Let's hear it for VQs...

Yesterday was VQ Day; the annual celebration of everyone who’s achieved a vocational qualification. Thanks to the hard work of so many colleges, training providers and awarding bodies, as well as staff at Edge, it was a really fantastic day. Celebrity chef James Martin did us proud as the ambassador for VQ Day, appearing on ITV’s Loose Women and BBC Breakfast News. The BBC’s piece also featured hospitality students from the wonderful Open Kitchen at Hackney Community College in London, where one of our four national VQ Day events was held. Others took place in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh – along with many more events around the UK. I’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge WELL DONE to everyone involved!

Of course the real highlight in London were the two overall VQ Hero winners; Learner of the Year Aaron Collins from Croydon (studying art and design) and Young Learner of the Year Lucia Castro (studying health and social care). You can’t listen to these people on stage without being reminded that every one of us has talent and that there are many paths to success. The fact that there are thousands of Lucias and Aarons who leave the education system with unfulfilled hopes and beliefs is a disgrace. That is why Edge wants to transform the education system with our revolution campaign.

We need everyone to get behind this change; from young people and parents to businesses. I am heartened, therefore, to read the comments by chief executive of McDonalds UK Steve Easterbrook in today’s Times calling for businesses to play a part in bridging the work-school divide and ensuing our young people, who are bearing the brunt of unemployment during the recession, continue to have prospects in both work and education. He says; “For too long there has been a divide between the worlds of education and work. It cannot be right that leaving school at 16 is the end of the education story for so many. Only by making a revolving door between study and work can we harness this country's young talent.” I couldn’t agree more.