In support of the national Vocational Qualifications celebrations, City College Norwich will be holding a Breakfast Event in Fusion, The Forum, Milleunium Plain, Norwich on Wednesday 24th June 2009.
About VQ Day
Millions of people will gain a vocational qualification this year that will be the stepping stone to a brighter future. VQ Day celebrates this achievement and the many paths to success taken by learners of all ages.
Launched in 2008, VQ Day is the first official celebration of the people who gain vocational qualifications every year, and the people who help them achieve this success. It aims to raise the profile of vocational qualifications and celebrate vocational achievement, including the many paths to success taken by learners of all ages.
VQ Day 2008 – The story so far…
VQ Day is led by Edge, the education foundation, in conjunction with the vocational qualifications community including: the Association of Colleges (AoC), the Association of Learning Providers (ALP), Association of Scotland's Colleges (ASC), City & Guilds, Department for Employment and Learning (DELNI), Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills (DIUS), Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College, Edexcel, EDI, the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB), the FE Reputation Strategy Group (FERSG), fforwm, the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), National Training Federation for Wales, Ofqual, Ofqual Northern Ireland, OCR, Scottish Government, Scottish Qualifications Authority, Scottish Training Federation (STF), Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the Welsh Assembly Government among others.
VQ Day 2008 was launched at the House of Commons in April 2008, with the day itself taking place on July 23rd 2008. The national event was hosted by Alesha Dixon (Strictly Come Dancing winner 2007) at London’s Royal Opera House, with over 120 partner organisations downloading posters and action packs from the VQ Day website. The event was also attended by Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham, and his Conservative and Liberal Democrat counterparts David Willetts and Stephen Williams. Over 50 regional events took place up and down the country, with VQ Day as a whole generating nearly 600 pieces of coverage.
The main aim of VQ Day was also realised, with tracking research showing that 51 per cent of people now believe that vocational qualifications are as valuable as GCSEs and A-levels – a seven per cent rise from before VQ Day. This year we hope to increase this further still.
VQ Day 2009 – 24 June
VQ Day will take place nationwide on 24th June 2009. A national celebration event will be held in London to showcase the diversity of vocational achievement, with regional media events held by colleges and learning providers around the country. It is hoped that VQ Day will help raise the profile, and communicate the value, of vocational qualifications to future students, potential employers and the wider public. To find out what is happening in your area and see how you can get involved, visit www.vqday.org.
Why is VQ Day necessary?
Millions of people will gain a vocational qualification this year that will be the stepping stone to a brighter future, be that further vocational study or university, a better job or enhanced skills. VQ Day celebrates this achievement and the many paths to success taken by learners of all ages. Colleges and learning providers all over the country do celebrate their students’ vocational achievements, but until last year there was no national celebration. We wanted to provide an opportunity for the whole sector to celebrate together, and now we want to build on the success of last year and make this year’s celebration bigger and better still.
How do people get involved?
If you are a college or learning provider, the first step to getting involved is to order collateral from the website, www.vqday.org. It’s free, and a great way to inform your learners that you’ll be celebrating VQ Day. You should also let your learners know that a roll call of vocational success has been established on the website, with all learners past and present invited to add their name to the list of people across the UK who have gained a vocational qualification. In addition, honorary vocational qualifications will be awarded on VQ Day to two ‘VQ Heroes’ who embody vocational achievement. Learning providers can nominate students who have gained a vocational qualification in the following categories:
- VQ Hero – 24 and under
- VQ Hero – 25 and over
A ‘Learner of the Year’ and a ‘Young Learner of the Year’ will be selected in each region, with the finalists invited to attend the national event where the national winners in each category will be announced.
What do we mean by vocational qualifications?
A vocational qualification means a recognised qualification at any level relating to a particular line of work or specific job role. These qualifications have an emphasis on the assessment of practical skills and knowledge. Examples include BTECs, City & Guilds, NVQ/SVQ, OCR Nationals, Apprenticeships, HNC/HNDs, degrees with a largely vocational content and professional qualifications awarded through a recognised professional body.
Why are vocational qualifications important?
The education system in the UK offers learners of all ages many paths to success, all of which deserve equal recognition. Vocational qualifications give people high quality education and skills that improve the economic and social well-being of individuals, communities, companies and the nation as a whole. They are a vital stepping stone to enabling people to achieve their goals, leading to further study, enhanced skills, greater job prospects and higher pay.
Where can people go if they want to find out more about vocational learning?
There are a variety of websites which provide information on vocational learning. These include:
Edge - www.edge.co.uk
Direct Gov - www.direct.gov.uk (UK)
Learning and Skills Council – www.inourhands.lsc.gov.uk (UK)
Connexions - www.connexions-direct.com (England)
Careers Wales – www.careerswales.com (Wales)
Careers Scotland – www.careers-scotland.org.uk (Scotland)
Careers Service NI - www.careersserviceni.com (Northern Ireland)
Those who are interested in taking a vocational qualification should also contact their local college (details available online or in the phone book) for more information on the courses offered.
To find out more about VQ Day visit www.vqday.org
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