It is widely agreed that the United Kingdom's post-16 qualification system must be made coherent and intelligible to users. Developing a credit-based certification system is the key to increasing participation in further education (FE) and achieving a broader, more flexible curriculum. The benefits of a credit-based certification framework for learners, providers, and employers are evident in case studies of eight FE colleges in Wales that participated in a 3-year pilot project to embed credit-based certification systems in FE. The case studies provide important lessons on the following aspects of development and implementation of credit-based certification: designing programs, assessing on a continuous basis; planning across colleges; offering sampler courses; reaching the disaffected; unitizing access programs; mapping common elements; and improving life chances. The benefits of credit-based certification in FE are also evident in six case studies that were conducted in England to examine the application of a credit-based certification framework to accomplish the following: develop learning materials and improve quality; use a discrete generic model to unitize the curriculum; facilitate progression from school to work; facilitate progression from FE to higher education; base resourcing on credit; and promote institutional change. (Contains 20 references) (MN)