Development of Qualifications Framework for the System of Higher Education in the Urals Region

This project aims firstly, at the development of the Qualifications Framework for the system of professional education in the Urals Region and secondly at working out, basing on such regional approach, the methodology to create the National Qualifications Framework of the Russian Federation and futher co-ordinating it with the European QF.

The partners are working using the bottom-up approach according to the scheme containing 5 major steps:

1) interviewing the heads of higher professional institutions of Chelyabinsk region, as well as the heads of major departments to set up relevant descriptors and levels;

2) development of the grid describing the levels of education formed according to the results of the interview;

3) development of the grid describing the levels of professional activity, which would allow to finalize the form of the descriptors and to prove their relevance, basing on the analysis of the normative documents and nterviewing the heads of human resourse departments of regional enterprises;

4) discussing each grid with the enterprises of the region on the one hand, and with the educational institutions and with enterpeises of neighbouring regions, on the other;

5) discussing the QF which would appear as a result of bringing together the two grids and their approbation at the educational institutions and enterprises.

The distinctive feature of this project is that it is aimed at developing the instrument, which would allow to co-ordinate the inner logic of educational activity and the structure of labour market demands.

This approach in the long run would provide the availability of life long learning, as the clear link between the education recieved and the actul professional activity. It also provides a mechanism which ensures professional and personal mobility of every individual.

The expected result of the final conference, which would take place in October, 2010, is providing the recommendations for the development of Russian QF and establishing its co-ordination with the European QF.