Awards Celebrate Vocational Successes

City College Norwich today celebrated the role played by employers in supporting vocational success with a breakfast awards event at The Forum in Norwich.  The event was held as part of national Vocational Qualifications (VQ) Day.

The winners of the 6 awards for employers were:

·        Hugh J Boswell - Support for Apprenticeships Award

·        AXA Insurance - Business Benefits of Learning Award

·        Mulberry Bush Day Nursery - Education-Business Links Award

·        Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital - Higher Level Skills Award

·        Lee and Plumpton - Skills for Life and Work Award

·        Pentaco Construction Ltd - Small Businesses Commitment to Learning Award

Three further awards were made in recognition of individuals’ achievements:

·        Olivia Fleck - Apprentice of the Year Award

·        Louise Nicholls - Train to Gain Employee of the Year Award

·        Eileen Wakefield, Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People - Learning in the Workplace Champion Award

There are many different ways in which these employers have worked with City College Norwich to support vocational learning – from providing training for their own staff, including through apprenticeships, to helping the college to develop its courses so that they are up to date with latest industry developments, to providing work placements and giving talks and practical demonstrations to students. 

Dick Palmer, Principal, City College Norwich, said: “VQ Day is our chance to celebrate success in vocational qualifications.  Employers play a huge part in this success and so we chose to focus on their contribution through these awards.  The commitment that employers bring to skills and training is not only of benefit to individual employees and students, it is also vital to the local economy and our future prosperity as we work together to make Norfolk truly world class for skills”.

VQ Day is a UK-wide celebration of the people who gain vocational qualifications every year.  Now in its third year, VQ Day aims to raise the stature and demonstrate the benefits of practical and vocational qualifications to future learners, employers, opinion formers and the wider public. 

For more information about VQ Day, please visit www.vqday.org