Leading Article: A cosy testing system vulnerable to abuse

IT IS unusual for the chief executive of a quango to admit that the system he operates is being abused - and to call a seminar to examine how it could be put right. The quango involved is the National Council for Vocational Qualifications. Those invited to today's meeting are, as we report on page 8, the 125 bodies which it has empowered to award National and General National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs and GNVQs).

The abuse arises from the relationship between these 'awarding' bodies and the institutions providing vocational training. Some of the latter have, it transpires, done unapproved deals with training institutions abroad. In effect, they have been selling British vocational courses without any guarantee that standards will be met. And John Hillier, the quango's chief executive, has evidence that quality control is indeed deficient overseas. These goings-on are hardly likely to enhance the credibility of NVQs and GNVQs either at home or abroad.

The fact is that the system's openness to abuse abroad reflects a similar vulnerability at home. It was a good idea of the Government's to attempt to standardise and popularise the 600-odd vocational qualifications that previously existed. But those who devised the new system gave undue weight to the testing of a series of competences in the practical field and underplayed the theoretical side and overall performance. This fragmented approach makes the skills less portable.

Because tests hinge on skill at separate tasks, it was considered best for them to be tested by on- the-spot supervisors, either in training establishments, colleges or work. Much of the assessment is thus done by those responsible for training, an unduly cosy arrangement open to abuse. As one critic put it, it is as if a driving instructor could pass clients on the basis of skill at turning or operating the clutch. If they failed, moreover, he would not be paid.

If this country's bias against vocational qualifications is to be corrected, the assessment process must be credible and based on standard performance criteria. To achieve that, tests should be broader-based and give greater emphasis to theoretical knowledge. Reforms in that direction would not only raise the reputation of NVQs, but make overseas procedures easier to verify.