It's not just McDonald's who have been acredited with these on-job qualifications, it's also Flybe and Network Rail.
Learning on the job | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics
Personally I think it is a good idea, and might encourage people who left school with no qualifications, back into further education, if they so wish, and improve their career prospects.
I wonder if there will be league tables, and that you'll find parents moving house, so that they fall in the catchment area of good burger bars?
