Introduction to the European Learning Model (ELM)

Welcome to the official documentation of the European Learning Model (ELM), the multilingual Data Model for the Interoperability of Learning Opportunities, Qualifications, Accreditation and Credentials in Europe, developed by the European Commission. Built on open standards (W3C Verifiable Credential data model), the ELM provides the first unitary and comprehensive data model across the European Education Area. Available in 29 languages, it provides tools to facilitate the recognition of qualifications and validation of skills, promoting a culture of upskilling, reskilling, and lifelong learning.

With over 480 properties, the ELM allows for the capture and validation of all learning related data, including formal, non-formal and informal learning. It caters for the needs of general education, Vocational Education and Training, higher education, adult learning, and labour market trainings. This allows for the creation and portability of rich data, that are not limited to a single sector, and addresses actors in Employment, Skills, Education and Training alike.

This data model browser allows you to visualise all these properties.

Glossary:

• AMS: Accreditation application profile
• AP: Application Profile
• EDC: European Digital Credentials for Learning
• EDCI: European Digital Credentials Infrastructure
• ELM: European Learning Model
• LOQ: Learning Opportunities and Qualifications.
• PID: Person Identity application profile
• QDR: Qualification Dataset Register

Table of content:

• Introduction to the European Learning Model (ELM)
  • Glossary
• Technical model artefacts
  • Ontology
  • RDF Application Profiles
  • XSD Application Profiles
• ELM Overview
• Key Features of the ELM
• Advantages of the ELM
• Further Information
  • ELM Uses
• Contact Information

Technical model artefacts

Ontology

• Ontology

RDF Application Profiles

• Accreditations (AMS)
  • ams-constraints
  • ams-constraints-mdr
• Learning Opportunities and Qualifications (LOQ)
  • loq-constraints
  • loq-constraints-mdr
• European Digital Credentials for Learning (EDC)
  • edc-generic-no-cv
  • edc-generic-full
• Person Identity (PID)
  • pid-constraints

XSD Application Profiles

• Accreditations (AMS documentation)
• Learning Opportunities and Qualifications (LOQ documentation)

ELM Overview

The ELM, the first multilingual data model for learning, represents an exciting advancement in the exchange of knowledge and skills data, introducing new possibilities for interoperability and credential exchange. As part of the objectives outlined in the Europass Decision, the ELM contributes to the European Skills Agenda, the European Education Area, and the Digital Education Action Plan.

By providing a standardized approach to referring to and describing all aspects of learning, the ELM facilitates a shared understanding of concepts across countries and organizations. This facilitates data interchange across Europe, as any entity or organisation involved in learning can utilize consistent concepts, making the data comprehensible even across different languages. For example, when presenting information about a learning opportunity, such as a university degree program or an online course, the ELM ensures that this information is universally understood across all EU Member States. This enables potential employers in other countries to accurately assess an individual's accomplishments and competencies derived from specific learning experiences.

The model consists of four different levels.

1. Overarching, there is the European Information Model which is composed of definitions and standards found in a variety of policy documents and recommendations linked to standards for learning and qualifications in Europe (such as the EQF Recommendation, the Europass Decision, the Diploma Supplement, the Micro-credentials Recommendation etc). This is complemented by glossaries for additional terms from other sources.
2. The second level, the European Learning Model is a general ontology of all concepts that can be used in relation to learning and employment in Europe.
3. On this ontology, we can build so-called Application Profiles, that apply additional sets of rules and restrictions and support the publication of information and data, for example, learning opportunities, qualifications, accreditations and credentials.
4. The fourth level offers the space for national, regional or sectoral extensions of the data model and application profiles to accommodate and support specific use cases. In the past, various sectors, countries, and educational levels have employed distinct approaches to provide learning-related data, resulting in fragmentation and limited opportunities for the establishment of common systems and information exchange. The ELM addresses this challenge by establishing a unified vocabulary for learning in Europe, aiming to enhance the recognition and trust in qualifications and digital credentials across the continent, while also combatting fraud. By aligning with the ELM, stakeholders can achieve comparability, transparency, and portability of all learning-related data, supporting the European Commission's objective of promoting labour and learning mobility in Europe. The data richness of the ELM also contributes to the visibility of skills and promotes a 'Skills first' approach.

