The National Qualifications Framework (Quadro Nazionale delle Qualifiche – QNQ) is the tool that describes all qualifications released within the national system for the certification of competences. The QNQ refers national qualifications to the European Qualification Framework (EQF) to coordinate the national system and qualifications to the ones of the other countries. To this end, the QNQ aims at coordinating all the different public systems that make up the whole lifelong learning offer and that release qualifications.
The Ministry of education and the Ministry of labour developed the National Qualifications Framework, which is published in the Decree 8 January 2018.
In 2012, the State and the Regions (Conferenza Stato/Regioni) had agreed on a first Italian report of referencing of qualifications released in the education system to the EQF.
In 2015, the Ministry of labour and the Ministry of education agreed on the framework for referencing to the EQF of the vocational qualifications released within the regional vocational education and training system (Istruzione e formazione professionale – IeFP).
For further information on the qualifications available, please visit Atlante del lavoro e delle qualificazioni.
Table 1 – Framework for the reference of public national qualifications to the EQF
Source: extract from Conferenza Stato Regioni Accordo 20 dicembre 2012 n. 252, Allegato B .
As for higher education, the Italian Qualifications Framework (Quadro dei Titoli Italiani - QTI) groups together information on qualifications released by Italian higher education institutions, both universities and institutions of the Higher education for the fine arts, music and dance (Alta formazione artistica, musicale e coreutica – AFAM). Moreover, the QTI also includes reference legislation for the higher education sector and specific descriptions on regulated professions.
The Framework is organised according to the three main higher education levels as defined through the Bologna Process and it shows the qualifications released for each cycle as well as the relative ECTS credits and learning outcomes (Dublin descriptors).
The QTI is available online both in Italian and English.
Contents revised: 18 May 2023