Arrangements for the validation of non-formal and informal learning

National Qualification Framework (NQF)

With the establishment of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), Austria created an important basis for the recognition and visibility of non-formal and informal learning within a broader qualifications framework. The NQF is regulated by the Federal Law on the National Qualifications Framework (Bundesgesetz über den Nationalen Qualifikationsrahmen, 2016) and was introduced partly in response to the 2012 EU Council Recommendation, which called on Members States to establish national arrangements for validating non-formal and informal learning by 2018.

The NQF classifies qualifications from across the Austrian education system, including both formal and non-formal qualifications, on an eight-level scale aligned with the European Qualifications Framework. It does not conduct validation procedures itself. Rather, it serves as a transparency and comparability tool, making Austrian qualifications easier to understand and compare within Austria and Europe. In doing so, it helps give visibility and recognition to competences acquired outside the formal education system, with the aim of improving educational and career opportunities for individuals. 

Mapping process

The mapping of qualifications to the NQF follows a defined procedure. The responsible institution or ministry submits a request to the National Coordination Point at OeAD (NQR-Koordinierungsstelle, NKS), explaining how the qualification corresponds to the relevant level descriptors and learning outcomes. The request is reviewed with the support of external experts. If the NQF Steering Group does not object by a two-thirds majority, the NQF Advisory Board issues a statement and the qualification is published in the NQF Register. This makes the qualification officially referenced to the NQF and places it on a comparable footing with other qualifications, including those acquired through formal education. 

LLL – Strategy (Strategie zum lebensbegleitenden Lernen in Österreich)

The framework builds on earlier groundwork under the LLL:2020 Lifelong Learning Strategy. In this context, an inter-institutional working group developed Austria’s overall approach to recognising non-formal and informal learning, supported by pilot projects aimed at raising awareness and strengthening acceptance of validation. 

Procedures for validating non-formal and informal learning

Although validation procedures for non-formal and informal learning in Austria are generally designed for adult learners, they are also relevant for specific groups of young people within the scope of the Austrian Youth Strategy, which targets young people aged 14 to 24 and, in some cases, up to 30. 

Key target groups include young people and young adults without a completed apprenticeship or vocational qualification. For them, validation can provide accessible routes to recognised qualifications by assessing competences gained through work experience or other non-formal learning contexts. Examples include the social partner initiative “Du kannst was!”, which combines portfolio workshops with a formal competence check for young adults aged 22 and over, and the Viennese programme “Meine Chance – Ich kann das!”, in which vocational schools assess existing knowledge and may waive parts of the theoretical apprenticeship examination. 

Validation is also relevant for learners seeking access to formal education and qualifications. Depending on the procedure, validated competencies may lead to exemptions from parts of examinations, admission to higher education, recognition of prior learning within study programmes (up to a capped number of ETCs credits) or access to tertiary-level vocational qualifications. Since 2024, the Higher Vocational Education Framework (Bundesgesetz über die höhere berufliche Bildung, HBB-Gesetz) has introduced a dedicated validation and examination procedure that enables people with vocational experience to obtain tertiary-level qualifications outside the traditional university pathway. 

An overview of existing validation procedures of non-formal and informal learning is also maintained by Eurydice. 

Former federal project WIK:I (“Was kann ich durch informelles Lernen”)

From 2017 to 2021, the Austrian Youth Info Network ran the WIK:I project on behalf of the Federal Chancellery’s Section for Youth. The programme aimed to help young people apply informally acquired competencies, including those gained through hobbies and social activities, to their future careers. This was based in the idea that such experiences often have potential that employers value, but which young people themselves may not recognise or know how to express. Through guided workshops, trained facilitators helped participants to identify these ‘hidden talents’ and translate them into a documented competence profile.

Professionalising validation staff

Since the publication of Austria’s National Validation Strategy in 2017 (Strategie zu Validierung nicht-formalen und informellen Lernens in Österreich), which prioritises the professionalisation of practitioners, several measures have been developed to strengthen the quality of validation practice. At a cross-sectoral level, these include competence profiles, training curricula, research-based tools, and formats for exchanging information between counsellors, facilitators, and assessors. Key contributions include the Austrian Institute for the Vocational Education Research (Österreichisches Institut für die Berufsbildungsforschung, öibf) projects “wba digital” and “wba extended” (in German), which developed qualification and certification approaches for validation practitioners, and the TRANSVAL-EU project, which provided training in the assessment of transversal skills and established the Austrian Forum for the exchange of information between relevant stakeholders. 

Sector-specific structures complement these broader initiatives. The Austrian Academy of Continuing Education supports professional standards in adult education, while the aufZAQ competence framework contributes to quality assurance in child and youth work training. In higher education, the RPL Network Austria provides a platform for staff involved in recognising prior learning. The Higher Vocational Education Act (2024), has also embedded professional requirements in law, as authorised validation and examination bodies must now demonstrate relevant expertise and quality management procedures. 

Information and guidance

There are no national, centralised campaigns in Austria that promote the validation of non-formal and informal learning. Information is mainly provided through existing guidance and information structures. The NQF Register, which is managed by the National Coordination Point at OeAD, provides a public overview of formal and non-formal qualifications that have been mapped to NQF levels. Educational Guidance Austria (Bildungsberatung Österreich) provides free, independent counselling on education and career pathways, including information on recognition options, requirements, and funding. The Public Employment Service supports young jobseekers and those without completed vocational qualifications, particularly with regard to competence assessment access to apprenticeship-leave examinations. In addition, the Austrian Youth Portal (Jugendportal.at) raises awareness of and provides guidance on validation, explaining the educational value of non-formal and informal learning in youth work, and directing users to recognition tools such as Youthpass, aufZAQ and the NQR.

Quality assurance

In Austria, responsibilities for the validation of non-formal and informal learning are spread across different ministries, sectors and institutions, so there is no single overarching binding quality-assurance framework. Where validation leads to or is linked with formal qualifications, the relevant quality assurance mechanisms of the formal education system generally apply. Beyond this, quality assurance is mainly ensured through sector-specific standards, guidance documents and the occasional evaluation, which are often commissioned by the relevant institution or ministry and carried out by independent experts or researchers. 

An overall key reference document is the Quality Criteria Catalogue for Validation Procedures in Vocational and Adult Education in Austria (Kriterienkatalog zur Förderung der Qualität von Validerungsverfahren im Bereich der Berufs- und Erwachsenenbildung in Österreich), which was published by the former Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research as part of the implementation of Austria’s National Validation Strategy. This document provides quality criteria for various procedures, including formative and summative, as well as guided and non-guided, approaches. It has a focus on vocational and adult education, but is also relevant for validation in volunteering and youth work. The catalogue works primarily as guidance rather than a binding standard.  

In practice, quality assurance remains largely sector-based. For example, the Austrian Academy of Continuing Education applies quality standards when certifying adult educators; aufZAQ certifies non-formal training courses in child and youth work; and AQ Austria supports the development of quality in recognition-of-prior-leaning procedures in higher education, including through the RPL Network Austria. A more binding approach has recently been introduced through the Higher Vocational Education Act (HBB-Gesetz) in 2024. This Act requires authorised validation and examination bodies to demonstrate sectoral expertise and a functioning quality management system.