The Humanitarian Action Qualifications Framework: a quality assurance tool for the Humanitarian Sector

Abstract

The article presents the European Universities on Professionalisation on Humanitarian Action (EUPRHA) Project as an initiative that seeks to contribute to the professionalisation and quality assurance of the humanitarian sector. Its purpose is to explain the approach and the process leading to the development of the Humanitarian Action Qualifications Framework as an example of good practice for other sectors aiming at improving the recognition of qualifications as a precondition of academic and professional mobility. With this aim, it introduces the educational and humanitarian trends that led to this project: the move from transnational qualifications frameworks of which the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF) is the best example to sectoral qualifications frameworks and the increasing demand from the sector seeking to determine the competencies and required skills of a professional humanitarian aid worker. Based on the EQF and the Tuning methodology the framework will act as a translating device to make national and sectoral qualifications more readable and promote humanitarian workers’ and learners’ mobility between countries and organisations. It will facilitate inter-system transparency and recognition of (non-)formal and informal learning by linking occupations, skills, competences, and qualifications, thus benefiting the Humanitarian Sector as a whole.

Mastering humanitarianism? A survey of postgraduate humanitarian courses

“…There are well-established key debates within the humanitarian sector and academia around the need for a recognition of humanitarian aid-related qualifications, including the introduction of the Humanitarian Passport Project and humanitarian certifications (Aardema & Churruca Muguruza, 2014;Cranmer et al, 2014;. Furthermore, there are a number of solid suggestions and recommendations for the content and design of humanitarian training and higher education related curricula (Aardema & Churruca Muguruza, 2014). However, suggested learning objectives or outcomes are often discipline-specific or technical in their nature.…”

A Body of Knowledge and Pedagogy for Global Engineering

“…The Australian Council of Engineering Deans (2018) states that there is a need to professionalize the field of Humanitarian Engineering in order to ensure appropriate practice. The European Universities on Professionalisation on Humanitarian Action (EUPRHA) Project, an initiative that support quality education and ultimately delivery of humanitarian assistance, developed the Humanitarian Action Qualifications Framework, a tool based on learning outcomes that defines different qualification levels throughout the humanitarian sector 26 .…”

Personnel needs assessment in times of crisis: a focus on management of disasters

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“…et al (2009),Idris and Soh (2014),Tatham, Kov acs & Larson (2010),Perry (2007),Klumpp and Abidi (2012),Perry (2007),Majewski et al (2010),Perry (2007),Heaslip et al and Streib (2006),Idris and Soh (2014), Humanitarian education and training conference report (2011),Klumpp and Abidi (2012), Multinational Interoperability Council Coalition Guide (2012), Aardema and Muguruza (2014), Perry (2007) 24 Multi-tasking Walker et al (2010), Idris and Soh (2014), Meduri and Ahmed (2017) 25 Personal credibility Catts and Chamings (2006), Maon et al (2009), Idris and Soh (2014), Aardema and Muguruza (2014), Meduri and Ahmed (2017), Klumpp and Abidi (2012), Waugh and Streib (2006), Walker et al (2010et al (2009), Tatham, Kov acs & Larson (2010), Majewski et al (2010), Humanitarian education and training conference report (2011), Klumpp and Abidi (2012), Aardema and Muguruza (2014), Heaslip et al (2019) 31 Stress management Maon et al (2009), Tatham, Kov acs & Larson (2010),Klumpp and Abidi (2012),Aardema and Muguruza (2014),Meduri and Ahmed (2017) …”