How you can get involved in Vocational Celebration Day 2026

EAL and Enginuity are proud to hold the first annual Vocational Celebration Day this August, shining a spotlight on the value of vocational pathways and the learners who work hard each year to learn new trades.

We are planning a packed programme of activities and events for the big day, Thursday 6 August, including a special live streamed edition of the Steph on Skills: Powered by Enginuity podcast.

In the meantime we’re asking the entire skills community to get involved, and show their support for our learners as they embark on a journey towards the next step of their careers.

Here’s how you can take part in Vocational Celebration Day.

How employers can celebrate on VCD

Employers have a vital part to play in helping learners and apprentices to celebrate their success. One effective way to show support is offering a preview of working life within their environment by opening the doors to visitors and learners alike. Holding an Open Day with guided tours, demonstrations, and Q&A sessions with employees can give learners some insight into what the organisation's day-to-day responsibilities and expectations look like.

Learners can also benefit from a more in-depth experience within the workplace. Offering work experience to school-age students or longer work placements in tandem with training providers, colleges, and schools offers learners the opportunity to discover new techniques, get into a productive routine, and make a valuable contribution to the company.

How schools, colleges, and training providers can help

We also encourage training providers, schools, and colleges to join in the celebrations this August. After all, without the dedication and hard work from teachers, tutors and staff, learners wouldn’t have much to shout about.

Start the new academic year (or close the current one) with a celebration event to showcase the talents of students, and invite graduates along to share in their success. Learners on vocational courses may not have formal graduation days like students on academic courses do, but training providers can still show their appreciation for all the achievement in these classrooms and workshops.

Let the local community know about vocational qualifications on offer, and host Open Days throughout the calendar, to show off the hard work that learners old and new are putting in to achieving their skills goals.

Let’s get social on #VocationalCelebrationDay

We also invite individuals to share their own stories about vocational education, and their progress into new careers, experiences picking up new skills, and more.

Share your pictures, create videos, and tell your stories on social media using the hashtags #VocationalCelebrationDay and #CelebrateVocational.

Together with Enginuity we have developed a Partner Pack for Vocational Celebration Day. The pack contains templates for social media shares, briefs for written and video content, and all the information you need about why we’re working to shine a spotlight on vocational learning as a legitimate step on the career ladder.

Visit the Enginuity Vocational Celebration Day page to download the pack, and for more about our plans to celebrate the first annual event, and share your story.

Download the Partner Pack