G u I d e L i n e s m a n u a L s a n d g u I d e L i n e s

expected to play a major role. 

In the 2006 version of the CLA, the concept of NFQ was used as a way of indicating whether 

an activity qualified as formal. An institutionalised learning activity (i.e. education in the 

broader sense) was considered formal if its completion led to a learning achievement (a 

qualification or award) that could be positioned within a national framework of qualifications 

(NFQ). 

 

 

 

Note 2: link between the CLA and the European 

qualifications framework 

The European qualifications framework (EQF) is a tool that supports the communication of 

and comparison between qualifications systems in Europe. Its eight common European 

reference levels are described in terms of learning outcomes: knowledge, skills and 

competences. This makes it possible for national qualifications systems and qualifications to 

correspond to EQF levels. Learners, graduates, education providers and employers can use 

these levels to understand and compare qualifications awarded in different countries and by 

different education and training systems. The EQF was formally adopted by the European