Unlocking Skills Mobility: The Role of European Transparency Tools to Drive the Skills Portability Initiative and Talent Mobility

From July to December 2026, Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. As part of the Presidency Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and the Irish National Europass Centre, which is based at QQI, will host a three-day conference in October surrounding the Skills Portability Initiative. 

The event, which will take place in Dublin 12-14th October, will focus on two key aspects of the Skills Portability Initiative, namely Third Country Qualifications Framework Comparison1 and the development and implementation of micro-credentials. The programme will span across three days with the following high-level structure.
 

• Day 1 (Monday 12 October): Small focus group workshop (approx. 12-15 people) focused on identifying practical solutions to enhancing existing transparency tools to support countries outside the EU, often referred to as third countries, and strengthening post comparison activities to deliver trust and transparency in their qualifications. This workshop will be invite-only.   

   

• Day 2 (Tuesday 13 October): Public conference (approx. 180-200 people) with a mix of keynote speeches, panel discussions and short presentations to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with third country comparison and micro-credentials, and the tension between European and third country approaches. Participants will be invited to express interest in attending via an online form. Registration links will be issued to successful participants to ensure a balance of representation across countries, sectors and subject areas. 

   

• Day 3 (Wednesday 14 October): 
  • QQI will host a study visit for visiting third country representatives (approx. 12-15) regarding the design, implementation and communication of the Irish NFQ. This will be held in collaboration with the European Training Foundation, and participants will be agreed by ETF. 
  • QQI will also host a meeting of regional qualifications frameworks representatives. This meeting will be invite-only.

A detailed concept note and draft agenda for the conference can be accessed below. 

The conference is being organised by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), the Irish National Europass Centre (NEC) and the Irish European Qualifications Framework National Coordination Point (EQF NCP) in co-operation with and support from the European Commission, European Training Foundation (ETF) and Cedefop.

The event is primarily targeted at key stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of National Qualifications Frameworks in Ireland, the EU and third countries, including national co-ordination points, social partners and policy makers.

If you would like to express your interest in attending the conference, please complete the form linked below. 

Ireland EU Presidency 2026 Conference - Expression of Interest

If you would like more information about the conference please contact qqieupres@qqi.ie