Educational policy framework conditions

Several strategies or developments of European education policy can be mentioned as drivers for the recognition and crediting of competences for higher education studies and programmes, in particular the Bologna Process (higher education), the Lifelong Learning (LLL) Strategy, the Copenhagen Process (vocational education) and the Lisbon Strategy in education, which has a bundling effect on the different strands.

At the national level, the Austrian lifelong learning strategy 'LLL:2020' was adopted by the federal government in July 2011, which envisages that acquired skills and competences 'are recognised and certified as qualifications regardless of where they were obtained, and are equal to non-formal and informal education processes.' (LLL:2020, p. 44).

Since 2014, AQ Austria has been involved in several projects supported by the Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research (BMFWF) on questions of quality assurance of procedures for the recognition of non-formally and informally acquired competences.

In 2021, the legal basis will be created that will enable RPL in all higher education sectors.

As of 1.1.2021, AQ Austria has also been legally mandated as a contact point for information and counselling on the recognition of non-formally and informally acquired competences (Act on Quality Assurance in Higher Education - HS-QSG § 3 para. 3 line 12).

The new legal regulations in particular ensure the commitment of education policy to the implementation of recognition of non-formally and informally acquired competences.