Scheme’s success or failure in your hands
“THIS is not the schools’ or colleges’ diploma, it’s the employers’ diploma and its success or failure depends on them.”
Putting the future education of our nation in the hands of business is a scary challenge, but one that employers will rise to, believes Middlesbrough College principal John Hogg, who will oversee the introduction of some of the first diplomas in the country this September.
Whether industry fully understands what is expected of it is a different matter.
Even educationalists privately admit that, on the ground, “employer engagement” has not been as thorough as such a fundamental reform of the 16-19 agenda demands.
And for business, which has watched a succession of education initiatives failing to address its skills needs, there’s a real risk it could miss a golden opportunity to grasp the nettle and stamp future generations with the competencies it so desperately seeks.
Now, with just six months to go before teenagers embark on the first of the government’s new education programmes on Teesside, the clock is ticking.
Ross Smith, head of policy at the North-east Chamber of Commerce, admits there has been “a certain amount of initiative fatigue” which could dampen employers’ enthusiasm.
“There have been too many good ideas that have come and gone and employers have not had the chance to get used to them. We need to let this one evolve,” he cautions.
Widely suspected to be the successor to the A level - although the Government has given no firm commitment on their future beyond 2012 - diplomas promise to be the biggest reform of the further education system since 1987. Some hope they will put an end once and for all to the polar extremes that tacitly label more practically orientated students as inferior to their academically gifted contemporaries.
The diploma will, as John Hogg puts it, teach every student “how to lay a brick as well as understand the physics that keep the wall up”.
“There have been attempts in the past to have vocational diplomas but they have been largely classroom based,” he says.
These, on the other hand, have at their core compulsory work-based learning, making employer support vital.
“The big challenge for us is making sure there’s capacity for every student to access the diploma of their choice,” says Hogg.
And with 17 diplomas waiting in the wings, that’s no mean challenge.
“I want to ensure that as well as academic rigour students have a practical awareness of the vocational area they are involved in. Even if they are going on to do a degree, it’s important they understand what it feels like to go to work,” says Hogg.
“When I talk to employers, it’s not just the key skills they are looking for, but the ‘soft’ competencies, like working in a team, planning your own work and self discipline.”
For Ross Smith, the key task is communicating the benefits to business.
“The introduction of diplomas and the desire to make them more closely linked to employers’ needs is something we are very positive about, but there’s an issue as to how you put that into practice.
“It’s not about money, it’s about taking time to understand the system. In terms of financial support for employers, it’s probably about as good as it’s ever been.”
He gives the Government full marks for initiative, but the big test will be how successful it is in getting smaller firms on board.
“At the moment, it’s easier for larger businesses who can afford to dedicate a lot of resource to taking part in this.
“There’s no magic bullet. It just involves a lot of hard work, a lot of knocking on people’s doors and being prepared to sit down with employers and answer their questions.”
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