Edge - raising the status of practical, techical and vocational learning

Welcome to the Edge Foundation

We celebrate success and showcase vocational excellence
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Read Edge’s Six Steps for Change to find out our views on the education and training system
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Edge is an independent education foundation, dedicated to raising the status of practical and vocational learning.
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We work with policy-makers and opinion-formers so that we can take our message to the people who make the decisions
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Working with a number of organisations who share our belief in the importance of technical, practical & vocational learning is important to us
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News

Britain lags behind neighbours in Euro vocational league table as link with youth unemployment established

Less than a third of young people in the UK enrol on vocational courses – far below the 50 per cent average for the rest of the EU .
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Association of Employment and Learning Providers appoints new leader

The body that represents the skills and employability providers who train over 70% of the country’s 700,000 apprentices has a new leader.
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Edge Hotel School

Applications for Exclusive Hotels Scholarships are now open to students starting at The Edge Hotel School in May 2013.
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Edge Hotel School

The Edge Foundation is delighted to announce that three £3,000 scholarships will be available to students applying to the Edge Hotel School at the September 2013 intake.
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Edge's Response to the Ministerial Statement on Traineeships

We welcome the Government's announcement today regarding Traineeships, which is an extremely positive development in terms of opportunities for young people. It fills the missing gap of a 'pre-Apprenticeship', for those not quite ready for a full apprenticeship but providing a route to get there.
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Post-16 qualifications and performance measures: Edge response to government consultation

Edge believes we should establish an over-arching school graduation certificate for all young people, based on credits achieved over the four years from Year 10 (age 14) to Year 13 (age 18). Core requirements would include credits in English, maths and science, supported by credits in a wide range of options including traditional “academic” subjects and hands-on vocational and vocationally-related subjects.
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Edge wants an education and training system which:
- helps young people find out what they're good at and what they enjoy doing
- rewards and recognises individual success in all its forms, not just in exams
- helps people choose paths that support their talents and ambitions
- shows how education creates the knowledge, skills and talents needed by the UK economy
Step 1: Recognise that there are many talents and paths to success
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Step 2: Ensure that "learning by doing" is valued equally with academic learning
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Step 3: Provide technical, practical and vocational learning as an integral and valued part of every young person's education and as a recognised route to success
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Step 4: From the age of 14, give young people a choice of learning experiences and pathways based on their motivation, talents and career aspirations
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Step 5: Ensure that the technical, practical and vocational education and qualifications offered in schools, FE and HE are high quality and recognised by employers
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Step 6: Ensure all young people, whatever their different abilities and interests, leave the system with confidence, ambition and the skills to succeed and the skills the economy needs
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