Quality Certification for Vocational Education and Training

The vocational education and training sector in Portugal consists of a multitude of public and private players. Their activities range from conventional face-to-face lectures, e-learning and blended learning, the production of learning or teaching materials, to various educational services. However, an objective comparison of all these different learning opportunities was difficult in the past, as the definition of “good” education and training remained a mere matter of opinion and the standard that existed in Portugal for decades did not address these learning opportunities in a comprehensive and was more focused on face-to-face learning. This problem became especially obvious in the growing e-learning market.

The project Q-Cert-VET addresses this gap by developing such a national quality standard and by initiating the development of required tools for professional quality certification. However, it is not necessary to re-invent the wheel: instead, the proven quality standards of other EU countries can by transferred to Portugal through adaption to its specific legal, didactic and cultural framework conditions. The reference framework QPL (short for Quality Platform Learning), developed in Germany, provides the basis for the new quality standard and related instruments and tools for the certification scheme, including the first training course for lead auditors.