City to lead with new Diplomas
Released: 30 March 2007
Wolverhampton schools, colleges and training providers will be among the first to offer new specialised Diplomas which will transform the options available to 14 to 19 year olds.
The Government has announced that the Wolverhampton partnership has been successful in its bid to deliver the new qualifications from 2008.
Wolverhampton is in the leading group, emerging from competitive bids from every area of England in a process known as the Specialised Diploma Gateway.
Councillor Christine Irvine, Wolverhampton City Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “I am delighted that the city will be leading in this critical development in education.
“These Diplomas will give young people new options alongside other qualifications like GCSEs, A-Levels and apprenticeships, and will help students to progress towards skilled jobs, universities and further education.
“Wolverhampton’s successful bid is part of a long-term pioneering approach to learning for 14 to 19 year olds. The local authority, schools, college and Learning & Skills Council have all invested time and money in creating effective partnerships to transform learning.
“The Department for Education and Skills frequently cites Wolverhampton as a leading partnership, and recently a number of top DfES officials came to the city to write up our practice as a blueprint for other areas.”
The specialised Diplomas will give young people an alternative to traditional learning by offering an innovative and high quality blend of general education and applied learning. They will emphasise learning by experience in a range of contexts, notably workplaces.
By 2010 there will be specialised Diplomas in 14 areas of learning covering all the main vocational areas at all levels.
The first five to be offered from 2008 are: Engineering; Creative and Media; Information Technology; Society, Health and Development; Construction and the Built Environment.
In each case, the city has exciting partnerships involving the college, schools, training providers and employers, already building new programmes of delivery.
Employers in the city will also be very prominent in the organisation and development of this learning. Students will be able to progress to apprenticeships, foundation degrees and conventional degrees, and planning will ensure this contributes to the skill requirements of the local economy.
As an added bonus, the city has been awarded funds to ensure high quality facilities are available for specialised Diploma learning.
Diploma Learning Centres will be created alongside existing educational facilities as and when possible. They will be operated jointly by the Partnership for Diplomas and locations of the first Diploma Learning Centres are currently under consideration.
Issued by the press office.