This study was tasked to support the development of the ESCO qualifications pillar, and two key tasks covered two broad questions. - Task B1 Qualifications entering ESCO via National Qualifications Frameworks undergo rigorous quality assessment by the national systems, but what quality assurance arrangements should be considered so that when private, sectoral and international qualifications are included in ESCO beyond national frameworks, so that the integrity of ESCO is maintained? National qualifications that are included through national qualifications frameworks have to comply with the 'Quality assurance principles for qualifications that are part of national qualifications frameworks or systems referenced to the European Qualifications Framework'. These principles are presented in Annex IV to the European Qualifications Framework Recommendation. Thus, in order to establish trust, private, sectoral and international qualifications directly included in ESCO also should comply with these principles. The information and evidence provided on quality assurance need to be reliable in order to be trusted. However, the focus is not only on technical aspects of quality assurance. In national contexts, qualifications are trusted because they are carriers of information and value. Most importantly they may carry currency for the labour market (e.g. they provide entry to or progression in the labour market), for further learning (e.g. they provide access and rights in the education system), and for society (e.g. social status is associated with a qualification). - Task B2 Across the three pillars there are opportunities to build linkages across the pillars to improve the utility of ESCO. This task examined whether it is possible, conceptually and technically, to link the learning outcomes of qualifications included in the ESCO qualifications pillar, with the ESCO skills pillar. Importantly, this task understands that to process all the information manually would incur significant (human) effort, and it explored to what extend automated information technology tools could be used. The information in the ESCO Pillars has been provided by Member States on a voluntary basis, by many stakeholders over the decade when ESCO was being developed. This was important context for the study in the principle of subsidiarity in the development of ESCO: "The competences of Member States, their different education and training system traditions, and where applicable, the autonomy of the awarding bodies are fully respected". That voluntary nature of participation by Member States in ESCO gave an important 'steer' that the study should not develop potential solutions that would result in significant administrative burden for the Member States. Further emphasis on the potential for automation and quality assurance was provided through a key aim of ESCO, which is to make data more transparent and easily available for use by various stakeholders and to support evidence-based policy making by enhancing the collection, comparison and dissemination of data in skills intelligence and statistical tools. In this study, and across the two tasks, there were three different 'professional languages' being used. First, there was the 'ESCO' language, involving the ESCO concepts, terminologies, data structures, and procedures. Second, there was the 'institutional and policy' language, involving national stakeholders, the DG EMPL unit responsible for coordinating ESCO, the unit coordinating the EQF, and the ESCO Secretariat. Third, there was the 'technology' language of tools, algorithms, artificial intelligence, databases etc. However, while the workshops involved representatives from Member States across the first two 'languages', there was less involvement of the technology actors at Member State level. The study identified real potential value in bringing together all actors via workshops involving policy, strategic and technical actors along with mediators, to define their specific strategies for delivery of ESCOsupportive content, and to agree together how to ensure this is supportive of both National and European objectives in relation to the European Qualifications Framework. In conclusion, although this study and this report may at times seem highly technical (both methodologically with issues such as quality, and technically with tools such as semantic technology and artificial intelligence), it is important to understand that the work is focused on enhancing ESCO so that it can better meet the needs of the end-users such as individuals and companies.
