What the European Qualifications Framework is
The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is a common translation device between national qualifications systems in Europe. It does not replace them and does not abolish them — it exists so that a qualification earned in one country can be understood in another.
The framework has eight levels. Each one is described through learning outcomes, that is, through what a person knows, is able to do and is responsible for — not through the number of years spent in education or the name of the institution. That is what makes qualifications from very different systems comparable.
Why this matters to you
If you are looking for work or study abroad
The EQF level on your diploma or certificate tells an employer or an institution abroad what kind of qualification it is, without them having to know the Montenegrin education system.
If you are an employer
The level lets you compare candidates holding qualifications from different countries on the same scale.
If you are an education provider
The framework is the basis for describing programmes through learning outcomes, and for placing a qualification on a level.
The national framework
Montenegro has its own National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is referenced to the European one. Referencing means that every national level corresponds to a level in the EQF, so a Montenegrin qualification can be compared with a qualification from any other country that has referenced its framework.
The level is stated in Europass documents, above all in the Diploma Supplement and the Certificate Supplement.
National Coordination Point
The National Coordination Point for the EQF operates within the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation. Its task is to keep the link between the national framework and the European one, to make level information available to the public, and to take part in the work of the European network of coordination points.
The eight levels, described in full
Knowledge, skills, and responsibility and autonomy for each level of the framework.