VQ Day: vocational qualifications a route to future success
To mark VQ Day 2014, a new report from the Institute of Public Policy Research has investigated the changing landscape of the workforce.
“VQ Day is about celebrating the ways in which high-quality vocational education and training, in all its forms, benefits learners, employers and the economy as a whole,” said Skills and Enterprise Minister, Matthew Hancock, about the 7th annual VQ Day on 4 June 2014.
He added:
We are reforming vocational qualifications to make sure they are rigorous and responsive to employers’ needs, to ensure all students get a valued qualification. The VQ Awards form an important part of the celebrations and set an exceptional example, demonstrating the success that can be achieved through taking vocational qualifications.
Owen Henley - Learner of the year 2014 England Winner
To mark VQ Day 2014 a new report from the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) has investigated the changing landscape of the workforce, it says that by 2022 - 9 out of 10 most in-demand occupations of the future will be attained by completing vocational qualifications.
It has been estimated that 3.6 million vacancies will become available over the next decade and many of the jobs expected to drive economic growth and mobility will be accessible with a vocational qualification.
The most in-demand occupations will all be in health and care as a result of our ageing population with the report revealing that an additional three million more health and care workers are going to be needed to look after people in hospitals, care homes and the community. In skilled construction trades there will be nearly half a million jobs ranging from bricklayers to geothermal pump installers. And nearly a quarter of a million jobs for ‘associate professionals’ people with level 4 qualifications such as Foundation Degrees and Higher Apprenticeships.
Barbara Spicer, Chief Executive of the Agency said:
This report clearly demonstrates that vocational qualifications, Apprenticeships and Traineeships sit at the heart of economic recovery. The research supports the Agency’s drive to equip people of all ages with the skills employers need to compete in a challenging global marketplace, and shows that ‘learning by doing’ will increasingly become a well-established route for career success.
In recent years there are more people accessing higher education with vocational qualifications than ever before giving them the edge with a combination of academic and practical knowledge. In a BIS research paper – Apprenticeships: Progression to Higher Education May 2014, it reveals that nearly 20% of advanced apprentices go on to higher education within a few years of completing their apprenticeships.
For more information about VQ Day, please visit: www.vqday.org.uk.