Developing a sectoral qualifications framework for the raw materials sector: Rationale, architecture, and implications for workforce development

Abstract The raw materials sector faces reported workforce shortages and skills gaps associated with demographic attrition, technological change, and the growing complexity of value chains spanning mineral exploration, extraction, processing, and recycling. A fundamental barrier to addressing these shortages is the fragmentation of educational pathways and the absence of any internationally recognised mechanism for comparing or transferring qualifications across countries and institutions. This article describes the development and architecture of a Sectoral Qualifications Framework for the Raw Materials sector (SQF-RM), drawing on a document analysis of qualification policy sources, a benchmarking exercise against established sectoral and national frameworks, and systematic competence mapping of occupational roles across the sector’s three principal areas of activity. The SQF-RM is structured across five qualification levels of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF Levels 3–7), organised into three main areas of activity: mineral exploration; mineral extraction and processing; and materials engineering and recycling, and differentiated by general and occupational learning outcomes in knowledge, skills, and autonomy/responsibility. We present the framework’s level descriptors and illustrative occupational roles explicitly. This work is conceptual and draws on the EQF as its methodological reference; empirical validation through stakeholder consultation and curriculum mapping is identified as a necessary next step. The framework is intended to provide a practical reference tool for improving transparency and comparability of qualifications, supporting workforce mobility, and strengthening the alignment between educational programmes and labour market needs in a strategically important global sector.