ABSTRACT
UK Vocational Education and Training is based on a model of development which reverses previous approaches. Rather than design curricula to meet assumed needs, representative occupational bodies identify ‘occupational standards’ which are clear and precise statements which describe what effective performance means in distinct occupational areas. The standards are then used to develop ‘new’ vocational qualifications and the assessment which underpins them; plus learning programmes which deliver the achievements identified in the standards.
