The National Qualifications Framework (Quadro Nazionale delle Qualifiche – QNQ) is the tool that describes all qualifications released within the national system for the certification of competences. The QNQ refers national qualifications to the European Qualification Framework (EQF) in order to coordinate the national system and qualifications to the ones of the other countries. To this end, the QNQ aims at coordinating all the different public systems that make up the whole lifelong learning offer and that release qualifications.

The Ministry of education and the Ministry of labour developed the National Qualifications Framework that is described in the Decree 8 January 2018.

In 2012, the State and the Regions (Conferenza Stato/Regioni) had agreed on a first national framework that referenced to the EQF the national qualifications released in the education system, up to the higher levels of education and training.

In 2015, the Ministry of labour and the Ministry of education agreed on the framework for reference to the EQF of the vocational qualifications released within the regional vocational education and training system (Istruzione e formazione professionale – IFP).

For further information please visit Atlante del lavoro e delle qualificazioni.

Table 1 – Framework for the reference of public national qualifications to the EQF

Source: State/Regions Conference, Agreement no. 252 of 20 December 2012, Annex B.

As for higher education, the Italian Qualifications Framework (Quadro dei Titoli Italiani - QTI) groups together information on qualifications released by Italian higher education institutions, both universities and institutions of the Higher education for the fine arts, music and dance (Alta formazione artistica, musicale e coreutica – AFAM). Moreover, the QTI also includes reference legislation for the higher education sector and specific descriptions on regulated professions.

The Framework is organised according to the three main higher education levels as defined through the Bologna Process and it shows the qualifications released for each cycle as well as the relative ECTS credits and learning outcomes (Dublin descriptors).

The QTI is available online both in Italian and English.