Key Features of the ELM

• Built using the starting points provided in the European Qualifications Framework Council Recommendation and the Council Recommendation on a European Approach to Micro-credentials.
• Incorporates over 480 properties to capture and validate all types of learning, including formal, non-formal, and informal learning.
• Caters to the needs of general education, Vocational Education and Training (VET), higher education, adult learning, and labor market trainings.
• Facilitates the creation and portability of comprehensive data, such as European Digital Credentials for Learning.
• Benefits actors in Employment, Skills, Education, and Training.
• Integrates with existing initiatives, streamlining the description of learning within EU-level activities such as the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure, Micro-credentials, Erasmus Without Paper, and the European Student Card Initiative.
• Enables interoperability and extension at the national level.
• Supports the development of the Common European Skills Data Space.

Advantages of the ELM

The ELM offers several key benefits, including:

Summary
Stable Version	A stable, long-term support version addressing all levels and forms of learning.
Interoperability	Mapping and interoperability with other models, including ELMO and the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure Diploma Use Case, as well as linkage to existing frameworks and classifications such as EQF, ESCO, and ISCED-F.
Open Standards	Built on open standards, particularly the W3C Verifiable Credential data model.
Language Support	Available in all 29 languages of Europass.
Data Exchange	Facilitates data exchange and credential recognition.
Policy Alignment	Aligns with policy developments, EU initiatives, and services, particularly the Council Recommendation on Micro-Credentials.
Learning Providers	Enables learning providers to utilize the European Commission's infrastructure to create and issue data-rich digital credentials at no cost.
Data Visualization	Enables visualisation and interpretation of data on learning opportunities, qualifications, accreditation, and credentials in 29 languages on the Europass portal.

Further Information

For more detailed information about the European Learning Model (ELM), please refer to our comprehensive Introduction to the ELM.

ELM Uses

The ELM has a multitude of uses, all contributing to easing the recognition process for learning throughout Europe. By providing a single multilingual standard to describe learning, the ELM can support and accelerate the recognition processes of diplomas, study-periods abroad and other documents which may be presented to competent authorities across the EU. Below is a list of the application profiles and their uses:

• LOQ Application Profile: Providing information about Learning Opportunities and Qualifications. The ELM allows for the record of information in a unified way. Information about learning opportunities and qualifications, including the description of qualification standards, can be used for course catalogues, training announcements and learning opportunity databases, allowing universally comprehensible data to be easily exported and described in the same way across borders.
• EDC Application Profile: Creating and issuing credentials (e.g. diplomas, certificates, examination results, professional certifications, etc). A digital credential is a documented statement about a person’s learning, e.g. details of event participation, or a set of learning outcomes that describe the knowledge and skills acquired through a particular learning opportunity. The ELM provides the vocabulary to recreate traditional paper-based certificates and enhance their data content and quality by allowing to provide rich information within the credential itself.
• EDC Application Profile: Taking employer recommendations to the next level. As the ELM captures all aspects of learning, it can be used for the detailed description of non-formal and in-service learning as well, in a standardised, data-rich format that will be understood by other employers or learning providers.
• PID Application Profile: Issuing student cards, evidences of membership of e.g. professional associations, teacher cards and other identity documents linked to learning. By using the ELM, these documents can be standardised to help their recognition outside of their issuing organisation, sector or country.
• Accreditation Application Profile: Publishing information on licensing and accreditation of educational institutions and/or their programmes, as well as issuing accreditation credentials to licenced or accredited organisations.

Contact Information

To access the ELM on GitHub and the Commission's Publication Office or to enquire about the ELM and its applications, please contact us at EMPL-ELM-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.

We also invite you to watch the recording of our Launch Webinar held on May 11th, 2023.