The annual joint meeting of the ENIC and NARIC networks was held in Naples, Italy from 23-25 June 2024. This event gathered around 150 representatives from national centres for the recognition of qualifications, creating a dynamic platform for sharing expertise and best practices.
The comprehensive programme included a plenary session and 12 parallel workshops, covering a wide range of topics relevant to the field of credential evaluation. This format provided an invaluable opportunity for ENIC and NARIC centres to collaborate and exchange knowledge.
One of the highlights of the meeting was a keynote speech by Professor Enzo Maria Le Fevre Cervini, Senior Researcher at the Laboratory on Innovation and Artificial Intelligence (IALAB) of the University of Buenos Aires. He addressed the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on education and the work of credential evaluators, offering insights into the future of the field.
In his opening remarks, Villano Qiriazi, Head of the Education Department at the Council of Europe, emphasized the Council's approach to higher education, which places learners and their rights at the center to ensure an inclusive, equitable, and high-quality educational experience. He also highlighted the importance of fair and equitable recognition of higher education qualifications, especially for the most vulnerable learners. The Council of Europe proudly announced that to date, 1,000 European Qualifications Passports for Refugees have been issued.
National challenges in the recognition of undocumented qualifications and the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) were explored in a parallel workshop co-organized by the Council of Europe in collaboration with ENIC-NARIC centres from France and Germany.
Another parallel workshop, co-organized by the Council of Europe, focused on building the capacity of ENIC centres through Council of Europe calls for projects. Project coordinators from Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and the United Kingdom presented the results of their initiatives, which ranged from introducing new practices to prevent, detect, and combat education fraud to improving the legal framework for recognizing refugee qualifications and better tracking of refugee outcomes in education and employment.
The meeting was a resounding success, fostering collaboration and the exchange of best practices among the ENIC-NARIC networks. Participants left with renewed enthusiasm and innovative ideas to implement in their centres. We extend our heartfelt thanks to CIMEA – NARIC Italia for the excellent organization of this meeting.
