TURKISH QUALIFICATIONS DATABASE PROJECT (2014-2016)

The EQF Portal, which is the most comprehensive source of information on European Qualifications Framework, serves the function of tying national qualification databases and registaries with each other and making national qualifications transparant, searchable and reachable, by presenting the results on the process of association within EQF levels and the necessary information on how qualification levels in one country can be compared to those in another country.

Under the title ‘’Erasmus+ Program Main Action 3-Supporting of policy reforms’’, which aimed at reaching the goals of European Youth Strategy, 2020 strategy and European Cooperation Strategic Framework (ET 2020) in education and training, the following were supported for the stakeholders;

• Attempts towards making the transparency of skills and qualifications along with credit transfer easier,
• Attempts towards the development of quality assurance,
• Attempts towards the verification of non-formal and informal education,
• Attempts towards the development of European policy tools for management of skills and guidance
• Attempts towards accessing the networks that make changes easier in Europe, learning and working mobility of citizens and flexible learning ways among youth fields.

In this context, the Turkish Qualifications Database Project was started on 01.12.2014 in order to establish, develop and link the National Database including the qualifications referenced with the EQF and added to the Turkish Qualifications Framework with the EQF/Ploteus portal. The total budget of the project, which had an implementation period of 24 months, was €89,000 and €66,750 was co-financed by the European Commission and €22,250 by the VQA as the national contribution.

Within the scope of the Turkish Qualifications Database Project; the following were aimed:

Completing technical infrastructure studies and developing a database of national qualifications,

Transfering the qualifications which were developed by VQA, referenced with the EQF and added to the TQF, into the database,

Transfering the qualifications which were developed by other organizations, referenced with the EQF and added to the TQF into the database under the supervision of VQA

Reaching the qualifications in the database in Turkish and English,

Linking the developed database with the EQF Portal and ensuring that the national qualifications are transparent, accessible and comparable

The activities carried out within the scope of this project were closely related to the development of the European Multilingual Classification for Skills, Competences and Occupations (ESCO). National qualifications associated with the EQF may be indirectly included in the ESCO scope through the EQF portal, which is linked to the Turkish Qualifications Database.