The Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) is getting around three times as many queries from overseas as from Malta – a complete reversal of the situation a year earlier.

In 2010, the situation was dramatically different, with queries about 6,400 qualifications from 1,560 Maltese citizens and only 648 foreigners. By 2015, the situation had already changed and the centre processed queries from 1,300 Maltese applicants and 2,249 foreign applicants. This trend was further pronounced in 2016 with the ratio of Maltese to foreign users of MQRIC services almost reaching 1:3.

The head of the centre, Stefan Sant, believes that this is due to the user-friendly website and database set up last year, which allows students, employees and employers to check whether a particular qualification is recognised within the European Qualifications Framework.

Since Malta is part of the framework, it can provide recognition and comparability of both academic and vocational qualifications, as well as offering advice on both local and international qualifications.

The centre was previously the Malta Qualifications Council, and has been operating as part of the National Commission for Further and Higher Education since 2012. Last summer, the Commission moved into the Malta Life Sciences Park, reflecting the growth in this sector, which has raised its headcount (including the MQRIC) to around 30.

Different countries use different scales to rank their courses but Malta opted to align the Malta Qualifications Framework with the eight levels used in the European Qualifications Framework – from school-leaving certificate to doctoral degree – making cross-border comparison very straightforward, not only within the EU but also for the members of the Council of Europe.

Dr Sant is concerned that many students do not check before signing up to a course to determine if such course would be recognised locally and consequently abroad

This is all due to the mutual recognition of qualifications that exists, which has been in place since the 1997 Lisbon Recognition Convention, which has been signed by 53 different countries.

Recognition statements for qualifications may be required for various reasons, primarily to facilitate mobility abroad, but also  to pursue further studies, applying for a job or a promotion, qualification allowances, tax rebates, scholarship schemes, and a single permit/visa/citizenship with JobsPlus, among others.

Recognition is fairly obvious for some institutions, but for more obscure ones it is not. MQRIC does not directly assess the value of a foreign qualification; rather it consults with its counterparts found in every member of the Council of Europe region, since every country has its own sovereign entities to determine the recognition status of their qualifications, then share this information on grounds of mutual recognition.

The assessment of local institution depends on a number of factors. The University of Malta, Mcast and the Institute of Tourism Studies were given a dispensation by law to be self-accrediting, which enables them to level rate their own courses, thus not making it necessary for holders of such qualifications to refer them to MQRIC, unless a holder wishes to present such qualifications abroad, making it advisable to obtain an MQRIC statement.

Others institutions in Malta use overseas certification for foreign courses – such as satellite campuses – which would not require Maltese accreditation if issued by an accredited foreign awarding institution. But Dr Sant is concerned that many students do not check before signing up to a course to determine if such course would be recognised locally and consequently abroad.

Institutions offering courses from Level Five upwards need NCFHE approval and, if they are the certifying body, then the courses need to be accredited.

Accreditation is not mandatory and in fact, there are many industry sectors where courses run parallel to the qualifications framework, like the maritime and aviation sectors, and also IT. This does not make it always easy for recruitment agencies to assess their candidates’ abilities – and Dr Sant recently spoke at a seminar organised for them in an attempt to raise awareness.

“There is a very fine line between professional qualifications and academic ones, very often down to whether the right to practise is dependent on a certain amount of continuing professional development,” he explained, adding that the current European system was initially set up to address the recognition of traditional academic qualifications rather than professional ones.

“This could make it very difficult for employees to move from certain professional industries onto a different one. You can have a highly qualified professional  but without pegging of their qualifications to the Maltese or European Qualifications Framework, an employer from another industry could be at a loss as to the value of a professional’s qualifications,” he said.

For more information about MQRIC and the Malta Qualifications Framework, the public may visit www.ncfhe.gov.mt.

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