Lesson 1.2: Mapping National Stakeholder Ecosystems

Description: Provides a practical framework for identifying and mapping relevant stakeholders within each country’s qualification system. Rather than a generic overview, this sub-module offers tools and methodologies for practitioners to conduct stakeholder analysis within their specific national contexts.

By the end of this Lesson, you will be able to:

• Identify key stakeholder groups that rely on qualifications databases in your national context
• Understand the different needs and expectations of these groups
• Recognise the importance of stakeholder collaboration for effective NQD implementation

Every NQD and participation in the QCP involves different national realities. Let’s reflect on your country:

• Who are your key stakeholders?
• What role do they play?
• What are their needs and expectations?

EXERCISE

Take a few minutes to map out the different stakeholder groups in your country.
You will find some initial data in the mapping table to give you an idea on what type of information you should map.

NOTE

You can do this exercise by yourself or with a team.
Doing it together with your designated QCP team at your national qualifications authority has the advantage that you can learn with and from each other and set the basis for understanding who needs to be involved in making the QCP a success

The aim of this exercise is to define who in your national context should be involved in the use of the QCP. Stakeholders will have various roles. A ministry would most likely be responsible to set the policy framework necessary for utilising the QCP and taking legislative decisions on your national Qualifications Framework. On the other hand, citizens would need to be made aware of the usefulness for finding learning opportunities. While some stakeholders will hold a high influence on the success of the QCP, others will have a rather passive role by utilising the platform.

Naturally, countries have very diverse realities. So it might be necessary for you to add new Stakeholder Groups e.g. if you have several ministries involved. You might also want to cluster groups e.g. universities, VET schools and adapt to their Role, Needs and Expectations accordingly.
This template is supposed to give you guidance but can be modified for your own needs.

We suggest you copy/paste the following table into a Word document.

Stakeholder Group	Name/Institution Example	Role in NQD/QCP	Needs/Expectations	Level of Influence (High/Medium/Low)
Ministries		Policy oversight, alignment with ACQF	Reliable data for decision-making
NQD Administrators		Data management, platform operation	Technical support, capacity building
Employers/Industry Bodies		Verify qualifications, inform standards	Understandable, comparable qualifications
Learners/Job Seekers		Use information for career/study choices	Trustworthy, accessible information
Quality Assurance Bodies		Uphold standards, validate data	Integration with recognition systems
Other Stakeholders (Specify)

In Module 3 and 4 of this course we will take a deeper look at particularly the government-related stakeholder groups and how they will utilise, administer and start using the QCP.