Ten years after: the ‘success story’ of the European qualifications framework

an article by Sandra Bohlinger (Technische Universitaet Dresden, Germany) published in Journal of Education and Work Volume 32 Issue 4 (2019)

Abstract

Launched in 2008 as a ‘Common Reference Framework’ including eight levels of learning and three descriptors that aimed at providing a ‘translation grid’ between national qualifications, the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) aims at numerous educational reforms such as promoting the learning outcomes orientation, transparency of qualifications and fostering mobility across national borders, employment sectors and educational sectors.

More than 10 years after, it is time to re-address these expectations and to question whether and, if so, in which ways the EQF has actually provided an impetus for the numerous reforms that were expected to be initiated by implementing it.

Reviewing policy documents, evaluation results and research on the EQF and therewith-linked national qualifications frameworks, there is little evidence that the EQF solved the challenges it was developed for.

Instead, findings suggest that it might be time to de-mystify qualifications frameworks as a panacea and reveal it as a paradigmatic case of travelling educational reforms around the globe that results in institutional isomorphism.

I looked up isomorphism and freely admit that I am somewhat confused as to it’s use here. I think it means that the more institutions follow the framework the more they become similar to each other.
Does that not, therefore, make mobility across national borders easier?

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