The National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) was formed after a 1986 review of the system for certifying vocational qualifications in the United Kingdom and charged with the task of reforming the existing system. The following are among the NCVQ's major achievements to date: establishment of a framework of achievement levels to which qualifications outside the system can be equated; increased involvement of many professional bodies in the student certification process; shifting of the emphasis in assessment from the theoretical to the practical demonstration of competence; removal of many unnecessary barriers related to course entry; and establishment of the principle that qualifications should be awarded based on standards achieved rather than on completion of specified lengths or types of courses. Despite these improvements, the UK system of awarding vocational qualifications still faces fundamental problems, including the following: the poor quality of some standards on which qualifications are based; delays in exploiting the potential advantages of the unit system to allow transfer between qualifications; a rapid increase in the numbers of awarding bodies and qualifications; and uncertainty about how to foster and assess the knowledge and understanding necessary for successful work performance and subsequent progression. A glossary is appended. (Contains 16 references.) (MN)