A young woman from Llanelli who is blazing a trail in the hospitality industry, a woman who has been promoted from administrator to docks and marina supervisor at the Port of Milford Haven and a successful North Wales recycling company were the main winners at this year’s Vocational Qualification (VQ) Awards last night (Tuesday).
Ten finalists and their learning providers gathered at St David’s Hotel and Spa, Cardiff, on the eve of VQ Day, to discover who had won the awards, which were presented by Minister for Skills and Science Julie James.
The annual awards, organised by the Welsh Government, the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW) and ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, celebrate the achievements of both learners and employers across Wales.
The VQ Intermediate Learner of the Year Award went to Elizabeth Forkuoh, Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli, who was nominated by Coleg Sir Gâr, Llanelli. Multilingual Elizabeth, 20, who speaks Italian, English, Twi, French and some Welsh, won gold awards at the Skills Competitions Wales and WorldSkills UK. She now has secured a coveted place on the WorldSkills Squad UK and hopes to compete in WorldSkills Abu Dhabi in 2017.
Having moved to Llanelli when she was 15, Elizabeth is now studying a level three NVQ Diploma in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership at Coleg Sir Gâr in Carmarthen, while working part-time at the Stradey Park Hotel. Although ambitious, Elizabeth has decided to defer her degree in hotel management until 2018 to focus on competition opportunities.
The VQ Higher Learner of the Year Award was won by Melanie Durney from Milford Haven Port Authority, who was nominated by Pembrokeshire College. Melanie has been promoted from administrator to managing a team that will be instrumental in the success of a multi-million pound regeneration project set to bring jobs, boost tourism and create a brighter economic future for her home town.
Originally joining the Port of Milford Haven as docks administrator, she completed a Level 4 NVQ in Business and Administration before her promotion to docks co-ordinator and went on to achieve a Level 5 NVQ in Management to become docks and marina supervisor.
Winner of the VQ Employer of the Year Award was recycling company Thorncliffe from Mold, who were nominated by Cambrian Training Company. Vocational qualifications are supporting the company’s ambition to send zero waste to landfill in the future.
A double winner at last year’s Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, the company has successful recycling sites in Mold and Abergele which are each saving 30,000 tonnes of waste a year from landfill. To achieve its business goals, the company launched an Apprenticeship programme four years ago and it now has 12 apprentices.
Minister of Skills and Science Julie James congratulated the 10 finalists and praised everyone who had been nominated for the VQ Awards this year.
“Vocational skills have a huge impact on the Welsh economy and we value the gold standard of vocational learning being delivered to people right across Wales,” she said.
“Both Vocational Qualifications Day and the Vocational Qualifications Awards provide the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate not only the high standard of technical, practical and vocational learning being delivered in Wales, but also the many personal successes and achievements of our learners.
“High quality VQs are essential to provide individuals and businesses with the skills, experience, motivation and inspiration they need to get ahead. Ultimately it is only with appropriately skilled and trained people that we can drive forward the Welsh economy.
“Many of our VQ Award finalists this year have demonstrated that they are marked out as future leaders or ambitious entrepreneurs and have an eye on making sound business decisions and increasing productivity.”
The other finalists were:
VQ Intermediate Learner of the Year:
- Nick Rudge, Fat Duck, Bray, nominated by Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Coleg Llandrillo
- Darryn Pitman, Captiva Spa, Caerphilly, nominated by ISA Training, Bridgend
- Stefano Amoruso, Trojan Electronics, Swansea, nominated by Gower College Swansea
VQ Higher Learner of the Year finalists:
- Dorota Orzeszek, Swansea Bay Regional Equality Council, nominated by GCS Training from Gower College Swansea
- Lorna Wilcox-Jones, Cartrefi Cymru, Bangor, nominated by Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Denbigh campus
VQ Employer of the Year finalists:
- Arthur J. Gallagher, Llantrisant, nominated by Acorn Learning and Development
- Wales Community Rehabilitation Company, Cardiff, nominated by VQ Assessment Services
Now in their ninth year, the awards are held on the eve of VQ Day on June 8, a celebration of the benefits and value of high quality technical, practical and vocational learning to individuals and to the economy.
Learning providers across Wales are being encouraged to organise regional events to celebrate VQ Day and engage with learners of all ages. Vocational qualifications have never been more important to the economy and the individual, as they deliver the trained, talented employees that businesses are crying out for and ensure young people have the skills needed to succeed in education and work.
