ISQS - Recognition Matrix

Compare Qualifications, Not Course Titles
Professional sauna qualifications are offered by different training organisations, associations and educational institutions under a wide variety of titles.
The same title may represent substantially different levels of education and professional competence. Conversely, qualifications with different titles may cover comparable knowledge, skills and professional responsibilities.
For this reason, the International Sauna Qualification System (ISQS) does not determine equivalence on the basis of course titles.
The ISQS Recognition Matrix provides a structured framework for comparing external qualifications with the requirements of an ISQS qualification.
Recognition is based on documented equivalence of competence – not similarity of titles.

Purpose of the Recognition Matrix
The Recognition Matrix is designed to make the assessment of external qualifications transparent, systematic and reproducible.
It can be used when a person has already completed professional sauna education outside the ISQS and wishes to use this previous qualification as the basis for entry into an ISQS qualification pathway.
The matrix compares the documented content and requirements of the external qualification with the corresponding ISQS qualification requirements.
The central question is therefore not:
What is the qualification called?
The relevant question is:
What knowledge, skills and professional competences does the qualification actually demonstrate?

What Is Compared?
Recognition requires sufficient documentation to determine what the external qualification actually represents.
The assessment may include the following areas:
Curriculum
Which subjects and professional areas are covered by the qualification?
The curriculum provides the first indication of the scope and structure of the programme.
A list of course titles alone is generally insufficient. The content behind those titles must be identifiable.

Learning Outcomes
What should participants know, understand and be able to do after completing the programme?
Learning outcomes are particularly important because they describe the intended professional competence rather than simply listing subjects that were taught.

Theoretical Training
The assessment considers the scope and depth of theoretical education.
This may include areas such as sauna physiology, thermoregulation, heat and cold exposure, safety, Aufguss, hygiene, technology and professional sauna operation, depending on the qualification being assessed.

Practical Training
Professional competence cannot always be demonstrated through theoretical education alone.
Where the corresponding ISQS qualification requires practical competence, the external qualification must provide suitable evidence of practical instruction, training or assessment.

Safety-Critical Competences
Safety-related competences receive particular attention.
Where a competence is considered essential for safe professional practice, deficiencies cannot simply be compensated for by extensive training in unrelated areas.
Safety-critical competences are mandatory.

Assessment and Examination
A qualification should demonstrate not only participation in education but also successful achievement of the required learning outcomes.
The Recognition Matrix therefore considers how knowledge and practical competence were assessed.
This may include:

• written examinations
• digital examinations
• practical assessments
• case-based assessment
• competence demonstrations
• documented final examinations

Training Volume
Training duration alone does not determine the quality of a qualification.
Nevertheless, documented learning and training volume is an important indicator when qualifications are compared.
Where available, the assessment may therefore consider:

• instructional time
• online learning
• supervised practical training
• mandatory literature
• independent learning
• practical exercises
• examination and assessment

Training volume is considered together with content, learning outcomes and demonstrated competence.

Documentation and Verifiability
Recognition requires verifiable information.
Relevant documentation may include:
official curriculum
syllabus
learning outcomes
training schedule
course documentation
teaching materials
mandatory literature
examination regulations
practical training records
certificates
confirmation from the training provider
The more clearly a qualification is documented, the more reliably equivalence can be assessed.

Recognition Matrix
The following structure illustrates the principal areas considered when an external qualification is compared with an ISQS qualification.

The matrix is not intended as a simple numerical comparison.
A larger number of training hours does not automatically compensate for missing learning outcomes, practical competence or safety-critical content.
Likewise, a shorter programme is not automatically considered inferior if the required competence can be documented through an appropriate combination of education, previous learning, professional experience and assessment.

Possible Recognition Outcomes
The comparison may lead to different outcomes depending on the degree of documented equivalence.
Recognition
The external qualification demonstrates the knowledge, skills and competences required for the relevant purpose within the ISQS pathway.
Recognition with Additional Requirements
A substantial degree of equivalence exists, but defined elements of the ISQS requirements are missing.
The applicant may be required to complete specific modules, practical training or assessments.
This avoids unnecessary repetition of competences that have already been demonstrated while ensuring that remaining qualification requirements are met.

