Nov 2015: Overcoming regional mismatches within healthcare through transparency of qualifications

  
The healthcare sector suffers from regional mismatches of skills all across Europe. Mobility of healthcare professionals ready to work abroad is indispensible to overcome this challenge. But the recognition of healthcare qualifications across borders is key for migration of healthcare professionals on the European labour market. The European project “HealthCareEurope” (HCEU) tackles this challenge. Its aspired outcomes aim to facilitate overcoming of mismatches through the provision of tools to simplify and accelerate recognition processes.

Stuttgart (DE), November 2015. In September DEKRA Akademie GmbH (DE) started its new European research and development project “HealthCareEurope (HCEU)” together with 10 partners from Hungary, Poland, Greece, Austria and China. Within the upcoming three years the consortium develops under lead of DEKRA tools and instruments to support recognition praxis of foreign qualifications related to nursing and elderly care across Europe and around the globe. The project will provide concrete suggestions and tools to simplify recognition processes of foreign qualifications and prior learning in general in those fields of healthcare. This includes formal qualifications gained abroad but also the results of non- and informal learning such as through practical work experience. It contributes in this way to labour market mobility across Europe and to overcoming mismatches within healthcare professions through the migration of skilled workers.

During the upcoming months the HCEU partners investigate work praxis within nursing and elderly care in order to develop so called VQTS competence matrixes (www.vocationalqualification.net). Those matrixes enable a transparent displaying of qualifications and competence levels independently from the actual learning context. They are based on work processes and competence development steps necessary to reach the highest level of competence within each work process. For this purpose the HCEU project partners validate already existing European project results and conduct own research. Further extension of those matrixes with specialisations is planned.

Later on the project will produce further tools in order to support recognition processes within nursing and elderly care. Those tools and instruments will among others include competence profiles reflecting different European and non-European healthcare qualifications, digital resources in order to practically use the matrixes within recognition processes, tools for the assessment of individuals’ knowledge, skills and competences gained through any kind of learning as well as concepts of learning modules closing frequently existing competence gaps in the context of mobility on the European labour market. All those project results will be interrelated with European transparency and labour market mobility instruments such as the EQF (European Qualifications Framework), ECVET (European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training) and ESCO (European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations).

Through the matrix approach the project builds a strong and reliable bridge between healthcare qualifications in different national education systems based on the actual requirements of work praxis as common ground for comparison. The project results are meant to accelerate, improve and simplify processes enabling migrant workers within nursing and elderly care to move freely on the European labour market under recognition of their qualification. In this way the project facilitates overcoming of the severe mismatches and shortages in the healthcare sector in Europe based on a smooth recognition of prior expertise migrant workers bring with them when moving to another country.