The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) provides quality assurance via its academic and vocational accreditation and assessment services. In 2004 the Executive Council endorsed the establishment of a Qualifications Framework (QF) to cover mainstream, vocational and continuing education and to provide defined standards for qualifications.

Legislation was passed in 2007 to establish the HKCAAVQ to administer the QF and its assurance mechanisms, in place of the former Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation.

The QF is a seven-level hierarchy of qualifications, from applied learning school qualifications to postgraduate degrees, which sets out what a holder of a certain qualification knows and can do. It is based on similar models in the UK and Australia and has been developed with the participation of academic, industry and professional bodies. The framework came into effect in May 2008.

Employees in different sectors and employers are being encouraged to refer to the QF. Currently only locally accredited qualifications which are quality assured can be recognised by the QF.