LPI Certifications and the Netherlands National Qualification Framework

Stichting Praktijkleren is a foundation that promotes vocational education in the Netherlands, formed almost twenty years ago by a group of schools here. Since then, every one of the Netherlands regional training centers (ROCs) have affiliated with us. Together with the schools, we develop practice-oriented learning materials, so that the schools can offer challenging and accessible vocational education.

We also are a certified supplier of exams related to the National Qualification Framework established by the Ministry of Education, and we offer an Academy Support Center to promote market-based ICT skills and certifications.

To further our mission, we work with a lot of partners. In particular, we have been partnering with the Linux Professional Institute since 2015. Currently we are a Platinum partner.

To help schools incorporate our partners’ educational materials into their curricula, we try to make clear to the teachers how these learning materials and certifications are related to the ICT-qualification framework that is part of the National Qualification Framework. The definition of relationships between different educational frameworks is called a diploma comparison or blueprint.

The diploma comparison is a table that lays out in a clear and simple manner how various components of the ICT diplomas in vocational education compare with LPI certifications. By consulting this table, teachers and students can see which parts of the ICT qualification framework are related to the LPI certifications in terms of content.

Trainers, lecturers, and curriculum designers often add elements of ICT certifications to their programs. The students thus receive up-to-date knowledge that can be directly applied in their internships or first jobs. Integrating these certification elements also makes it easier for students to obtain an ICT certificate in addition to the regular ICT diploma—not after they leave school, but during their education.

Employers in the Netherlands are familiar with the certificates in the ICT sector. The employers are therefore likely to look specifically for ICT professionals with these certificates. Therefore, employers know whether specific skills they are looking for were covered in the education and certifications received by job applicants.

To give you an example how this works, Figure 1 contains the blueprint showing LPI certifications related to one of the ICT diplomas (Expert IT systems and devices). The formal contents of the qualification framework are on the left and the LPI certifications relevant to each qualification are on the right. Therefore, the teacher can see on a single page how LPI certifications and their related learning materials can be incorporated into the curriculum related to the Dutch qualification framework.

Figure 1 contains the blueprint showing LPI certifications related to one of the ICT diplomas (Expert IT systems and devices)

In short, our detailed focus on each element of the Ministry of Education’s qualifications framework, together with LPI’s breakdown of topics in their certifications, allows our educational partner to promote LPI’s Learning Materials in their curricula. These details also allow schools to prepare their students both to get certified and to cite these certifications in applying for specific jobs in the Netherlands. We are building on our Platinum partnership with LPI to strengthen the skills and readiness of technical computing professionals.