Post added by Anatolii Garmash
Ukraine, like most other countries of the world, is reforming its qualifications system. Thus, in November 2011 the National Qualifications Framework was approved, the use of which is enshrined in the Laws of Ukraine "On Higher Education" (2014) and "On Education" (2017). The use of occupational standards as requirements for the qualifications of employees, the creation of qualification centres as bodies for independent assessment of learning outcomes and validation of non-formal and informal learning have been regulated at the legislative level.
A number of pilot projects on the development of new occupational and educational standards on the basis of a competency based approach have been initiated. The Government adopted an action plan for the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework for 2016-2020.
At the same time, the further development of the national qualifications system requires the systemic character of the development, recognition and awarding qualifications, the development of a mechanism for ensuring quality of qualifications and involvement of all stakeholders in it. Individual initiatives and pilot projects should be replaced through regulatory and structural decisions to implement their results at the system level.
Solving these tasks requires not only legislative, but also institutional arrangements. There is a need to identify or create a new professional structure that would act as a coordination and quality assurance body for qualifications.
In December 2018, the Government of Ukraine adopted the decision on establishment of the National Qualifications Agency (NQA) as a collegial body, co-founded by government and social partners to strengthen coordination. The Agency will have 17 tasks. These include coordination and information of stakeholders, supporting legislative developments, developing and maintaining the registry of qualifications, coordinating the development of occupational standards, supporting the development of educational standards, accrediting qualification centres, overseeing the validation of non-formal and informal learning, and establishing the criteria for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications.
In April 2019 the staff of the NQA was approved. It is composed of 12 members, delegated by the governmental bodies - the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Social Policy, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and the social partners - the Joint Representative Body of Employers at the national level and the Joint Representative Body of Representative All-Ukrainian Trade Unions.
The Agency was established. We see it as an important step to implement the new qualification system. Now raising the capacities of the new agency, making it operational and visible at an early stage are of key importance.
ETF has already organised the training for the NQA staff. In February 2019 the NQA members were invited to Torino to discuss the development of the agency, clarify the key issues linked to its tasks and identify priorities for 2019-2020. Experiences of Qualifications Agencies from Turkey, Estonia and Portugal were also presented.
More opportunities are ahead - the establishment of the Agency comes at a key moment, when the implementation of a large EU project for the modernisation of vocational education in Ukraine is starting.
For more information:
- Decree as of 5 December 2018 on establishment of NQA
- Decree as of 3 April 2019 on approval of the members of NQA
- Action Plan for the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework for 2016-2020
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