This paper looks at the policy, context and emergence of Key Skills as national qualifications. It considers some of the continuing tensions relating to clarity of purpose and definition of the model. It will consider perspectives pre and post 16 and from a number of sector stakeholders including employers and Higher Education. We will highlight, from the perspective of ASDAN as a participant in the national scene, a continuing debate with and within DfEE and QCA concerning the place, status and equivalence of Key Skills in the national qualifications framework.
