National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) were developed out of a plethora of initiatives implemented between 1960 and 1990. The format of NVQs was initially based on a hierarchical task analysis of job functions within the hospitality and catering industry, conducted as part of the CATERBASE project, which was commissioned by the Manpower Services Commission in the mid-1980s. This issues paper explores the development of NVQs from their CATERBASE beginnings and argues that structural inefficiencies in qualification design is part of the reason for their failure to raise skill levels.