What is a Europass?

The Europass is an initiative by the European Union made to manage the learning and career credentials of European citizens so that they can be easily accessed and understood throughout Europe. This includes the European Union, European Economic Area, and EU candidate countries. A Europass will include the details of a candidate ranging from their educational qualifications to their resume included in it.

The five documents that are included in the Europass are CV, Europass Mobility, Certificate Supplement, Diploma Supplement, and Language Passport. Candidates will be able to create their profile online in their web portal and enjoy features like changing the documents into 27 other languages, add details to their profile at any given time, and also let employers refer to this information through the portal.

Who can use a Europass?

The Europass has been made for the citizens of EU, EEA, and EU candidate countries. One of the reasons why people choose to use Europass is because once the candidate has provided their credentials and details, they will be able to get suggestions for the kind of jobs and courses they can apply for. The main users of the Europass are-

• Job Seekers
• Students
• Education and Training Providers
• Employers
• Guidance and Support Services

Benefits of Taking a Europass

Most often, it is tough for aspiring employees working in one European country to make their skills and qualifications understood in another European country. Due to the difference in education systems and the ways of gauging skills in different countries, there is an inherent need for people to have their skills and qualifications understood in Europe's different States. The benefits of having a Europass can be received by students, job-seekers, employers, higher learning institutions, and people in the academic field.

• Having a Europass will help European citizens to list out their skills and qualifications in a format that is effective during their job hunt.
• While letting all job-seekers maintain the same format, Europass aids in providing equal footing to them though this might hinder the creative side of displaying one’s potential.
• Europass allows employers to look up the details of their applicants through this portal thereby verifying the information provided.
• While a Europass helps aspiring employees to find new jobs, it also helps students find possible internships and study abroad options through the portal.
• Students who wish to study in other countries of Europe will be able to have universities understand their degrees and qualifications without the hassle of converting every document they have.
• Having all credentials saved will let them navigate through the options they are eligible for without having to manually look for the same details.
• It also allows higher education institutions to understand the current standing of educational quality and educational level that the majority of candidates have so that they can strengthen their curriculum accordingly.
• The CV and other documents that have been created can be made available in 29 languages through Europass.

Disadvantages of Taking Europass

Though the idea of using a Europass is appealing to prospective employees, students, and even employers and educational institutions, experts claim that Europass is not the best option available for candidates. The disadvantages they mention include the outdated nature of the CV and cover letter. The cons of the CV format Europass are-

• outdated templates that waste a lot of space or do not include necessary sections.
• no visible page breaks to ascertain the number of pages the CV has.
• no available instructions for creating the CV.
• unfriendly user-interface.

Cost of Using Europass

The tools offered by Europass are available to individuals for free. They will be able to download a pdf of the CV format and fill it up on their own after which they can register for free on the official website and upload it to their database.

Format of New Europass Portal (2020)

Compared to the traditional format of the Europass including the 5 Europass documents, the Europass Decision of 2018 has made changes to the latest 2020 version of the Europass. The changes include-

• option to create e-portfolio
• personal and private storage space
• feature for creating CV and cover letter with various designs
• application tracker for those that have been sent
• integration of learning portal with Europass portal
• information about studying and working in EU countries
• option to create digital credentials for institutions
• interoperability which implies that it can connect with the Employment and Learning Services to let users connect between themselves and make applications.

Documents Included in the Europass

Namely, the Europass has five areas or documents which you need to fill up thoroughly. These documents help one to understand the candidate’s core competencies in a comprehensible manner. The documents included are-

• Curriculum Vitae
• Language Passport
• Certificate Supplement
• Diploma Supplement
• Mobility

Among the five, some documents like the CV can be filled up independently while some other necessary documents like the language passport need to be filled up by the relevant authorities. For instance, the diploma supplement is issued to graduates of higher education institutions. On the other hand, the Europass certificate supplement is for those people who have a training and vocational education award.

Additional information about skills required for the award is also available for easy understanding. The Curriculum Vitae can be filled up online on the Europass site according to the directions provided. Candidates will be able to download the required CV template and fill in or update their credentials in it. Apart from these, references, transcripts, and other relevant copies can also be added.

Europass CV

Europass lets candidates create their CV through their portal by providing a template that can be saved and edited by the candidate. The template that is provided has been standardized and is available in 29 languages. The CV that is made will be accessible internationally allowing their educational and experience skills transparent.

The Europass CV editor will allow the candidate to create their CV with different templates, update it, save it to the candidate’s device or Europass library, and share it in 29 languages.

Europass Mobility

Europass Mobility lets candidates record their learning progress which will include every soft skill the candidate has ever acquired in their life. This can include internships, foreign languages that have been learned, a grasp of new computer programs, etc. Every document that tracks the learning progress can be uploaded to this section which will allow candidates to express their skill-set concisely during job applications. This is issued by education and training authorities.

Europass Certificate Supplement

Europass Certificate Supplement records the additional information candidates have regarding vocational training which can either be certificates or transcripts. It will describe the process of study and the skill profile the candidate has in relation to the training. It will also describe the kind of occupations that are accessible to these candidates along with the next step they can take academically. This is issued by education and training authorities.

Europass Diploma Supplement

The Europass Diploma Supplement will have the information relating to the academic credentials of the candidate (only higher education). It cannot be considered as an equivalent of the original degree the candidate holds. It will contain an internationally comparable description of the path of study the candidate took making it easier for employers to hire the candidate. This is issued by education and training authorities.

European Language Passport

The Language Passport allows candidates to describe their proficiency level in the languages they know. This will include their level of knowledge in understanding, speaking, writing, and reading the languages that the candidate knows. Candidates will be able to update the information in this Language Passport according to the increase in their proficiency level or even if the candidate has learned a new language.

Europass Digital Credentials

This is a digital file that candidates can use as proof of their credentials for jobs, higher education, and other activities. It is issued by the institution the candidate has studied in and will describe their qualifications including the classes they have taken, the grades they have received, projects they have completed, etc. This is generally used by candidates who move to other countries for a career or education since it allows employers and institutions to automatically verify the credentials as soon as the candidate shares the file with them.

The purpose of having credentials online in Europass is to reduce the hassle of paperwork certificates and make it easy to organize and understand the achievements and qualifications. It also reduces the chances of using fake certificates.

The Europass Digital Credentials Infrastructure (EDCI) is still under development stage. So far, 18 countries are registered in the program and are working on testing it out. The EDCI can contain all achievements and qualifications of a candidate.

Candidates who need the Europass Digital Credential will have to request the same from the institution and have it added to the Europass library or sent personally to them. The process is done free of cost as it is managed by the European Commission.