Europass and the European Qualifications Framework

Europass

Europass is an online platform that offers a range of free multilingual tools, information, and resources to help support you in in managing your career and lifelong learning. 

QQI manages Ireland's National Europass Centre and engages in promotional activities for stakeholders and Europass users.

On this page, you can discover more about Europass and all the ways it can help you take the next step in your career or lifelong learning journey. 

Find out more below on the tools, information, and resources Europass offers and visit the Europass platform to access them. 

Stay informed on Europass by following us on social media: 
Europass logo

The Europass Profile allows users to: 

Europass Mobility is a document which can help showcase skills and learning acquired during an organised mobility experience.  

Who issues the Europass Mobility Supplement?  

The National Europass Centre provides information and guidance on completing the Europass Mobility Document template.  

The sending partner, this is the partner that organised the mobility experience, issues the completed Europass Mobility Document to the person who participated in the mobility experience. 

How do I issue the Mobility Supplement? 

For guidance on issuing the Europass Mobility supplement post-mobility, please read the Europass Mobility Document: Information and Instructions. For additional guidance on completing the Europass Mobility Document please see here.   

The Europass Mobility Document templates can be downloaded below: 

How do I make a Mobility Supplement return? 

If you are a sending partner and are ready to make a Europass Mobility Supplement return, please complete the form here 

Who do I contact for guidance on issuing the Mobility Supplement? 

QQI as Ireland's National Europass Centre offers support to those issuing the Mobility Supplement.  

Any questions on the Mobility Supplement process can be emailed to info@europass.ie. 

The Diploma Supplement is issued by higher education institutions and offers helpful information on higher education qualifications such as grades, achievements, and institutions in a standard format.

You can request your Diploma Supplement for free from the Higher Education institution where you studied.  

The Europass Certificate Supplement is for graduates with vocational and further educations qualifications and offers helpful information on your qualifications such as grades, achievements, and institutions in a standard format. The Certificate Supplement is issued at the qualification level.

You can search for the Europass Certificate Supplement for your qualification in your country database or contact your institution for further information. 

Holders of digital credentials for learning can safely receive and store digital credentials with the Europass platform. For more details on issuing digital, tamper-proof qualifications and other learning credentials see here. 

The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is an 8-level, learning outcomes-based framework for qualifications that allows comparison across different national qualifications frameworks. 

Europass has an online compare qualifications tool which helps to compare the qualifications in any EU country with the qualifications in another. This provides broad comparability of the national qualifications framework, and how systems relate to one another.

Europass Library provides a free online space, linked to the Europass Profile, where users can store files related to their career and studies. 

The Job & Skill Trends Tool shows which jobs are in demand in a country and skills for a particular occupation. 

Europass provides information on working and learning in different countries in Europe. 

The interoperability feature of Europass supports the exchange and easy flow of data and information with employment and learning service providers, to connect with them and make applications etc.   

European Qualifications Framework (EQF)

QQI is the designated EQF National Coordination Point for Ireland (EQF-NCP Ireland). The EQF is an 8-level, learning outcomes-based framework for qualifications that allows comparison across different national qualifications frameworks. The EQF helps improve transparency, comparability, and portability of qualifications.  

The Irish NFQ is referenced to the EQF, see here for further details. 

For information on other national qualification frameworks referenced to the EQF the National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF) online tool developed by Cedefop provides useful details. 

Fan image comparing the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), European Qualifications Framework (EQF), and Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area (QF-EHEA).

Global Fan

The Global Fan includes the Irish NFQ, EQF and QF-EHEA frameworks showing how the levels on each relate to each other.

National Europass Centre and National Coordination Point for the Implementation of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF)

Location: Ireland

Start Date: 01 January 2024

End Date: 31 December 2026

Programme: ERASMUS2027

Project ID: 101163116

Topic ID: ERASMUS-EDU-2024-POL-NTWK-EQF-EUROPASS-IBA

Coordinator Contact Details: info@europass.ie

Funded by: European Union

Granting Authority: European Education and Culture Executive Agency

Funding statement:

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Project Summary:

The Europass EQF-NCP Ireland project is a three-year collaborative programme of activities led by Quality and Qualifications Ireland which aims to promote Europass platform and operate the EQF-NCP for stakeholders and the general public in Ireland. 

National Europass Centre and EQF National Contact Point at Quality and Qualifications Ireland combine project activities for the period from 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2026 to advance understanding and transparency of qualifications and opportunities for learning and working in Europe. 

Our project will strive to promote and support the use of Europass extensively. Our project also aims to build awareness and further the agenda of the EQF-NCP through a range of planned, strategic activities closely aligned to the strategy of Quality and Qualifications Ireland and our Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science (DFHERIS). 

Key activities include direct promotional activities in communications and media, a number of key events for our stakeholders such as the EU Reference Group Annual meeting for agencies of the DFHERIS and the Annual Five Countries Meeting of agencies of Ireland and the UK. Attending public and sector specific events organised by QQI and third parties will also be core activities. Collaboration with EU Erasmus+ national agencies and other agencies such as EURES, Leargas, Euroguidance, will also be important areas of work. A core package of EQF work in this phase of the project will be the further development of the Irish Register of Qualifications to align its data more closely with the requirements of the European Learning Model.

Image of the European Union (EU) flag. The flag consists of twelve gold stars in a circle on a blue background.
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