Individual Competence Assessment
Where professional competence exists but cannot be demonstrated sufficiently through formal course documentation, an individual competence assessment may be appropriate.
Relevant professional experience and prior learning may be considered as part of this process.
Recognition at a Different Qualification Level
An external qualification may demonstrate substantial professional competence but not meet the requirements of the ISQS level for which recognition was requested.
Where appropriate, the documented competence may correspond more closely to another ISQS qualification level.

No Equivalence
Recognition is not possible where essential learning outcomes, practical requirements, safety-critical competences or sufficient documentation are absent.
This does not necessarily mean that the external programme has no professional value.
It means that equivalence with the specific ISQS qualification cannot be demonstrated on the basis of the available evidence.

Safety-Critical Competences
Safety is treated differently from many other areas of qualification comparison.
A person may possess extensive theoretical knowledge while lacking a specific competence required for safe professional practice.
For this reason, safety-critical requirements cannot simply be offset against strengths elsewhere in the qualification.
Examples may include competences related to:

• recognition of excessive thermal strain
• safe performance of Aufguss
• guest observation
• emergency response
• occupational safety
• safe operational procedures

Where such competence is mandatory for the corresponding ISQS qualification, it must be demonstrated separately.
Competence in one area cannot compensate for a safety-critical competence that is missing in another.

Professional Experience and Prior Learning
Professional competence is not acquired exclusively through formal courses.
Relevant professional experience, previous education and documented continuing professional development may therefore be considered when assessing an applicant.
However, professional experience alone does not automatically establish equivalence.
The relevant question remains whether the required competence can be demonstrated.
Where documentary evidence is insufficient, practical or theoretical competence assessment may be used to establish whether the required learning outcomes have been achieved.
Recognition Does Not Replace the Original Certificate
Recognition within the ISQS does not change the origin of an external qualification.
An external certificate remains a certificate issued by the original training organisation.
Recognition may allow the documented qualification to be accepted for a defined purpose within the ISQS – for example, as evidence of prior learning or as an admission requirement for a higher qualification.
It does not automatically convert the external certificate into an ISQS certificate.
This distinction ensures transparency regarding both the original qualification and its recognition within the ISQS.

Recognition Applies to the Documented Qualification
Recognition is based on the specific qualification that has been assessed.
It should therefore relate to the documented programme, curriculum or qualification version submitted for assessment.
Recognition of one qualification does not automatically mean that every programme offered by the same organisation is recognised.
Likewise, significant changes to a curriculum, examination procedure or practical training structure may require a new assessment.
Transparency Instead of Titles
The Recognition Matrix supports one of the fundamental principles of the International Sauna Qualification System:
Compare qualifications, not course titles.
A qualification should be evaluated according to what it demonstrably represents:
What was taught?
What had to be learned?
What practical competence was developed?
Which safety-critical competences were required?
How was competence assessed?
Which professional responsibilities does the qualification prepare the holder to undertake?
These questions provide considerably more information than the title printed on a certificate.

Relationship Between ISQS and ISSS
The Recognition Matrix is part of the International Sauna Qualification System (ISQS) because it assesses qualifications and their equivalence.
The professional reference standards underlying many of these requirements are defined within the International Sauna Standardisation System (ISSS).
The relationship can therefore be summarised as:
ISSS defines the standard.
ISQS defines the qualification.
The Recognition Matrix evaluates documented equivalence.
Recognition Based on Evidence
The ISQS Recognition Matrix provides a transparent framework for assessing existing sauna qualifications without relying on course titles, provider reputation or marketing terminology.
Its purpose is not to make different educational programmes identical.
Its purpose is to determine whether the professional competence required for a specific ISQS qualification or admission requirement can be demonstrated.
Recognition is based exclusively on documented equivalence of learning outcomes, curriculum, training volume, practical instruction and assessment.

Related ISQS Information
Recognition of External Qualifications – How external qualifications and prior learning can be recognised.
Qualification Standards – The requirements against which qualifications are assessed.
Qualification Levels – The structure of professional competence within the ISQS.
Admission Requirements – The qualifications required for progression through the ISQS.