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FAQ – questions and answers

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Here you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions. First, use the table of contents to select the role you would like to perform or already perform within the IQS.

Applicants

I. Application for the inclusion of a qualification in the IQS

Who can apply for the inclusion of a qualification?
An applicant may be:
– for market qualifications: any institution carrying out organised activities in the economy, labour market, education or training;
– for sectoral qualifications: a Sector Skills Council or a nationwide organisation carrying out statutory activities in a given industry, such as a chamber of commerce or an association entered in the National Court Register.

Can a qualification similar to an existing one be included?
– Yes. However, there must be substantive justification for including it. The applicant prepares this justification and includes it in the application for the inclusion of the qualification in the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS). 

How can I check whether a similar qualification is already included in the IQS?
– The applicant should check whether the qualification they are applying to include in the IQS is too similar to qualifications already in the system. To verify this, they can compare qualifications:

Does the applicant choose the relevant minister?
– The register-keeping body, the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute, is required to support applicants, for example in determining which minister is responsible for reviewing their application.

II. Fees and deadlines

How much does it cost to submit an application?
– The fee for submitting an application for the inclusion of a market or sectoral qualification is PLN 2,830.

Is the fee refunded if the application is rejected?
– The fee is not refundable. The applicant may receive a refund only in two cases:

  • if the application is not taken forward because it was submitted by an entity that was not authorised to do so, or 
  • if the qualification covered by the application is too similar to a qualification already included in the IQS.

How long does the inclusion of a qualification in the IQS take on average?
– The minister has 4 months to review the application from the date on which it is received. This period may be extended once by a further 4 months.

III. Cooperation with the applicant and assessment of the application 

Who carries out the substantive assessment of the application?
– An expert panel prepares an opinion on whether the qualification should be included and a recommendation on its PQF level. The recommendation must also be reviewed by the Stakeholder Council.

Can the applicant influence the assessment process?
– Yes. The Act provides for cooperation between the minister, the experts and the applicant. This includes consulting the applicant on proposed changes to the qualification description.

What happens if the minister does not approve the application?
– The minister must provide reasons for the decision. The applicant is not entitled to lodge a complaint with an administrative court.

IV. Awarding the qualification by the applicant 

Does inclusion of a qualification mean that the applicant may automatically award it?
– No. To award the qualification and issue certificates, the entity must submit a separate application for authorisation to award the qualification. 

Does the applicant have to pay an additional fee to apply for authorisation to award the qualification?
– Yes. An additional fee of PLN 14,151 applies, or PLN 7,075.50 if the application is submitted by an entity that previously applied for the inclusion of that qualification.

V. Qualification in the IQR

What information about the qualification will be publicly available?
– The Integrated Qualifications Register will include, among other things, the learning outcomes, validation requirements, assigned PQF level and a list of institutions authorised to award the qualification.

Does a qualification remain in the system permanently once it has been included?
– Not necessarily. The minister reviews the qualification at least once every 10 years. If no certificate has been issued for the qualification during the previous 5 years, it may be given archived status.

Relevant ministers

I. Responsibilities and remit of the minister

What exactly is the relevant minister responsible for within the IQS?
– A minister responsible for a particular branch of government administration is responsible for including qualifications falling within that branch in the IQS and for their functioning, and also supervises their validation and certification.

What happens if an application is sent to the wrong ministry? Will it be returned to the applicant if the wrong minister was indicated?
– Incorrectly identifying the relevant minister does not result in the application being returned by the register-keeping body, the Educational Research Institute. The Institute supports the applicant in determining the relevant minister and works with the Minister-Coordinator of the IQS in this respect.

Can the minister delegate their powers to other entities or institutions?
– Yes. The minister may authorise: 

  • subordinate bodies or heads of organisational units, 
  • professional self-government bodies, or 
  • business organisations. 

These entities may: 

  • review applications for the inclusion of qualifications,
  • carry out periodic reviews of qualifications,
  • issue decisions granting authorisation to award qualifications.

II. Application review procedure and cooperation

What are the deadlines for reviewing applications?
– The minister has 4 months to review an application. This period may be extended once by a further 4 months.

What does mandatory cooperation with the applicant involve? 
– The minister informs the applicant about the individual steps taken in relation to the application, including the results of consultations. The expert panel, in turn, consults the applicant on proposed changes intended to improve the qualification.

