National Vocational Qualifications and competence‐based assessment for technicians – from sound principles to dogma

The development of competence‐based assessment in the UK has been strongly influenced by the introduction, in the 1980s, of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications. The introduction of these qualifications has raised the profile of competence‐based assessment and, arguably, its credibility. But it is responsible for creating some misconceptions. Attempts to centralise and prescribe criteria and processes have stifled innovation and have restricted the wider application of and involvement in competence‐based assessment, particularly at the higher levels. This article describes the background of competence‐based assessment and NVQs and identifies some of the misconceptions which exist in this area. Taking the Association of Accounting Technicians as a case study, the article aims to correct these misconceptions and demonstrate the real potential of competence‐based assessment in vocational and professional contexts.