy and system-wide analysis Quality assurance should be a cooperative process across education and training levels and systems, involving all relevant stakeholders, within Member States and across the Community QA orientations at Community level may provide reference points for evaluations and peer learning.

Project financed under Phare EUROPEAN UNION MERI/ NCDTVET - PIU Material produced under Phare 2006 financial support Phare TVET RO RO2006/ Recommendations of the Graz Conference ”Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training ” To promote and consolidate partnerships between VET and HE in quality assurance – including e.g. future peer learning activities To promote Common Principles for Quality Assurance in HE and Vocational Education and Training, in the EQF context (Annex III to EQF) at European/national/regional/local/sectoral level and develop mechanisms for their implementation on a voluntary basis support the building of pathways and links between qualifications at VET and HE (e.g. through the EQF) To promote joint actions at national and European level – e.g. projects, products, conferences, seminars and to support learning networks To establish contact points between ENQA and ENQA-VET e.g. regular meetings, and mutual representation at both bodies General Assembly meetings