The Danish framework and its portal
The main topics of the study visit to Copenhagen of NQF experts on 25-26 July 2012 were the underlying principles and operation of the Danish qualifications system, with particular emphasis on the qualifications register and its associated website. On the first day, experts met with representatives of Alpha Solutions A / S. Under a sub-contractual arrangement with Schulz Information, they administer the portal, which includes the database of the Danish qualifications register.
On the second day, a seminar was held on the Danish qualifications system, during which a staff person from the Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalisation discussed, among other issues, the education system, qualifications registry and the portal, types of qualifications, the referencing process, and the role of social partners in the qualifications system. The education system in Denmark is very stable and has been based on learning outcomes for many years. At the same time, non-formal education plays a very small role.
In 2012, the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA), which is responsible for the evaluation of educational programs and the quality of education at all its levels, is to commission research on the functioning of the qualifications system. This will encompass an assessment of the extent to which the aims of the Danish qualifications framework are being reached and whether descriptors for levels 1-5 have been assigned properly. EVA will also assess the need to include qualifications achieved through the non-formal education system in the framework.
Copenhagen city center, photo: Beata Balińska
One can say that the levels of the Danish qualifications framework actually describe successive stages of the Danish education system. (That is, that each of the numbers on a diploma refers to a specific stage of learning at school / university.)
Based on the information gained during the study visit, a conclusion can be drawn that the term "qualifications registry" is understood differently in the Danish qualifications system than in the Polish counterpart. The Registry database is accessible through a portal, which provides information about all the educational programmes, schools and universities, and shows how they are linked. In addition, the portal includes tools to help users assess their professional and educational profile, as well as design their individual career paths. Data on the qualifications functioning in the system originate mainly from the Danish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education and the Ministry for Education and Children, which list the diplomas under their jurisdiction.
