SRCE provides information support to the Croatian Qualifications Framework by developing and maintaining the Information System of the Croatian Qualifications Framework Register (ISRHKO) per current legal regulations and providing technical support for the system's functioning.
The Croatian Qualifications Framework is a reform instrument for regulating the system of qualifications at all levels in the Republic of Croatia through qualifications standards based on learning outcomes and following the needs of the labour market, individuals and society.
The Croatian Qualifications Framework is a framework which sets every qualification acquired in Croatia in its place. The central element of the Croatian Qualifications Framework is the learning outcomes - tested knowledge and skills. Learning outcomes are linked into sets of outcomes that form a qualification. Each qualification acquired in the Republic of Croatia is set by the level of the learning outcomes belonging to that qualification. The placement of qualifications at respective levels allows the comparison and linking of different qualifications (www.kvalifikacije.hr).
The fundamental act related to the Croatian Qualifications Framework is the Act on the Croatian Qualifications Framework ("Official Gazette" No. 22/13, 41/16, 64/18, 47/20, 20/21), adopted in February 2013, with the last amendment in February 2021. Based on that Act, the Ordinance on the Croatian Qualification Framework Register was adopted ("Official Gazette" No. 96/2021) as the primary act prescribing the Croatian Qualifications Framework Register.
The Croatian Qualification Framework Register consists of three sub-registers:
- the sub-register of occupational standards
- the sub-register of qualifications standards
- and the sub-register of learning outcomes
Occupational standards contain the competencies essential for practising a specific profession, and quality standards key learning outcomes that must be contained in any program leading to that qualification.
The information system for management of the Croatian Qualifications Framework Register is prescribed by the Act on the Croatian Qualifications Framework, and its primary task is to ensure: support for the process of submission of applications for registration in the Register, support for the process of evaluation of applications for registration in the Register, maintenance of the Register by ministries, access to the Registry's public data, public display of the Register of study programs, a platform for interoperability with other systems and publication of public data on European portals.
The Information System of the Croatian Qualifications Framework Register (ISRHKO) is intended for proposers of occupational standards and sets of competences and standards of qualifications and sets of learning outcomes, members of evaluation committees, administrators in the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth and the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, administrators in agencies: the Agency for Science and Higher Education, the Agency for Vocational and Adult Education, the Education and Teacher Training Agency, other information systems in the Republic of Croatia and the EU, and the general public.
