From nursing assistance to cardiac surgery: OeAD maps the entire spectrum of healthcare qualifications in the National Qualifications Framework
Since December 2023 key qualifications in the healthcare sector have been assigned to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Doctors have now been assigned to NQF level 8 and the following qualifications have been published in the NQF register: general practitioner, specialist in internal medicine, specialist in cardiac surgery. These are just a few examples of altogether 51 specialisations.
in 2018 "Clinical Psychology" and "Health Psychology" at NQF level 8 were the first qualifications in the healthcare sector to be assigned to the Austrian NQF. At the end of 2021 the qualifications in the nursing sector followed with "Nursing Assistant" at NQF level 4, "Specialised Nursing Assistant" at NQF level 5 and "Certified Nurse" at NQF level 6.
The NQF serves as an important guide in working life and makes qualifications comparable and comprehensible across Europe. It also shows which skills have been acquired in the education system. Based on learning outcomes, the NQF assigns education and training and further education to a total of eight levels – from basic knowledge, skills and abilities at level 1 to advanced knowledge, expert knowledge at the highest level and innovative ability at level 8.
Completed apprenticeships and qualifications from schools for intermediate vocational education (including technical schools) are at level 4, qualifications from colleges for higher vocational education (technical colleges, commercial colleges, etc.) at level 5, engineering qualifications and master craftsperson or qualifying examinations at level 6 and higher education qualifications (bachelor's, master's and PhD ("Bologna qualifications")) at levels 6, 7 and 8, respectively.
Qualifications from A for alpine education to Z for customs declarant
Austria's education agency OeAD is the central administration, coordination and information centre for the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in Austria (NQF Coordination Point). Among other things, the NQF Coordination Point examines the allocation requests and maintains the qualifications register. With its eight levels of qualification allocation the NQF serves as a guide. Besides qualifications regulated by the law it also covers the entire range of adult education, continuing education and out-of-school work with children and young people. They are diverse and range from alpine education courses to customs declarants.
All assigned qualifications have been and will be published in the NQF register at www.qualifikationsregister.at.
Objectives of the NQF and EQF
The aim of the work on the NQF is to create a common European Qualifications Framework (EQF). At its core the EQF is an eight-level comparison and translation grid (levels I to VIII), which is intended to make the large number of national qualifications comparable and comprehensible throughout Europe. Ultimately the qualifications of the entire education landscape are to be mapped on the basis of learning outcomes, promoting mobility, permeability and recognition of skills between education systems as well as lifelong learning.
