ECVET

The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training is one of the European Transparency Instruments. ECVET aims to support the mobility of European citizens, facilitating lifelong learning (formal, informal and non-formal learning) and providing greater transparency in terms of individual learning experiences.

It offers a set of tools (www.ecvet-toolkit.eu) for the transfer, recognition and (where appropriate) accumulation of individuals' learning outcomes acquired during a stay in another country, with a view to achieving a qualification. Thus it eases the learners’ mobility between European countries.
One main principle is the use of learning outcomes description as they are the basis for credit transfer and accumulation. Thus it works hand in hand with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) to provide greater transparency in European qualifications, promoting the mobility of workers and learners, and facilitating lifelong learning.

Additionally ECVET opens new opportunities for permeability within national educational systems: comparison the learning outcomes units of related VET programmes and recognition of those units already learned eases the learners’ progression on their lifelong learning path.

Information about the actual status of ECVET in the partner countries can be found at Comparative analysis of the implementation of the NQFs, ECVET and the situation of the low level qualifications (levels 1 and 2 EQF)