When can an application be left without consideration?
– This may happen if the entity that submitted the application was not authorised to do so or if the proposed qualification is too similar to a qualification already included in the IQS.

III. Experts and the Stakeholder Council

Who should the minister appoint to an expert panel?
– The panel must consist of at least three people: at least two practitioners or specialists in the relevant field and at least one person with knowledge of qualification description standards and the principles of the IQS. People who participated in preparing the application cannot be members of the panel.

What happens if the Stakeholder Council gives a negative opinion on the recommended PQF level?
– If the Council gives a negative opinion, the minister forwards it to the expert panel. The panel must respond to it and resubmit or prepare a new recommendation on the PQF level.

IV. Supervision and quality assurance

What supervisory responsibilities does the minister have after a qualification has been included?
– The minister supervises validation and certification. The minister may also carry out inspections of awarding bodies, request documents and explanations, and commission external bodies to carry out an extraordinary external evaluation where serious irregularities are suspected.

When must the minister withdraw an awarding body’s authorisation?
– The minister withdraws the authorisation, by means of an administrative decision with immediate effect, if the awarding body:

  • has issued certificates to people who did not achieve a positive validation outcome,
  • no longer meets the statutory requirements, 
  • has failed to correct identified shortcomings within the specified deadline, or 
  • has been found to have committed serious irregularities.

How often must the minister review qualifications that have been included?
– The minister must review included market and sectoral qualifications at least once every 10 years. A review may be carried out earlier where there are important reasons to do so, for example socio-economic needs. 

V. Financial and register-related tasks

How does the minister announce the inclusion of a qualification?
– The minister announces the inclusion of a qualification in the IQS in the official journal of the Republic of Poland, Monitor Polski.

What information must the minister provide to the IQR?
The minister provides the register-keeping body, the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute, with information including:
– the inclusion of the qualification, 
– modifications to it, 
– the assignment of archived status, and
– information about awarding bodies and quality assurance bodies.

Experts

I. Expert competences and appointment to expert panels

Who can be appointed to an expert panel?
– The panel consists of at least three people. It includes:

  • at least two people with experience of working, teaching or assessing in the field to which the qualification relates, who also understand how that field is likely to develop;
  • at least one person who is familiar with the standards for describing qualifications, the rules for including them in the IQS and the principles for assigning PQF levels.

II. Main tasks and substantive responsibilities of experts

What are the two main tasks of an expert panel?
– The panel is appointed by the relevant minister. It:

  1. prepares an opinion on whether the qualification should be included in the IQS,
  2. issues a recommendation on the assignment of a Polish Qualifications Framework (PQF) level to the qualification.

How does an expert panel work?
– Expert panels work during meetings, which must be documented. Detailed rules governing their work and the preparation of opinions and recommendations are set out in the relevant Regulation of the Minister of Education.

How does the procedure for assigning a PQF level work?
– Experts compare the learning outcomes required for a given qualification with the PQF level descriptors, including the universal first-stage descriptors and typical second-stage descriptors, and prepare a recommendation on that basis. The recommendation must include a justification.

What happens if the Stakeholder Council challenges the recommendation?
– If the Stakeholder Council gives a negative opinion on the experts’ recommendation, the minister sends it back to the panel. The experts must respond to the Council’s comments and resubmit the recommendation.

III. Expert impartiality and conflicts of interest

Who cannot be a member of an expert panel?
– Under the Act, people who prepared the application for the inclusion of the qualification cannot be members of the panel.

What additional legal requirements apply to experts?
– When experts are engaged, the provisions of the Code of Administrative Procedure concerning the exclusion of an employee apply accordingly (Article 24 of the Code). This is intended to ensure the impartiality of the process. The implementing provisions must also take account of rules for preventing conflicts of interest.

IV. Cooperation between experts and the applicant

Can experts contact the entity that submitted the application?
– Yes. Experts are required to cooperate with the applicant when consulting proposed changes to the qualification description and when comparing the required learning outcomes.

V. Experts in higher education

Are the rules the same for qualifications awarded after completion of postgraduate studies?
– An expert panel dealing with qualifications awarded after completion of postgraduate studies is appointed by the higher education institution, a research institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences or a research institute, rather than by the minister. However, the requirements for experts and their tasks are the same as for other qualifications.

