Following the adoption of the 2008 Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework (EFQ) for lifelong learning, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, in consultation with the Ministry of Research and Higher Education presented their proposal for a national qualifications framework to the EQF in 2012 to the EQF's Advisory Group, which accepted it.

The Luxembourg qualifications framework (CLQ; Cadre luxembourgeois de qualifications) is a non-binding guidance framework, which gives a comprehensive overview of the different qualifications available in Luxembourg’s formal education and training system.

General goals and purposes

Designed for purposes of communication, orientation and transparency, the CLQ does not confer any entitlements, neither regarding the access to study or training programmes, nor in view of the recognition of certifications. These aspects are governed by separate laws.

The CLQ aims at allowing:

• Individuals to position their level of qualification in comparison to other qualifications, thus helping them to plan their training pathways
• Education and training providers, as well as certifying bodies, to understand the level of learning outcomes related to access of a training programme or a certification
• Stakeholders from the job market, such as employers or employment administrations, to understand the level of competences acquired by an individual in relation to the labour market’s demand
• Comparison between certifications from Luxembourg and certifications from abroad.

Design

Like the EQF, the CLQ comprises eight levels:

The learning outcomes of each qualification are described by 3 categories of descriptors. These descriptors set out in a general and non-disciplinary way what a learner usually knows, understands and is able to do at the end of a learning process.

These three categories of descriptors are:

1. Knowledge 
2. Aptitudes 
3. Attitudes.

'Knowledge' should be understood as the outcome of the assimilation of information as a result of education and training. Knowledge refers to a group of facts, principles, theories and practices connected with a particular area of study or work; 'assimilation' is defined as the process by which knowledge or knowhow is integrated by the learner.

'Aptitudes'  should be understood as referring to the ability to apply knowledge to the completion of tasks and the resolution of problems. As in the European Qualifications Framework, aptitudes may be either:

• Cognitive (use of logical, intuitive and creative thinking), or
• Practical (based on both dexterity and the use of method, equipment, tools and instruments).

'Attitude' should be understood as referring to personal and social dispositions in work or study situations and for professional or personal development:

• Personal abilities are characterised by an autonomous, responsible disposition that allows critical consideration of one’s own actions and the actions of other people; they also define the scope of a person’s own development through either study or practice
• Social skills depend on an autonomous, responsible disposition that allows working with others and taking other people’s interests into account.

The descriptors have been developed with reference to existing certifications as well as to the European descriptors (knowledge, skills, and competences). There is no parallel system for adult learners: adult secondary and higher education lead to the same qualification as initial education. The same applies to the validation of informal learning, which is also done by reference to qualifications within the education system.

Lifelong Learning

Luxembourg’s framework s is dedicated to a Lifelong Learning perspective and does not distinguish between different fields of education. Vocational and general qualifications are placed at the same level.

During the first phase of implementation, the framework will be open to formal certifications of Luxembourg’s official system only.

In a second phase, institutions delivering non formal certifications (that is certifications that are not foreseen in Luxembourg’s formal education and training system) will have the possibility to request referencing to the framework. Luxembourg’s strategy for Lifelong Learning foresees to establish a referencing procedure. Among other criteria, which will yet have to be defined, referencing of certifications will be based on the definition of the learning outcomes certified.