QAA has verified that The framework for higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FHEQ) is compatible with the qualifications framework set up through the Bologna Process - the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area (FQ-EHEA).
The FQ-EHEA provides a mechanism for relating the qualifications frameworks of different European countries to each other, so helping with the recognition of qualifications from different countries and promoting mobility of learners and graduates across Europe.
The criteria and procedures for verification require each country to demonstrate the robustness of their quality assurance systems as well as the links between their national framework and that of the European Higher Education Area. The process is one of self-certification by each country.
All countries in the European Union are required to have completed the process by 2010, and already all countries in the UK have now done so.
The group charged with conducting the verification process was set up by QAA, and made up of representatives from across the higher education sector. The group included international experts, including a representative from the Council of Europe, and the final report was written by an independent rapporteur.
The Bologna Process is a voluntary agreement, signed by the higher education ministers of 46 European countries, with the intention of creating a European Higher Education Area by 2010. It is a means of promoting mutual recognition of qualifications, demonstrating transparency and easing mobility of staff and students.
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