EQA bodies

I. Becoming an EQA body (entry on the list)

Who can become an external quality assurance body (EQA body)?
– This role may be performed by an institution or organisation carrying out organised activities in the economy, labour market, education or training that has been entered on the list maintained by the Minister-Coordinator of the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS).

What conditions must be met to be entered on the list?
The entity must:

  • have at least 10 years of experience in activities relating to the economy, labour market, education or training;
  • have staff with knowledge of the IQS and validation principles, as well as experience of carrying out evaluations or audits;
  • have an internal quality assurance system for the processes it carries out;
  • have no outstanding tax liabilities or unpaid social security or health insurance contributions, and not be in liquidation or bankruptcy.

Can an institution be both an awarding body and an EQA body?
– Yes. An awarding body may also be an EQA body, except in relation to qualifications belonging to the same qualification group as a qualification that it awards itself.

How much does entry on the list cost and how long is it valid?
– The application fee for entry on the list is PLN 2,000. Entry is valid for 6 years and may be extended once for a further 6 years.

II. Cooperation between an EQA body and an awarding body

How is an EQA body assigned to a particular awarding body?
– The relevant minister assigns a specific EQA body to an awarding body. The minister enters into an agreement with the EQA body for the performance of this function.

How many bodies can provide external quality assurance for the same qualification?
– For a given qualification, the external quality assurance function may be performed by no more than 5 bodies from the list.

Does an EQA body have to cooperate with other EQA bodies?
– Yes. Bodies providing quality assurance for the same qualification must cooperate to ensure a consistent standard of certification.

III. Tasks and powers of EQA bodies

What exactly does an EQA body monitor? 
An EQA body:

  • monitors the awarding body’s internal quality assurance system,
  • checks whether the awarding body continues to meet the statutory staffing, organisational and material requirements,
  • carries out external evaluation of validation and certification.

What monitoring powers does an EQA body have? 
An EQA body:

  • may request information and access to the awarding body’s documentation, 
  • has the right to enter the awarding body’s premises, 
  • may participate in validation as an observer.

What reports must an EQA body prepare?
An EQA body prepares:

  • every 5 years, an external quality assurance report for each awarding body it works with,
  • every 3 years, a report for the relevant ministers on the performance of its tasks within a given qualification group.

IV. Obligations of EQA bodies and sanctions

What must an EQA body report to the minister immediately? 
An EQA body must immediately report:

  • irregularities identified at an awarding body, 
  • the fact that an awarding body no longer meets the statutory requirements,
  • changes in its own status, such as financial difficulties or insufficient staffing.

Who supervises EQA bodies?
– EQA bodies are supervised by the Minister-Coordinator of the IQS, who may inspect whether they are carrying out their tasks properly.

When can an EQA body be removed from the list?
– The Minister-Coordinator removes an entity from the list, among other cases, if the EQA body:

  • has twice refused to enter into an agreement with the relevant minister,
  • has failed to correct irregularities identified during an inspection,
  • has failed to inform the minister about irregularities at an awarding body it oversees,
  • no longer meets the conditions required for entry on the list.

The minister issues an administrative decision removing the EQA body from the list. The effects of this decision are immediate – all agreements with ministers expire. 

Stakeholder Council

I. Status and tasks of the Stakeholder Council

What is the role of the Stakeholder Council in the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS)?
– The Council operates alongside the Minister-Coordinator of the IQS as an advisory body.

What are the Council’s main tasks?
The Council: 

  • supports the Minister-Coordinator in ensuring the coherence of solutions within the IQS, 
  • monitors the functioning of the System and provides opinions on assumptions and draft legislation in this area;
  • may submit questions and proposals for system improvements to ministers.

What does the Council provide opinions on?
The Council provides opinions on:

  • expert panel recommendations on the assignment of PQF levels to qualifications being included in the IQS,
  • whether Sectoral Qualifications Frameworks (SQFs) should be included in the IQS and whether they are consistent with the Polish Qualifications Framework. 

II. Composition and appointment of members

Who is represented on the Stakeholder Council?
– The Council includes representatives of: 

  • the Polish Chamber of Commerce (2 people), 
  • employers’ organisations and trade unions (2 people from each representative organisation), 
  • rectors’ conferences (academic higher education institutions, vocational higher education institutions and public vocational higher education institutions – 2 people from each), 
  • the Central Examination Board (2 people), 
  • non-formal education providers (2 people), 
  • the local government side of the Joint Commission of Government and Local Government (4 people) and the Minister-Coordinator (2 people).

