The Development of National Qualifications and Quality Assurance Frameworks in the Context of the TVET Reform in Romania

Abstract

Romania is reforming its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system and introducing a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and a National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF) to create a new and comprehensive national quality assurance system for qualifications. These reforms have their origins in the social and economic restructuring which followed the fall of Communism, preparation for membership in the European Union, and developments in the field of education and training related to the Lisbon agenda. This article explains the background to the reforms and explores the purposes and scope of the NQF and the NQAF and the relationship between them. It argues that the way that the reforms are being undertaken should ensure that the NQF is developed in harmony with the NQAF and that, as a result, the NQF will be strongly supported by policies and processes which will secure the quality of the provision which it contains. The article looks at the way that the Romanian institutional structure is being used to implement the key functions and processes of the two frameworks and draws out some of the key issues which face the reformed Romanian system.