How to use ExplorerHub: a guide to the portal
Published on February 11, 2026by Redazione ExplorerHub2 min read
ExplorerHub is the portal that makes the main European and international competence frameworks consultable and comparable. It is free, open and available in four languages: Italian, English, Spanish and French.
It is not a PDF archive. The frameworks are structured: areas, competences, descriptors and levels are individually navigable and comparable across frameworks.
You do not know which framework you need. Start from the framework catalogue. Each entry lists producer, year, scope, the number of areas, competences and descriptors, and the structural type. The filters narrow by audience and by purpose.
You know which framework you need. The most used frameworks have a dedicated portal with the full structure navigable: DigComp, DigCompEdu, GreenComp, LifeComp and FinComp.
You start from an occupation, not a framework. The ESCO explorer lets you start from an occupation and see which competences it requires, across more than 13,000 skills and 3,000 occupations in the European classification. This is the useful route for guidance and for course design.
You are looking for a specific term. The portal's global search covers frameworks, competences, pages and blog articles in all four languages.
Framework comparison. Different frameworks often describe close competences under different names. The portal places the structures side by side, which is the quickest way to see whether two references overlap or complement each other.
Saved items. With a free account you can save competences, frameworks and qualifications to a personal list. It is for anyone working on a mapping across several sessions who does not want to retrace their steps each time.
Faced with dozens of frameworks, the temptation is to open many. The most effective way to use the portal is the opposite: start from a precise question -- which competences this role needs, how I assess this area, what level this qualification sits at -- and go into detail only where a decision has to be made.
The blog collects guides on using individual frameworks in concrete contexts: schools, adult education, public administration, certification.
With dozens of European frameworks available, the question is not which is best but which answers your question. Three criteria to decide in a few minutes.
Can you assess empathy, flexibility and critical thinking without sliding into judging the person? Yes, on one condition: you observe behaviour in a task, not character.
ESCO says what a job involves. EQF says what level a qualification sits at. They are needed together, and the point of contact is the competence.
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