National vocational qualifications

Abstract

There is widespread acceptance, among employers, trades unions, and educational institutions, that the skills of the British workforce need to be substantially improved. Investment in vocational training is far below the European Community average, and the UK's weak industrial performance is generally thought to be, in part, directly attributable to this fact. Throughout 1991, however, the Government's efforts to address this problem faced a steady flow of criticism, from the CBI, the Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) and independent bodies like the National Institute of Economic & Social Research (NIESR, 1991). This article looks at one major initiative, the development of a system of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), which, with rather less publicity, has been making some important progress.