The development of national qualification frameworks (NQFs) represents one of the main initiatives in addressing the challenges of qualification reforms. An NQF is essentially a framework which classifies and resisters qualifications, according to a set of nationally agreed standards/criteria for levels of learning/skills obtained.
An NQF needs to be distinguished from a national qualification system which broadly encompasses the combination of all qualifications available in the country and the institutions, processes and mechanisms which support the provision of qualifications. An NQF should not be regarded, however, simply as a matrix that indicates how different qualifications relate to each other. An NQF is defined also by distinctive ways of developing, organising and providing qualifications. In an NQF, qualifications consist of a set of nationally agreed standards/criteria which are classified at different levels. Qualifications are provided on the basis of obtaining competencies (or expected learning outcomes) stipulated by these standards. This means that gaining a qualification is no longer associated with “what goes into the learning” whether it is a specific learning time, place, or instructions of particular education or training institutions. An NQF yields a pattern of learning that is not bounded by time or location but which can better support learning across different learning pathways (i.e. academic and vocational), or integrate formal and non-formal learning, notably learning in the workplace.
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