Qualifications system supporting lifelong learning and involvement of private sector - Latvian Qualifications System (LQS)

Qualifications system supporting lifelong learning and involvement of private sector - Latvian Qualifications System (LQS)

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This article is based on a peer learning visit in Latvia organised as part of the capacity building activities of DARYA, module 2. The visit provided insights on latest developments, ongoing challenges, current and future educational and labour market priorities. It showcased LQS arrangements at different levels: implementation/grassroot level (education and training providers), system level (ministries, state agencies) as well as technical/coordination level (Academic Information Center, Sectoral Expert Councils, Confederation of Employers, etc). The visit supported also self-reflection and analysis of own qualifications systems by representatives from Central Asian (CA) countries.1  

The Latvian Qualifications Framework (LQF) was officially adopted in 2010 and is now firmly embedded in the Latvian Qualifications System. It comprises 8 levels - similar in structure and content to those of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) with descriptors are based on learning outcomes. The LQF includes formal qualifications and covers almost all levels of education (basic, secondary, higher). Furthermore, it includes all types of education: general, vocational, academic, including professional qualifications (part of formal education) obtained through validation. 

The LQF was developed in two phases: the first (initial development phase, 2009-2011) included: the set-up of a working group by the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES), development and approval of LQF level descriptors; allocation of formal qualifications to LQF levels and consultation for referencing the LQF to the EQF. The second phase (further development and implementation phase, since 2013) relates to update of the LQF based on amendments made to the Vocational Education Law (VEL), the Law on Higher Education Institutions, and the outcomes of several pilot projects. Key milestones relate to: 

  • 2015 amendment to VEL to regulate the correspondence of professional qualification levels (1-5) to LQF levels 2-7 respectively. Another amendment made in the same year defined the main responsibility of the Sector Expert Councils (SECs): to participate in the development of Sectoral Qualifications Frameworks (SQF) according to labour market needs. SECs integrate a wide range of stakeholders representing different entities of a given economic sector – companies, industry chambers and organisations, representatives of higher education and professional bodies, as well as regulatory authorities. SECs develop both SQFs and occupational standards, which are then used by VET providers to design and update VET curricula, professional qualification exams;  
  • 2016 the Latvian Qualifications Database (LQD) was put into operation – it is a unique information system in Latvian and English comprising data on LQF qualifications described in terms of learning outcomes. The LQD contains approximately 3220 records. it was developed in collaboration with representatives from relevant ministries and national agencies; 
  • 2018 adoption of 15 sectoral qualifications frameworks (SQFs). SQFs are a systematised summary description of professional qualifications required in a specific field, taking into account sectoral developments. SQF adoption meant that professional qualifications from a specific economic sector are levelled to the relevant SQF, which in turn is referenced to the LQF; 
  • 2022 VEL was amended to allocate professional qualifications to all 8 LQF levels, introduce the use of education documents in digital format. In a national context, the 2022 revision of the VEL is considered crucial for making VET more flexible and open as it introduced the following changes: 

 

2022 Amendment to Vocational Education Law: 

  • The scope of the law has been expanded to cover all levels of the LQF, including professional higher education (LQF/EQF levels 5-8);  
  • The levels of professional qualifications have been regulated to correspond to the same level of the LQF/EQF; 
  • The delivery of modular VET programmes has been regulated as well as the acquisition of partial qualifications, also in a validation context. The law also specified that an occupational standard will identify those parts of the qualification that are recognisable in the labour market, in order to receive a ‘micro-credential’ - a unit or set of units of learning outcomes to be achieved for the performance of a specific work duty; 
  • An individual approach was introduced to allow admission to basic or secondary VET programmes based on the assessment of competencies;  
  • The functions and rights of the SECs have been supplemented and clarified e.g. SECs can make suggestions on the establishment and updating of the structure of sectoral qualifications by aligning it with labour market requirements. 
     

Future priorities2 in the field of Latvian VET relate to: 

  • Implementation of capacity building measures for VET institutions supporting VET excellence and innovation; 
  • Development and implementation of competence-based curriculum ensuring quality in VET delivery; 
  • Improvement of VET funding, evaluation and update of basic funding; 
  • Providing career counseling, information and career education for young people and adults; 
  • Development of VET graduate tracking as part of an education quality monitoring system; 
  • Building partnerships for VET, including promotion of international cooperation and cooperation between education and economic sectors, internationalisation, visibility and exportability of VET for the creation of long-term cooperation networks within the European Union and beyond; 
  • Promoting new forms of cooperation with employers and their organisations for increasing the quality of VET- this aspect aligns with efforts to re-enforce work-based learning (introduced 2015 in Latvia). 

 

Lessons learned 
The most important lessons learned from the PLA as identified by CA participants included: broader stakeholder involvement in the design and implementation of the Latvian Qualifications Framework, alignment of LQS with LQF, translation of NQF descriptors in industry language, participation of employers at all stages of vocational education (through SECs), individualisation of training programmes, (expressed in the use of modular programmes, partial qualifications and micro-credentials), efforts geared towards excellence, flexibility and autonomy of VET schools, use of monitoring tools to improve the quality of education as well as adaptation of Latvian VET programmes and SQFs to European requirements. 

Recommendations  
Based on practices observed in Latvia, CA country delegations prepared recommendations directed at national stakeholders. Most recommendations highlighted the need to regulate the mandatory inclusion of employers in VET governance and development of SQFs, create conditions for the work of SECs, establish a procedure leading to timely changes and updates of qualifications system and frameworks, update NQFs using an open format (through inviting all relevant stakeholders), explore mechanisms attracting employers to participate in the development of occupational and educational standards, develop modular programmes, get further insights on recognition of qualifications gained outside formal education and on the role of recognition centres and training providers, establish a national quality agency covering all educational levels, explore in more detail tools such as the Latvian map of sectoral qualifications or the qualifications database considering the possibility to create or update similar national tools.