How long is a Council member’s term of office?
– The term of office lasts 4 years and may be extended once at the request of the nominating entity.

Who leads the Council’s work?
– The Council elects a chair and between 2 and 5 deputy chairs from among its members.

III. How the Council works and its substantive powers

How does the Council work?
– The Council works in plenary sessions and working groups, and members participate in its work personally. Representatives of the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute, as the body maintaining the Integrated Qualifications Register (IQR), attend meetings without voting rights.

Who is invited to meetings concerning Sectoral Qualifications Frameworks?
– Representatives of the relevant minister and the applicant, for example a Sector Skills Council, are invited to meetings at which the Council prepares an opinion on a Sectoral Qualifications Framework.

What standards apply when providing opinions on SQFs?
– The Council’s rules of procedure set out the principles for preparing these opinions, including the requirement for experts from outside the industry or sector to participate in comparing an SQF with the Polish Qualifications Framework.

What effect does the Council’s opinion have on the assignment of a PQF level?
– If the Council’s opinion on the recommended PQF level is:

  • positive, the minister may proceed with including the qualification in the system,
  • negative, the relevant minister forwards the Council’s opinion to the expert panel. The panel must respond to it and resubmit the recommendation.

What documents can the Council access?
– At the Council’s request, the register-keeping body provides access to:

  • reports on internal evaluations carried out by awarding bodies, 
  • external quality assurance reports, and 
  • reports on the activities of external quality assurance bodies.

Does the Council participate in selecting quality assurance bodies?
– Yes. Three representatives of the Stakeholder Council sit on the committee appointed by the Minister-Coordinator to assess applications for entry on the list of entities authorised to perform the external quality assurance function.

Sector Skills Councils

I. Powers of Sector Skills Councils relating to Sectoral Qualifications Frameworks

Can a Sector Skills Council operating within an industry or sector initiate the inclusion of a Sectoral Qualifications Framework (SQF) in the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS)?
– Yes. The relevant minister takes steps to include an SQF in the system, including at the request of a Sector Skills Council.

What simplifications apply when a Council submits an application concerning an SQF?
– An application submitted directly by a Sector Skills Council operating in the relevant industry does not have to include opinions from other representatives of the industry or sector.

Is the Council’s opinion required if another entity submits the application concerning an SQF?
– Yes. An application for the inclusion of an SQF must include opinions from industry representatives, in particular Sector Skills Councils operating in the relevant sector.

II. Inclusion and review of sectoral qualifications

Can a Council apply for the inclusion of a specific sectoral qualification?
– Yes. A Sector Skills Council has the right to submit an application for the inclusion of a sectoral qualification in the IQS.

What happens if an application concerning a sectoral qualification is submitted by an unauthorised entity?
– The application will not be taken forward.

Can a Council influence the functioning of qualifications that have already been included?
– Yes. At the request of a Sector Skills Council, the relevant minister may review a market or sectoral qualification sooner than the standard 10-year period.

III. Role in awarding qualifications

Can a Sector Skills Council award qualifications and issue certificates itself?
– Yes. A Council may apply for authorisation to award a given sectoral qualification.

What conditions must a Council meet to become an awarding body? 
– To become an awarding body, the Council: 

  • must ensure appropriate staffing, organisational and material conditions for carrying out validation, 
  • must not be in liquidation or bankruptcy, 
  • must have no outstanding tax liabilities or unpaid social security contributions.

Does a Council that is also the applicant pay the full fee for authorisation to award the qualification?
– If the Council submitted the application for the inclusion of the qualification, the fee for authorisation to award it is reduced by half and amounts to PLN 5,000.

IV. Cooperation and monitoring of the system

Are Councils informed about applications submitted by other entities?
– Yes. The relevant minister provides the appropriate Councils with applications for the inclusion of market and sectoral qualifications for information.

What is the Council’s role in the work of the Stakeholder Council?

– The Stakeholder Council invites representatives of the Sector Skills Council to meetings at which it provides an opinion on whether a Sectoral Qualifications Framework should be included.