Employers

The Diploma is a new qualification for 14-19 year olds. It has been designed by employers for employers so that young people are better prepared for work.

The introduction of the Diploma is likely to help reduce recruitment and staff turnover costs. Young people will enter the workforce with more relevant skills and an understanding of work.

Our Employer Pages are designed to give you essential information about Diplomas, and also direct you to other helpful resources. There’s a leaflet you can download, and links to other useful sites. And if you have a question that we haven’t answered here, you can always contact us too.

Diploma facts

• It’s a new qualification for 14 -1 9 year olds
• There are 3 levels to study a Diploma at: Foundation, Higher and Advanced
• There are up to 10 subjects to pick from for September 2009
• Diplomas do not replace existing learning options
• They sit alongside GCSEs, A levels and Apprenticeships

What’s important is that doing a Diploma won’t limit any future options for students. With this qualification, they could stay at school, go on to college, do a degree at university, start a career or an Apprenticeship.

To get a Diploma they will have to demonstrate functional skills in English, maths and ICT, along with personal skills such as the ability to communicate and work in teams.

What are Diplomas worth?

A Foundation Diploma is the same as 5 GCSEs at grades D - G
The Higher Diploma is the same as 7 GCSEs at grades A* - C
The Advanced Diploma is the same as 3.5 A levels

A Progression Diploma is also available, equivalent to 2.5 A levels
An Extended Diploma will be available in 2011, containing extra maths, English and Additional and Specialist Learning

When do they start?

The first schools and colleges are teaching 5 Diploma courses now.

• Construction and the Built Environment
• Creative and Media
• Engineering
• Information Technology
• Society, Health and Development

5 more subjects will be added for September 2009:

• Environmental and Land-based Studies
• Business, Administration and Finance
• Manufacturing and Product Design
• Hospitality
• Hair and Beauty Studies

Another 4 will start from September 2010:

• Travel and Tourism
• Public Services
• Sport and Active Leisure
• Retail Business

And 3 more will start from September 2011:

• Humanities
• Languages
• Science

In 2011, the Extended Diploma will also be on offer. This contains extra maths, English and ICT plus extra Additional and Specialist Learning.

You can find out which schools and colleges are offering Diploma courses through the local 14 to 19 prospectus.

What’s different?

Young people will gain the skills, knowledge and experience needed by employers through theoretical study and practical experience.

What’s important is that the Diploma enables students to leave education with work-relevant skills, as well as English, maths and ICT. It doesn’t restrict future options either. By learning about a broad employment sector, and developing the basic skills and understanding required by employers, colleges and universities, students will be able to make better informed decisions about what they want to do next.

Getting involved with the Diploma means that you can help make sure that young people get the skills you need from them. You can support the Diploma at a national or local level, and there are a variety of ways you can help schools and colleges. This includes sending your staff into schools or colleges, hosting work place visits and producing real life case studies that teachers can use to bring the Diploma to life.

The benefits

Students studying the Diploma will be encouraged to relate what they are learning to real world situations. They’ll do lots of projects to solve practical, work-related problems and organise themselves to complete a task as well as theory based learning.

Diploma students will have gained the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to go on to employment, college or university.

As an employer, the new Diploma gives you:

• Better prepared, more knowledgeable young people as employees
• A more effective way to recruit for the future
• Another avenue of staff development through talks and support for young people
• The opportunity to help young people develop work-relevant skills and an understanding of how businesses operate

Useful links

Visit the employers section on the DCSF website for more information.

You can also download the Diplomas Guide for Employers which gives you more information on the course and elements involved.