Diplomas
Posted on | December 1, 2008 |
Diplomas – an attempt to create a work orientated curriculum geared to the needs of 21st century employers have had a difficult baptism. But students and teachers are genuinely enthusiastic about their future, as are some of the partnerships running them.
The were conceived in a 2005 White Paper that was published in the wake of the Tomlinson inquiry into 14-19 education and first had to win over sceptics who wondered why all the qualifications, including GCSEs and A-Levels, were not being rolled into one overarching diploma framework, as Tomlinson had proposed.
The Government had been accused of creating an academic/vocational divide, with the diplomas standing to be the poor relation, in terms of status, of its rival qualifications.
The courses have also attracted criticism for the low numbers signing up in this, the first year: only 12,000 14 to 19 year olds after initial publicity had suggested 50,000. Numbers of students opting for it post 16 are thought to amount to under 3,000.
However, the diplomas’ supporters say that it is still early days, with 2008 just the first leg of a five year programme that will culminate in the courses being available nationwide in 17 subjects by 2013. In the long term, their backers argue, the diplomas will stand or fall by their content, and by the support they receive from employers and universities.
The new qualifications are flexible. The creative and media qualification offers courses in 20 employment fields, including interactive media, film and TV, creative writing, drama, music, dance and art. The Government says this means that no school or college can offer all the options and that collaboration is essential. But because the courses are logistically complicated, this could involve months of inter school planning meetings.
Thousands of employers have been involved in discussions on their design, so it is hoped that they will have currency with many major firms.
However, the position regarding universities is less clear. The Government has published endorsements from many higher education institutions, but the reality will not be known until the first selection decisions are made, in 2010. Recent studies have confirmed the view that admissions tutors can be sniffy about vocational courses.
Given that this is the case, taking the advanced diploma could be something of a gamble for a student aiming at university. However, supporters point out that the qualification is flexible enough to include other exams: engineering students, for example, can take a science A-Level as part of their diploma.
It also retains Tomlinson’s original idea of attempting to plan an entire learning programme for a student across several subject disciplines. This contrasts with A-levels, where subjects are treated separately.
Although teachers are also wary about the workload involved in preparing for what is different qualifications, the diplomas already have their enthusiasts. Hugo Lopez, for example, is curriculum director for ICT at Hanham High School in South Gloucestershire, where six students are taking the advanced IT diploma. He says: “The benefits and advantages it brings far outweigh the downsides in terms of it being a new course.”
Diplomas, he believes, offer students complete freedom to specialise in areas that interest them, such as project design or computer game coding.
If reactions continue to be this positive, the diploma stands ever chance of success.
This article was from the TES
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