Common European Skills Data Space

The European Learning Model (ELM) was developed by the European Commission with the aim to provide a framework for describing formal and non-formal learning opportunities, qualifications, accreditation and credentials, and to facilitate faster credential recognition and greater mobility of citizens on the European labour market. The ELM is multilingual, and fully aligned with existing open frameworks and standards, including the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF) and the European Classification of Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO). Consequently, this single European data model enables skill and qualification transparency and helps citizens manage their lifelong learning pathways as well as their career development. This is well demonstrated by the job and course recommendation services offered by the model’s first implementer, Europass.

The European Learning Model uses a wide range of standard vocabularies, including a collection of controlled lists of simplified, re-usable and extensible collections of multilingual labels developed by ESCO and the European Digital Credentials for Learning (EDC) team, to provide standardised classifications of various characteristics of learning opportunities, accreditations and credentials. Any entity wishing to be interoperable with these services can benefit from using the ELM.