In Australia, United Kingdom and Germany there has been an increased focus on the recognition of prior learning and transfer of credits obtained elsewhere

Discussion
The rationale for the recognition of prior learning across the systems is similar. First, it avoids duplication, and secondly, it can provide a pathway to qualifications for those who either have not been able to acquire qualifications from schooling, or who have wanted to use knowledge and qualifications gained previously to acquire further and higher qualifications.
The transfer of students between educational institutions has been common across all countries and has always depended on the willingness of institutions to provide credit or advanced standing for qualifications or subjects completed elsewhere. Increased student mobility between countries, states and institutions has led to the development of formal mechanisms for accrediting prior learning and transferring credit between domestic and international institutions. Where the Australian VET system has developed a national system for accrediting providers and training packages for the VET system, the move to establish a European education and training area has meant that Germany and countries in the United Kingdom, acting independently and as a whole, have had to develop formal systems for the recognition and transfer of credit. These are still in the early stages of implementation.