The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national policy for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training. It incorporates the qualifications from each education and training sector into a single comprehensive national qualifications framework.
The AQF was first introduced in 1995 to underpin the national system of qualifications in Australia encompassing higher education, vocational education and training and schools.
The users of the AQF span each education and training sector: schools, vocational education and training and higher education and include the accrediting authorities and institutions providing education and training. The many AQF stakeholders include industry and its representative bodies, unions, professional associations and licensing authorities and governments. Ultimately students, graduate and employers, both Australian and international, benefit from the quality qualifications that are built on the requirements of the AQF.
In Australia, education and training is a shared responsibility of all Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. Education, training and employment ministers collectively own and are responsible for the AQF.
The AQF provides the standards for Australian qualifications. It is an integrated policy that comprises:
- The learning outcomes for each AQF level and qualification type
- The specifications for the application of the AQF in the accreditation and development of qualifications
- The policy requirements for issuing AQF qualifications
- The policy requirements for qualification linkages and student pathways
- The policy requirements for the registers of:
- organisations authorised to accredit AQF qualifications
- organisations authorised to issue AQF qualifications
- AQF qualifications and qualification pathways
- The policy requirements for the addition or removal of qualification types in the AQF, and
- The definitions of the terminology used in the policy.
The accreditation of AQF qualifications, the authorisation of organisations to issue them and the ongoing quality assurance of qualifications and issuing organisations is legislated within Australian jurisdictions.
Verification of AQF qualifications and the organisations authorised to issue them is through the AQF Register.