6.1 Qualifications are a means to an end, and not an end in themselves. Once seen as being purely for young people, today qualifications give signals about our employability and allow us to progress. They tell individuals and employers what is needed to achieve a given standard or skill. They help motivate people to stick with learning. They provide step-by-step progress through education and training, thus helping people to move forward or change direction in their careers.

6.2 Qualifications should allow people to take small steps and choose combinations of learning that suit them, while being recognised by employers and society as a whole. We must also acknowledge that not everyone who learns needs or wants a qualification.

6.3 Our aims for qualifications are to:

• guarantee and maintain high standards;

• ensure they require, and give credit for, both breadth and depth of study for those aged 16-19;

• provide for adult learners and encourage lifelong learning;

• raise awareness of their importance and availability; and

• make the system more easily understood.

6.4 A wide variety of qualifications is currently available. The main national qualifications - classified by level and broad equivalence - are set out in the chart at the front of this Chapter.