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This book is intended to provide an overview and history of the development of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) in the United Kingdom (UK). GNVQs are intended for young people aged 16 to 19 who are in full-time education. They provide a vocational alternative to traditional academic qualifications and students acquire a general education plus skills, knowledge and understanding in preparation for work or further study. NVQs are competence-based qualifications acquired on the job and not in the classroom and provide proof of skill and competence in a particular job. The book contains two sections: a paper by Tysome and an introduction by Ainley and Gokulsing which places Tysome's paper in the context of the broader changes in education, training and society that have occurred in recent times. They attempt to explain these recent changes in relation to the decision by the UK government in the early 1990s to transform the UK into a 'learning society' by the year 2000. Tysome's paper documents the history and development of NVQs and GNVQs and the political and educational contexts from which they have emerged, and provides an overview of the impact of the NVQ/GNVQ system on education and training. The paper describes the factors leading to the formation of the qualifications and underpinning their continuing evolution. It explores the strengths and weaknesses of the NVQ/GNVQ system and the changes it has undergone over the past ten years. The ways in which the professional bodies have reacted to the development of higher level qualifications are also examined.