National Qualifications Authority (ANC) was designated as EPALE National Support Service for Romania. According to the goals proposed by the EPALE platform, ANC implements the project EPALE National Support Service (NSS) for Romania, Project N°: 568977-EPP-1-2015-1-RO-EPPKA2-EPALE-NSS - funded by the European Commission through Erasmus + programme. The implementation runs for 24 months in the January 2017 – December 2018 time period.

The groups targeted by this project are: Policy makers, authorities; Actors involved in the process of education and training of adults; NGOs, Associations, Federations; Training providers, trainers; Universities; Sectoral committees; Journalists

Inside the project ”National Support Services – Romania” there are provided 6 work packages.

·       SILVESTRU Cătălin Ionuț – Project Manager

·       PETRESCU Mihaela – Finance Manager

·       LUPESCU Marian Ionuț – Assistant Project Manager

·       DOBRESCU Tiberiu Gabriel - Expert researcher

·       POSTĂVARU Nicolae - Expert researcher

·       ȘTEFAN Maria- Expert researcher

·       POPESCU Anca- Expert researcher

·       RÂMBOACĂ Raluca- Expert researcher

·       ILIE Mirela- Expert researcher

·       ANGHELUȚĂ Sorin- Expert researcher

·       OLTEANU Elena Luminița- Expert researcher

·       RUDOLF Adriana – Procurement officer

·       STAVRI Costin Dimitrie – IT expert

·       ȘERBU Adrian – IT expert

·       ION Virgil- IT expert

·       DORIN Alexandra Gabriela  - Technical expert

·       ILIE Flavius – Technical expert

·       ZĂNOAGĂ Dan – Technical expert

·       BĂȚARU Cristi Cosmin   - Legal officer

·       SAVA Narcisa – Administrative staff

·       BADEA Bianca – Administrative staff

The Law of National Education 1/2011 provides the general and integrating regulatory framework for lifelong learning in Romania.

Lifelong Learning means all learning activities carried out by every person throughout life in formal, non-formal and informal contexts for the purpose of acquiring or developing competences from a multiple perspective: personal, civic, social or occupational. Lifelong learning includes early childhood education and care, school education, higher education, adult education and continuous training. The main goals of lifelong learning are concerned with the full development of a person and the sustainable development of society. Lifelong learning is focused on the acquisition and development of key competences and of competences specific to an area of activity or to a qualification.

In accordance with the specific legislation on adult training, adults are defined as people at an age allowing them to get involved in work relations and can participate in training programmes under the law. Adults have equal rights of access to training, without discrimination based on criteria related to age, gender, race and ethnic origin, political and religious membership. The Law on equal opportunities for women and men (Law 202/2002) underlines the equal right for both genders to participate in training programmes, as well as to benefit from professional counselling and guidance. The access of adults, employees or people looking for a job (defined in compliance with Law 76/2002) to training is a right guaranteed by the Code of Labour (Law 53/2003).

The state carries out its responsibilities in the area of lifelong learning through the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, the Parliament, the Government, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and the Elderly, the Ministry of Culture and National Patrimony, the Ministry of Health, as well as the Ministry of Administration and the Interior.

The Law 167/2013 that changes and completes the Government Decision 129/2000 on adult training states that adult training ending with a certificate of qualification or a certificate of completion with national recognition and/or a certificate of professional competence is an activity of general interest and a part of the national education and training system.

The Ministry of Education and Scientific Research has the following responsibilities:

• developing strategies and national policies in the field of education, training, research, youth and sport;
• drafting regulations on the organization and functioning of the education system in Romania;
• monitoring, evaluation and control, directly or through competent bodies of the education system and the functioning of the education providers;
• establishing mechanisms and methodologies for validation and recognition of learning outcomes;
• develops, with the Ministry of Culture, the education policies of non-professional adult learning;
• other tasks, as they appear specified in the legislation for education and training.

The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and the Elderly has the following responsibilities:

• drafting, together with the Ministry of National Education, the policies and national strategies for the training of adults;
• regulates training at work and apprenticeship training in the workplace;
• monitoring, evaluation, accreditation and direct control or through authorized bodies, of the training providers others than those in the national education system;
• other responsibilities foreseen in the legislation for education and training provided by the legislation on education and training.

The Ministry of Culture has the following responsibilities:

• stimulating the increase of access and public participation in cultural activities;
• proposes and promotes partnerships with local authorities and civil society structures, in order to diversify, modernize and optimize the public services provided by institutions and cultural establishments to meet the educational and cultural needs of the public;
• promotes the recognition of professional skills, respectively guarantees the rights and interests of authors, artists and cultural professionals;
• other responsibilities provided by the legislation on education and training.

The National Qualifications Authority has the following responsibilities:

• elaborates the National Qualifications Framework;
• operates the National Register of Qualifications and the National Register of adult vocational training providers;
• coordinates the authorization of training providers at national level;
• coordinates the quality assurance system of adult and continuing training and coordinates the activities of the sectorial committees.

​Also, the National Qualifications Authority has the following specific additional roles:

• develops, implements and updates the National Qualifications Framework and National Qualifications Register;
• ensures compatibility with other national qualification systems at European and international level;
• proposes to the Ministry of Education elements of policies and national strategies, laws related to the national qualifications system and the development of human resources, including adult training;
• coordinates and controls at national level the development of occupational standards and training standards;
• coordinates quality assurance in adult training;
• coordinates and controls the authorization of adult training providers;
• elaborates the National Registry of Adult Vocational Training Providers and National Register of Competence Assessors;
• coordinates the authorization of professional competence assessment centres and professional skills certification assessors;
• participates in the development of plans and programmes of national interest in the field of qualifications and training of adults;
• promotes social dialogue, supports and coordinates sectoral committees.

Source: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/Romania:Di…

• National Agency for Employment

• National Agency for Community Programs in Education and Vocational Training

• Association of training providers in Romania

• National Association of Libraries and Librarians in Romania

• National Association of Sector Committees in Romania

• Professional Associations

• Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania

• County Chambers of Commerce and Industry

• Centers for assessment of professional competences

• Centers for adult training

• Regional Centers for Adult Training

• National Centre for Technical and Vocational Education Development

• Sectoral Committees

• Higher education institutions

• Institute of Education Sciences

• Romanian Institute for Adult Education

• Ministry of Culture

• Ministry of Education and Research

• Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Protection for the Elderly

• Ministry of Youth and Sport

• Schools where are implemented "Second Chance" programme