The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) was introduced in 2008 as a "meta-framework" or common reference point for national qualifications frameworks in Europe, a function for which, with some caveats, it has been pragmatically successful. It has also been used with variable success to support the development or referencing of…

The TRAVORS projects, supported by the European Union's Lifelong Learning Programme, ran between 2008 and 2012. Their object was to develop training programmes for disability employment practitioners across nine countries based on proven approaches both to vocational rehabilitation and to skills training. The second of the two projects aimed to…

The Conservation Technician Qualification (CTQ) is a recent development to meet the needs of a group of workers in the cultural heritage field. While following some of the principles underpinning UK National Vocational Qualifications, it is employer-initiated and owned, awarded by a professional institute, and wholly workplace-based. A short trial…

Purpose: This paper sets out to examine whether the process of accrediting prior experiential learning (APEL) as used in UK universities is the most appropriate approach for providing academic recognition for work-based projects and learning. Design/methodology/approach: Work-based projects that had already been assessed in the context of a…