The history of the Edge Foundation
The Edge Foundation was formed twenty years ago with an endowment fund from Edexcel. Our history is tied to the evolution of vocational education aimed at enhancing national productivity, addressing youth unemployment, and balancing 'knowledge' with 'skills'. Key bodies like the Royal Society of Arts (1754) and City and Guilds (1878) had previously emerged to tackle these issues.
Then BTEC, formed in 1983, responded to economic crises and youth unemployment. In 1996, BTEC merged with Edexcel, which sold its awarding functions to Pearson in 2003, leaving Edexcel and the Chairman of the Edexcel board, Sir Garry Hawkes and Trustees with an endowment fund from which the Edge Foundation began.
