The Danish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning was established to fulfil both national and international needs and wishes concerning lifelong learning and mobility.
In the Danish context the framework helps students and employees build on what they already know and have learned by giving them a comprehensive overview of the education system and rendering routes through it visible.
In the international context the framework in particular supports international recognition of qualifications across national borders and education systems. Each level in the Danish Qualifications Framework and the Qualifications Frameworks of other countries is linked to a level in the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF). This makes it easier to compare qualifications from different countries.
When and how was the framework introduced?
The Danish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning was developed by an inter-departmental working group with representatives of the Ministry of Education (now the Ministry of Children and Education), the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (now the Ministry of Higher Education and Science), the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs. A number of stakeholders from the Danish education system were also involved in the work.
At the end of 2006 the Minister for Education launched the work of drawing up a Danish National Qualifications Framework. The development work was organised as follows:
-
An inter-departmental working group with representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs was set up in 2006 with responsibility for developing a proposal for a Danish Qualifications Framework.
-
The development work involved consultation with and involvement of a number of stakeholders from the Danish education system.
-
In June 2009 a proposal for a Danish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning and its implementation was approved by the Minister for Education, the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, the Minister for Culture and the Minister for Economic and Business Affairs.
Subsequent implementation and updating etc. includes the following:
-
An inter-departmental coordination committee with representatives of the Ministry of Education (now the Ministry of Children and Education), the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (now the Ministry of Higher Education and Science), the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs is responsible for coordinating the implementation and regular updating of the Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning.
-
Inclusion of existing degrees and certificates into the Qualifications Framework was carried out from August 2009 to the end of 2010.
Inclusion of degrees for higher education takes place as part of the accreditation procedure. In the case of the other educational areas, inclusion is carried out by the authority or the actors with responsibility for the qualifications and the education programmes’ objectives and contents in accordance with Danish Acts and executive orders. Guidelines have been drawn up. -
Web-based information tools have been developed: A web edition of the Qualifications Framework here on www.nqf.dk and information about the level of each qualification on Uddannelsesguiden (the Education Guide). In addition, a more comprehensive introduction to the Qualifications Framework has been drawn up, available in Danish on the Ministry of Education website.
-
The Danish Contact Point for EQF is responsible for ensuring transparency between the Danish Qualifications Framework and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and ensuring access to information about Danish qualifications and their referencing in relation to the EQF. The Contact Point is now located in the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science.
-
Quality assurance of the Qualifications Framework’s level descriptors in relation to the EQF has taken place as part of the work of establishing references between the Danish level descriptors and the levels in the EQF.
-
An evaluation of the Qualifications Framework was carried out in 2013 by the Danish Evaluation Institute. The evaluation examined the fulfilment of the objectives of the Qualifications Framework.
Inclusion of qualifications from private institutions and from public institutions outside the remit of the education ministries
In 2019 the three education ministries, in collaboration with the Danish Accreditation Institution, adopted a set of criteria and a procedure making it possible to include qualifications from private institutions and from public institutions outside the remit of the three ministries. The inclusion of those qualifications in the framework is closely linked to the European agenda of establishing a more coherent system for lifelong learning and the national agenda of improving students' chances of completing their studies. The intention is to make students' learning outcomes more transparent, to improve the basis for admission and credit transfer into formal education and to give consumers better protection and confidence that providers of non-formal education live up to certain standards.
The Danish Accreditation Institution places the programs in the qualifications framework on the basis of the adopted criteria.