The government is planning to make work-based qualifications, such as NVQs and City & Guilds, available in their component form, which would allow companies to pick and choose units from a variety of courses to build up credits.

If an individual gains enough credits, it is possible that they could gain a full qualification.

The government has said it intends to unitise all vocational qualifications by 2010, although it is thought by some that this is an ambitious target.

Richard Bloxam, head of marketing and communications at Proskills, said: "This is all part of a government agenda to make qualifications more flexible and standardised.

"It also raises the possibility of more accessibility for printers to fit qualifications around the needs of the individual."

He added that there will be rules dictating which unit combinations can combine to make a full qualification.

Mark Snee, managing director of Technoprint, said: "Part of what put me off rolling out business improvement NVQs to my workforce was the impracticality that they had to take the whole qualification. The unitised system would better suit my business needs."