The NLQF: Driving the convergence of the formal and non-formal education sectors

The NLQF

NLQF supports the overarching goals of the EQF and adapts them to the Dutch context, addressing the diverse range of education and training programmes that fall outside the Ministry of Education’s regulation (non-formal education). Since its implementation, the NLQF has played a key role in merging education and the labour market by stimulating non-formal qualification recognition, facilitating mobility, and validating diverse learning pathways.

In 2022, 3.5 million people in the working population (aged 15 to 75) in the Netherlands participated in lifelong learning.¹ Most participate in non-formal education, with 67 per cent of adults engaged in non-formal education and 33 per cent in formal education in 2022.²

The programmes offered by labour market stakeholders such as industry associations, major employers, and private education providers can be aligned with the education system, regulated by the Ministry of Education (formal education), through a classification procedure executed by the National coordination point (NCP) NLQF since 2012. This procedure ensures that their qualifications are comparable to formal education, providing transparency and recognition of qualifications for learners and employers. Although increasingly more countries reward qualifications outside the formal education sector (cf. Cedefop 2024a), the inclusive approach of the NLQF was innovative in Europe at the time of its launch.

Transparency and standardisation

Beside galvanising labour market mobility and broader access to the labour market, the NLQF aims to enhance transparency by defining qualification levels based on learning outcomes. Focusing on learning outcomes creates a common language to describe competencies. Using this common language helps learners, employers, and educational institutions to understand and compare competencies across sectors and national borders (cf. Cedefop 2024b).

Thus, the NLQF allows private education providers in different sectors, such as healthcare, technology, and finance, to align their training programmes with national and European standards. Besides the orientation on learning outcomes, the NLQF has introduced several other key elements of standardisation that contribute to the consistency and comparability of qualifications across the Dutch qualification landscape. To begin with, the classification procedure, based on the eight-level framework, prescribes descriptors based on standardised level descriptors such as complexity of knowledge, level of problem solving, and degree of autonomy and responsibility. To be classified in the NLQF, providers must also meet specific standards for examination, and labour market relevance, all measured by a standardised procedure that applies to all non-formal qualifications. All formal qualifications were classified at the start of the NLQF, which was possible thanks to the framework’s interlinkage with the Dublin descriptors, for example, on which formal higher education is based.

Governance

From a governance perspective, the NLQF has established a framework enabling both formal and non-formal qualifications to adhere to consistent standards, focusing solely on the level of learning outcomes without assessing the quality or content of the qualification or provider. Over the past 13 years, the NCP, operating under the commission of the Ministry of Education, has encouraged the classification of non-formal learning and training programmes within the framework. To maintain the NLQF’s relevance in the rapidly evolving Dutch education market, fostering collaboration between industry stakeholders and educational institutions from across the wide landscape remains essential.

Since being embedded in law as of January 1, 2025, the NLQF is more structured and sustainably implemented. Additionally, the framework has been integrated into government-led policies and funding schemes, ensuring that NLQF-classified qualifications play a role in lifelong learning and workforce development. For instance, the NLQF will be included in the SLIM training scheme, which partially reimburses SMEs the costs of both formal and non-formal NLQF-classified training programmes to support workforce development and respond to labour market shortages. At sector level, sector organisations and industry associations are also actively integrating the NLQF into their workforce strategies. For example, in the cleaning sector companies have agreed that employees must complete an NLQF-classified training programme within their first year of employment. Similarly, sector-specific training and development funds, such as those in the metal and electrical engineering industry, provide subsidies for NLQF-classified training programmes. These initiatives ensure broader access to upskilling opportunities, while maintaining quality standards. The growing number of examples in which NLQF plays a role in re- and upskilling opportunities, demonstrate the growing importance of the NLQF in shaping a future-proof workforce and fostering continuous learning opportunities.

Future outlook

Looking forward, the NLQF is expected to align with national educational advancements, including the creation of a national skills ontology, the classification of microcredentials, and the promotion of modular learning approaches, all together fostering transparency in education. These developments could significantly enhance the flexibility and responsiveness of the education system to changing labour market needs and individual learning preferences. The NLQF has been responsive to European strategies (e.g. the Skills Agenda, cf. European Commission 2016) particularly in its strategies and emphasis on social and entrepreneurial competencies. These skills are incorporated to varying extents into the level descriptors of the NLQF, recognising their growing importance across all sectors and levels of education and training.

As technological advancements, demographic changes, and the transition to a more sustainable economy reshape workforce demands, the framework itself will need to remain adaptive and inclusive. Responding to both international and national developments, and further aligning with Dutch and European initiatives will be crucial to maintaining the framework’s relevance.

However, the true success of the NLQF is reflected in the number of qualifications that are classified. While all formal qualifications are included, the recognition of non-formal qualifications remains limited; 279 qualifications from 99 providers had been classified at the time of writing, merely scratching the surface of the non-formal education landscape. Previous research on the impact of the NLQF concluded that expanding the number of classified non-formal qualifications – opportunities mentioned were incentives, lower costs, and simplification of the classification procedure – as well as increasing the publicity of the NLQF, are crucial to ensuring that the framework continues to provide meaningful value to both learners and employers. Evaluation and impact studies by Ockham IPS³, NIDAP Research (2020), and more recently Markteffect (not published yet) have provided insights into challenges and opportunities mainly in regard to more active and targeted communication towards interested parties, end users and non-users, which the NCP NLQF has actively addressed and implemented in recent years. Ongoing evaluation and improvement will strengthen the NLQF’s role as a vital instrument for lifelong learning and workforce development in the Netherlands, supporting individuals in navigating an increasingly dynamic labour market with recognised and accessible qualifications that demonstrate skills which meet both national and international standards.

Frederike G.S. Jansen
Strategic Advisor, National Coordination Point Netherlands Qualifications Framework (NCP NLQF)

Tijs Pijls
Director, National Coordination Point Netherlands Qualifications Framework (NCP NLQF)

Hanneke Smit-Toet
Advisor, National Coordination Point Netherlands Qualifications Framework (NCP NLQF)

(A German translation of the article has been published in BWP 2/2025)