Diploma courses offered alongside core GCSEs across Tendring

Diplomas are coming to Tendring’s secondary schools from next September at GCSE and A-level.

They aim to take students out of the classroom and give them a practical grounding in the world of work, mixing academic studies with work experience.

The diplomas are also intended to counter complaints from employers that young people leaving school and university are not “work ready”, and businesses have been invited to play a major part in shaping the course.

IT teacher Rob Lyon said of the qualification: “It gives them a dose of the real world. I think it will open a few eyes.”

His colleague, Gavin Byford, added: “It is a demanding course. Something that needs to be stressed is that it is not an easy option.”

The courses will include going out to see how skills are applied in a business setting, and having employers come in to schools to work with students in the classroom.

For example, IT students will be invited to visit a doctors’ surgery in Frinton to look at how their computer system works.

Organisations such as BT, the Haven Port Authority and North East Essex NHS have signed up to take part in the courses.

However, education staff working on the new diplomas are at pains to point out they are not “vocational” in the traditional sense of being trained for one job. Instead, they give a glimpse of working in a sector.

They point out that a diploma can be treated as a career-taster for pupils, covering a wide range of jobs within one sector.

Teenagers can then go on to take a vocational course, pursue further academic study or move straight into the workplace.

Universities have said they will accept diplomas for degree courses, with Nigel South, the vice chancellor of the University of Essex supporting the course.

Young people in Tendring will have a choice of five subject areas, ranging from construction to media.

The diplomas can be studied alongside core GCSEs in English, Maths, Science and PE. A diploma is considered equivalent to seven GCSEs, and in an advanced setting, can be taken as a stand-alone qualification at sixth form level, worth three-and-a-half A-levels.

Students from schools across Tendring were invited to a roadshow, at the Clacton Leisure Centre, to find out more about the course.

Tendring Technology College pupil, Rhianna Miles, was considering taking a creative and media diploma.

Her mum, Julie Miles, was impressed with what they had seen. She said: “I think it would be quite good for somebody like Rhianna.

“It gives you more options, with much less stress.

“She does not like exams, so it gives her more choice, and it is nice employers are going to recognise it.”

Year 10 Clacton Coastal Academy pupil, Rachel Simson, was also interested in taking a diploma alongside GCSEs.

She thought the course might help her have an edge when it came to getting a job, and liked the fact the course was quite broad, as she does not yet know what career she wants to go into.

Tendring’s secondary schools will act as a consortium to offer diplomas, with each school teaching one course, such as IT, which is offered at Tendring Technology College.

Diplomas have already been introduced in other regions in the UK from 2008, and though Tendring will run just five subjects, more are expected to be added in the next few years.

Hilary Sellens, a young people’s employment engagement manager at County Hall, said: “We hope this will really engage the kids, because they can see the relevance of what they are doing. The whole point is we want to encourage people to continue in education.”

For more about the diploma, visit direct.gov.uk/diplomas or visit a Connexions adviser.

Diploma courses starting in September 2010: Construction and the built environment Creative and media Engineering Information technology Science, health and development Confirmed to be starting in September 2011: Retail business As yet unconfirmed to start in 2011: Travel and tourism Public services Hair and beauty Hospitality