The genesis of this article is based on the observation by the authors that the French training system has witnessed an evolution since the 1970s that corresponds to the one that was later recommended by the European authorities, i.e.: --the creation of a national qualifications framework that integrates general and vocational training and initial and continuing education; --a description of qualifications in terms of occupational standards that corresponds to learning outcomes and includes the concept of competence. Hence, the proposal of an article in two parts --the first describes the construction process of a national qualifications framework in France. It gives the highlights of the debates that accompanied this construct and stresses the closeness one can find with the present discussions at the European level; --basing itself on this, the second part of the article assesses the results of the implementation of this system in relation to the European goals such as the shift from a system that is steered by supply to one that is steered by demand and the better coherence of qualifications and their transparency for the users. (Contains 1 table.)