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"The CQF will serve as a common reference framework that will enable individuals, education and training providers, employers and other stakeholders to better understand and compare the qualifications awarded at different levels in countries across the region. It will act as a translation device that facilitates educational and labour market mobility and supports career progression and lifelong learning. The CQF will make qualifications more understandable and portable throughout CARICOM.

Each Member State will be required to develop a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) that establishes national standards for the award of qualifications at different levels. The NQF serves as a communication tool and a regulatory mechanism for the development and classification of qualifications according to a set of criteria or learning outcomes specified for each level of achievement. An effective NQF facilitates a better match between the needs of the labour market (including key intellectual attributes, skills and practical experience) and education and training provision (through a programme of study and/or workplace experience). It also promotes a shared understanding among education and training providers of the expectations associated with specific qualifications by facilitating consistent application of qualification titles across the sector. Member States are encouraged to align their NQFs to the CQF. To be effective, the NQF must be supported by a rigorous system of quality assurance to ensure that providers comply with regulations and guidelines for the development of qualifications, the assessment of student learning outcomes and the award of qualifications. There is a critical role to be played by National Accreditation Bodies in this regard.

At this stage of development, the CQF has been referenced against recognised frameworks such as the Transnational Qualifications Framework (TQF) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) to demonstrate the comparability of qualifications across different countries and education and training systems globally."

View also: Overview of Regional Qualifications Frameworks