Europass framework

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Europass is a European initiative to increase the transparency of national education systems and to improve their comparability in Europe. The Europass documents and the Europass portal are designed to promote mutual understanding of skills and qualifications in Europe. The instrument is based on the joint decision (EU) 2018/646 of the European Parliament and the Council of April 18, 2020. The decision of 2018 replaces the old Europass legal basis from 2004 ( Decision No. 2241/2004 / EC ), which is the successor of the Europass Vocational Training, introduced in 1999.

target

The declared aim of Europass is to provide a framework of instruments and information that are interlinked and create interfaces between the world of education and the world of work. The Europass is intended to increase cross-border mobility for taking up work and for learning purposes (training, study, further education, etc.). With the start of a new Europass portal on July 1, 2020, the previous five Europass documents are to be gradually converted into digitized offers and the previous curriculum vitae editor, which was operated by the European Center for the Promotion of Vocational Training CEDEFOP , is to be transferred from be replaced by a comprehensive online portal with an extended range of functions. The instrument is intended to help the citizens of Europe to present their qualifications and competencies transparently and in a comparable manner across national borders, to use modern application procedures and to search Europe-wide for learning opportunities, qualifications and jobs in just a few steps.

Content

The main building blocks of the Europass portal are:

  • e-Portfolio, in which users can create a personal profile with information on training, professional experience, interests and goals and can save relevant documents (e.g. résumés, work samples, copies of certificates) in an associated library. In order to be able to use the full range of functions, a one-time registration is necessary; Basic functions are available without registration.
  • Application tool: the Europass portal makes it possible to create résumés and cover letters in various designs - either based on your own profile or by entering all of the data again. The documents can then be saved as a PDF file and sent or printed. Alternatively, it is also possible to share parts of the profile with employers for a limited period of time.
  • The portal makes it possible to search for job advertisements, training opportunities and qualifications across Europe - either on the basis of the competencies and interests stored in the personal profile or using a simple search mask for location and search term. For the linked job advertisements there is a cooperation with EURES , the European portal for job mobility. EURES is a cooperation network of employment agencies to promote the free movement of workers in Europe.
  • Digital proof of proficiency: within the Europass portal, the EU Commission has created a technical framework for issuing, storing, verifying and sharing digital proof of proficiency. This is intended to provide a Europe-wide uniform standard for digital qualifications, certificates and other proof of skills. The technical standard can immediately recognize and classify all categories of training certificates and is currently still in the test phase (as of August 2020).

The Europass documents

Until the relaunch in July 2020, the Europass consisted of five individual documents - based on the old legal basis Decision No. 2241/2004 / EC:

  • Europass curriculum vitae: systematic presentation of acquired qualifications and competencies in a Europe-wide uniform format, free of charge online at www.europass.eu .
  • Europass language passport : documented foreign language skills according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ​​(CEFR) . The grid for self-assessment has only existed since July 2020 as a segment in the Europass CV or ePortfolio.
  • Europass Mobility: serves to document the learning outcomes of a specific stay abroad for learning purposes. This can be in the context of an apprenticeship, a course of study or professional development. The document is issued for the learner by the sending and receiving institutions.
  • Europass Certificate Supplement: Explanation of country-specific content and standards of training occupations. The certificate supplements are created by the relevant competent authorities. In Germany , these are the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) together with the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) for dual training occupations and advanced training occupations . The education ministries of the federal states and the secretariat of the conference of ministers of education are responsible for full-time school education and training courses. The certificate supplements for the German training occupations are available in German, English and French. In Austria , the certificate supplements are created by the following ministries: Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (vocational higher and middle schools, including college, advanced course, type of employment), Federal Ministry for Digital and Business Location (apprenticeships), Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer protection (training institutions in health professions). The certificate supplements for the Austrian training occupations are available in German and English.
  • Europass Diploma Supplement: List of academic achievements for better international comparability. The document is personal and is issued by the universities to their graduates.

With the exception of the Europass language passport, these documents will continue to exist after the start of the new Europass portal on July 1, 2020 and can be saved as PDF s in the library of the Europass ePortfolio.

Implementation in the Member States

In all 27 EU member states, as well as in the United Kingdom, the EFTA states Norway , Iceland , Liechtenstein and Switzerland, and in North Macedonia , Montenegro , Serbia and Turkey , national Europass centers have been set up to implement and disseminate the instrument. These are responsible for the implementation of the instrument at national level and the dissemination of information.

Link with other policy initiatives

European Skills Agenda

Europass is part of the updated European Skills Agenda for Sustainable Competitiveness, Social Justice and Resilience published on 1 July 2020 ( COM (2020) 274 ). It is based on the first skills agenda from 2016 ( COM (2016) 381 final ) and is intended to support member states in mastering the green and digital transformation and overcoming the socio-economic effects of the Covid 19 pandemic .

Action plan for digital education

The "provision of a framework for issuing digitally certified qualifications and for validating digitally acquired competences that are reliable, multilingual and can be stored in professional profiles (CVs) such as Europass" is part of the EU Commission's action plan for digital education ( COM (2018 ) 022 final ).

Web links