Proskills Conference and Awards

City & Guilds is the UK’s leading provider of vocational qualifications, awarding over 1 million certificates every year. We offer over 500 qualifications spanning 22 occupational sectors and at all levels from Basic Skills and pre-entry qualifications to awards that recognise professional achievement at the highest levels.

City & Guilds qualifications are available in over 100 countries and are recognised by employers worldwide as proof of the knowledge and skills needed to get the job done.

Edge is an independent education foundation. It is dedicated to raising the status of practical and vocational learning, so that all young people have the opportunity to achieve their potential, and the UK’s future workforce is equipped with the skills to be successful in the modern economy. Edge believes that ‘learning by doing’ is as important as academic learning, and that there are many paths to success.

'Continuously strive to provide our many customers with quality products and top class service at a competitive price'

Quinn Group is a family-owned business, which has shown extraordinary growth since its inception in 1973. It has three core sectors: Financial Services with a property portfolio with interests in many countries, including recently in Russia and India; a manufacturing division, predominantly servicing the building industry, including cement manufacture; the glass division with two factories, Derrylin and Chester, which satisfy approximately 30% of the UK and ROI demand. The Chester Plant also fills beverage products for its customers.

The philosophy of the Group is very simple: buy the very best production equipment, ensure people are trained in its use and can operate effectively and provide the very best service and quality.

Advanced Apprentice of the Year

The Glass Qualifications Authority (GQA) is the only national Awarding Body offering qualifications for the glass, glazing and related industries. These qualifications include NVQ’s, SVQ’s and Technical certificates for Automotive Glaziers, Glass Manufacturers, Fabricators, Glass Processors, Glaziers and Installers of Windows, Doors, Conservatories, Fascias, Soffits and Bargeboards.

GQA qualifications are nationally recognised and can lead to proof of competence cards including the GQA Competence Card and the CSCS card essential for those working as Glaziers, Installers, Fabricators etc on major construction sites and council housing refurbishment projects etc. The products of GQA as a modern Awarding Body include e-tests, e-learning and e-portfolios in addition to the traditional methods of achievement.

Achieving a GQA qualification through one of our approved centres will give you a nationally recognised qualification gained in the workplace, one where you don’t just say you can do it – you can prove that you can.

Achiever of the Year

Unite the Union is pleased to sponsor the Proskills “Achiever of the Year” Award.

Unite has played a major role in Proskills at Sector level and Board Level. Unite’s National Skills Co-ordinator Bernard Rutter is the longest serving Proskills Board member and his role within the union is to interact with all of the 25 Sector Skills Councils, which include 12 Unite Board members.

Two of the biggest challenges Proskills, and Employers’ face are increasing the uptake of Apprenticeships and working with companies to sign up to the Proskills Skills Pledge to enable employees to access the training they deserve.

Unite Union Learning Reps. are an important resource to assist in both of these challenges. Union Learning Agreements have played a major role in bridging the skills gaps in the workforce.

printweek.com is the premier website for news and in-depth features from the printing industry in the UK and around the world. printweek.com keeps you up to date with web-only stories as well as incorporating news from Haymarket's fleet of market-leading print and packaging titles: PrintWeek, Printing World, PrintBuyer and Packaging News.

printweek.com offers readers a range of free email bulletins, delivering breaking news direct from the industry to your inbox. printweek.com is the best place to hunt for the top jobs in print. From press handlers to account managers, printweek.com has print careers covered.

PrintWeek is the highest-circulating and most widely read printing industry title in the UK, providing a true cross section of the industry.

Every week, PrintWeek is sent to more than 17,000 printing professionals, ranging from small and medium enterprises to the largest and most influential printing companies in the UK.

It has an unrivalled reputation for the best stories in printing and associated sectors, including paper and pre-media.

It provides key decision-makers with more news about contracts, plant and technology than any other title. Equally it is recognised for its incisive comment on key industry issues, as well as informative and entertaining features. PrintWeek is also invaluable for classified recruitment and equipment advertising.

Along with the flagship UK title, PrintWeek's global editions include the Middle East & North Africa, Ukraine, Germany and Russia.

Packaging News delivers the facts - unbiased and with an independent voice - on all areas of the packaging supply chain, from materials production, conversion, packaging, filling, sealing and labelling through to end use and disposal.

Every month, Packaging News publishes cross-sector industry news and comment, marketing and brand design insight, plus new product developments from materials and closures to packaging production machinery, as well as in-depth analysis of areas of concern, such as the environment or legislation.

Printing World is for printers who already run a good business and want to make it even better. Each month, we illustrate how printers can become more efficient and more profitable, and at the same time offer a better service and product to their clients through the application of the most appropriate business processes and technologies.

Every month, Printing World provides in-depth features and analysis, expert opinions and the latest news, written by the journalists in the know for the people who need to know.

Each issue is packed with practical advice from key industry figures, profiles and case studies of big brands, "client friendly" technology updates, as well as news and views from the all the links in the print supply chain. It also addresses all the major print sectors from packaging to direct mail, magazines, brochures, point-of-sale and outdoor advertising.

Nottingham based QMJ Publishing is the commercial associate of the Institute of Quarrying – the professional body for the extractive and related processing industries in the UK. The company publishes three magazines – Quarry Management, which has been the ‘journal of choice’ for the quarry products industry since it was founded in 1918; MQR – Minerals, Quarrying & Recycling which covers the whole of the extractive and processing sector and Natural Stone Specialist, which serves the dimension stone market. Also, the company produces three trade directories/yearbooks and organises two exhibitions: Hillhead Quarry Exhibition – the world’s biggest working quarry show and the Natural Stone Show for architects and specifiers.

There are still a number of sponsorship packages available. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, contact the Marketing Department on 01235 437916 or email for further information.