Advice on Europass, the European framework for transparency in qualifications and competences (24 March 2004)

The European Commission elaborated a proposal to bring together the different tools by which European citizens can clarify their qualifications and competences in one framework. This framework should make it possible to gear these tools to one other. In its advice on Europass, the Vlor judges the proposal from two points of view:

• the meaning of the proposal
• the way of implementing the proposal in Flanders

The Vlor appreciates the fact that Europass gives citizens the chance to describe their qualifications and competences clearly. This is useful for international mobility and for employment in the Flemish context, because the meaning of a certificate is not always very clear. It is also positive that the Europass proposal opens possibilities for informal learning, next to more formal learning pathways. But the Vlor also gives in its advice some considerations and suggestions:

• a clear distinction between results of learning pathways and self-evaluation;
• Europass must be clear and easy to use;
• a good protection of the electronic administration to protect the privacy.

Anyhow, the council states that Europass can be implemented in Flanders. The certificate supplement, one of the tools in the European proposal, has to become a standard procedure, similar to the diploma supplement in higher education. The Vlor asks the authorities for a coherent certification policy, in which Europass is integrated. But the Vlor also has some questions and remarks concerning the implementation of Europass in Flanders:

• Who will determine the content of the certificate supplement and what will be the procedure? It is necessary that the education partners are involved in this process;
• For which courses the certificate supplement is meant?
• Clear and targeted communication from the government on Europass;
• An evaluation of the surplus value and the administrative load of Europass;
• Maybe a registration and a central administration of the granted certificates is useful.