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HEIDEMARIE MÜLLER-RIEDLHUBER
the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), the European Credit Transfer
System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET)?, and the European
Taxonomy of Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO)*
have been developed and are currently being used in, or further developed
by, the Member States of the European Union. The attempt to improve the
transparency of skills and competences, however, faces a number of challenges:
language and terminological barriers; differences in educational systems
(qualifications) and labour market realities (occupation profiles); diverse
understandings of the concept of “competence” etc.
In order to provide the basis for a common description standard for
occupations’, skills, competences and qualifications at European level several
transparency documents — such as the Europass CV and the Europass skills
passport — guidelines and recommendations — for example, recommendations
for the validation of non-formal and informal skills and competences — have
been distributed throughout the Member states.
At present the Europe 2020 strategy aims to “create the conditions for a more
competitive economy with higher employment” through the delivery of “more
effective investments in education, research and innovation” and by placing
“strong emphasis on job creation and poverty reduction”.’ As a consequence of
efforts to implement this strategy the concepts of lifelong learning and lifelong
guidance have been developed and been attributed greater importance in Eu¬
rope. The idea of lifelong guidance is promoted in many European strategy
European Commission, ECTS information at the website of the European Commission, http://
ec.europa.eu/education/tools/ects_de.htm, accessed 14 October 2015.
3 ECVET Toolkit, www.ecvet-toolkit.eu/, accessed 14 October 2015.
European Commission, ESCO, European Classification of Skills/Competences, Qualifications
and Occupations. The first public release. A Europe 2020 initiative, European Union, 2013, 6,
https://ec.europa.eu/esco/web/guest/escopedia/-/escopedia?p_p_resource_id=92b7abac-ef89¬
46cc-aaca-7b9219920eeeESCO_Booklet_%2528PDF%2529.pdf, accessed 14 October 2015.
J. Winterton et al., Typology of knowledge, skills and competences: clarification of the concept
and prototype, Thessaloniki, CEDEFOP, 2005, 28.
The International Labour Organisation distinguishes between the terms Job, Occupation,
and Profession as follows: Job refers to “a set of tasks and duties performed, or meant to be
performed, by one person, including for an employer or in self-employment” while Occupation
refers to “a set of jobs whose main tasks and duties are characterised by a high degree of
similarity. A person may be associated with an occupation through the main job currently held,
a second job, a future job or a job previously held.” (International Standard Classification of
Occupations Structure, group definitions and correspondence tables, ISCO-08 Vol I, Geneva,
ILO, 2012, 11.) Profession is often used almost synonymously to occupation, but with a stronger
emphasize on connotations such as professionalism, expertise, or vocation (cf. German terms
“Beruf”: occupation/profession and “Berufung”: vocation/mission).
Quotation from: European Commission: Europe 2020 web portal, http://ec.europa.eu/
europe2020/europe-2020-in-a-nutshell/priorities/index_en.htm, accessed 13 October 2015.
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