The Council of Ministers, by its Decision No. 67.445, dated 9/07/2008, approved a proposal for the appointment of a National Committee with the mission of developing a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for Cyprus. After consultation with various stakeholders, the first draft version of the referencing report was presented to the EQF advisory group in June 2014.

A comprehensive NQF has been developed, which includes all levels and types of qualifications from all subsystems of education and training, from primary to higher education. The NQF is also open to qualifications awarded outside the formal educational system. In this respect the System of Vocational Qualifications (SVQ), being developed by the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus (HRDA), is an integral, though distinct, part of the NQF.

The Cyprus NQF was referenced to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) in February 2017; responsibility lies with the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, where the National Contact Point (NCP) has been established.

The CyQF includes the development and implementation of the procedures that relate to Quality Assurance and the award of Qualifications. It is also the «tool» for the categorization of the qualifications according to skills, knowledge and competencies.

It operates as a reference framework, enabling the validation and comparability of qualifications and hence the mobility of workers and learners. It is an attempt to encompass the diversity of lifelong learning, formal, non-formal and informal learning.

European Qualifications Framework (EQF)

The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is an overarching framework which enables European countries to compare their qualifications systems to one another. By doing so, it aims to support mobility of learners and workers across Europe.

The EQF is made up of 8 levels, and acts as a translation device to assist learners and providers across Europe understand how qualifications within the different education systems in the member States relate to each other. It applies to all types of qualifications, from those achieved at school, to academic, professional or vocational qualifications awarded at the highest levels.

One of the key aims of the EQF is to contribute to a mobile and flexible European workforce.