Explains that the Sultanate of Oman is the only country in the world, other than the UK, to have adopted the national vocational qualification NVQ as its national system for vocational training. Assesses the extent to which centres in Oman have been successful in implementing the NVQ, and the extent to which the NVQ has contributed towards achievement of the Omani Government's objective of omanisation replacing expatriate labour with Omani nationals. Discusses feedback from centres, which should be of interest to the Omani Government, the UK awarding bodies and others with an interest in the implementation of competence-based training. Concludes that the NVQ has been fairly successful in Oman, although local culture and context have not been adequately considered and catered for, and that the generally low competence of candidates in English is hindering their learning and skills development.