Clarkson Evans named winner of VQ Employer of the Year award

Gloucester-based electrical contractor Clarkson Evans has been named as the winner of the VQ Employer of the Year Award 2014, sponsored by City and Guilds, in recognition of the outstanding support it has provided to those undertaking vocational qualifications (VQs) within its workforce.

Clarkson Evans set up an in-house training centre in 1998. In an average year, the company will recruit at least 50 apprentices with opportunities available at each of its fourteen branches across southern England, the Midlands and south Wales.  All apprentices are offered the chance to build long-term, stable, skilled careers.  Its training facility also offers vocational education and training to employees from other firms, allowing Clarkson Evans to truly benefit the local community.

A spokesperson for Clarkson Evans said: "We're absolutely elated to be named as the winner of the VQ Employer of the Year Award 2014. We’re delighted that this award recognises the importance of vocational education and training to the UK economy. Not only do vocational qualifications help the individual achieve their career goals, but they are also hugely beneficial to us as a business."

Held on the 4 June 2014, VQ Day is an annual event led by independent education charity, the Edge Foundation. It aims to celebrate the benefits of technical, practical and vocational learning, not only to the individual but also to UK PLC. From 16-year-olds to those over 60, VQ day celebrates the acquisition of new skills and encourages parity of esteem between high quality vocational qualifications and academic ones.

Jan Hodges OBE, CEO of the Edge Foundation, says: “Clarkson Evans champions technical, practical and vocational skills within its workforce. In doing so it sends a strong message about the value of vocational qualifications, training and the benefits they bring to both employers and the economy.”

For more information about VQ Day and the VQ Learner of the Year Awards, please visit www.vqday.org.uk