EFEE welcomes the European Commission’s Skills Portability Initiative and supports its objective of improving the transparency, comparability and usability of qualifications and skills across the EU.
In our contribution, we emphasise that skills portability must reinforce trust, quality and clarity, not bypass existing recognition systems or national responsibilities. The initiative should build on established frameworks such as National Qualifications Frameworks and the EQF, avoiding duplication and fragmentation.
We highlight the need for a differentiated approach across education sectors, particularly between higher education and vocational education and training (VET). In VET, a targeted and sector-based approach may be more effective, especially for non-regulated professions. In regulated professions, quality assurance and public protection must remain paramount.
The contribution also stresses the importance of:
strong quality assurance mechanisms;
clear governance and cooperation between Ministries of Education and Labour;
coherent and interoperable digital credentials;
and a gradual, pilot-based implementation to build trust and practicality.
EFEE underlines that social partners have a key role in co-designing and implementing a skills portability framework that supports mobility while safeguarding educational standards and workforce sustainability.
The full EFEE contribution to the Skills Portability Initiative consultation can be viewed and downloaded here:
EFEE contribution TO SPI