Most applicants completed their training in Romania, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Syria. Applications for recognition of a Syrian vocational training almost tripled in a year (Syria, 2015: 636 new applications; 2016: 1728). Thus, Syria is on the 4th place among the most popular countries in the recognition process. For the first time since the Act came into the effect, over 50 percent of applications were filed for recognition of qualifications obtained in non-EU countries.
As in the years before, the majority of recognition procedures concerned the regulated professions, since formal recognition is mandatory for people willing to work in a regulated profession. They made up 74,9 percent of all cases filed in 2016. The majority of applicants sought recognition in the healthcare professions.
Some 25,1 percent of applicants filed an application for recognition of a qualification in the non-regulated professions. Recognition is not mandatory in case of non-regulated professions. It can, however, increase the chances of employment that accords to a person’s qualification or career advancement.