Creating an online training programme for a diverse audience has its challenges. This is especially true when also stakeholders from different backgrounds are involved. These can be government officials, IT developers, qualifications experts, and education administrators – all from various countries. This was the challenge we tackled at the Knowledge Innovation Centre (KIC) in designing the European Training Foundation’s (ETF) course on National Qualifications Databases (NQDs).
Balancing different needs
One challenge wasn’t just creating technical content. It was about addressing very different professional groups at once. A minister wants strategic insights, while an IT developer needs detailed XML standards. A qualifications expert seeks practical steps, and administrators focus on governance structures.
Our design team often asked themselves: “How do we keep everyone engaged without losing half the audience in the first five minutes?”
Our solution was a pyramid structure. All participants began with a shared understanding of NQDs and their importance. Then, they moved into specialised content based on their roles. To give structure, the course follows a 4-level framework. This framework covers four key dimensions of qualifications systems:
- regulatory – legal and policy frameworks
- organisational – governance and institutional responsibilities
- semantic – standards and terminology for interoperability
- technical – infrastructure and system requirements
This framework created a shared language while allowing each audience to focus on the areas most relevant to their work.
Including country-specific perspectives
While the course aimed to be comprehensive, it also needed to remain sensitive to different national realities. To do this, we held webinars with Moldova, Ukraine, and Morocco during the design phase.
These exchanges highlighted diverse challenges – such as aligning databases with European standards, ensuring institutional cooperation, or addressing multilingual needs. By integrating these insights, we ensured the training reflected both general principles and real situations faced by participating countries.
To make the training more relatable, we included real-life examples from various EU countries. We linked their approaches and solutions to common challenges in building NQDs. These case references helped participants see how abstract concepts turn into actions.
Building coherence across the team
The biggest challenge was to achieve good flow, allowing participants to enjoy a seamless learning journey. We needed to ensure the course modules were coherent and interconnected, as well as technically accurate. The ETF and different experts from the KIC worked closely together. Each bringing their unique styles and focuses. So, editing and coordination were key to our success.
To avoid overwhelming some audiences while under-serving others, the course adopted a layered approach. Each course module started with core concepts that were easy to understand, followed by optional in-depth sections. For example, interoperability was first explained through the simple idea that “databases need to talk to each other.” Then, it moved into ELM3 XML standards and ESCO API integration for those needing more technical detail.
Experimenting with AI
Designing the course also involved testing AI-based tools. HeyGen avatars and voice synthesis allowed professional delivery in English and French, saving time and resources. However, some limitations became visible: AI struggled with technical terms, acronyms and country names. Translations still needed human refinement.
This experience confirmed that AI can be a valuable support tool, but it cannot replace human expertise.
Lessons learned
Several lessons emerged from the project:
- start with real-world problems before presenting technical solutions
- Use layered content to balance accessibility and depth
- incorporate national perspectives to make training relevant across diverse contexts
- ensure that multiple experts harmonise and interconnect the developed content
- treat AI as an accelerator, while relying on expert review for accuracy
- collaboration with ETF was essential in ensuring a coherent, purposeful design
Conclusion
The training is part of Phase 3 of the ETF’s multi-year initiative on qualifications recognition and mobility. It highlights both the opportunities and challenges of designing international capacity-building programmes. “One-size-fits-all” training doesn’t work. Instead, success needs flexibility, context sensitivity, and collaboration.
Behind the technical frameworks and lies a simple truth: designing training for diverse audiences needs technical knowledge, teamwork, creativity, and attention to flow. The biggest challenge was getting different experts and audiences to agree. Achieving this was also the most rewarding part.
