Manufacturing Diploma

Frequently Asked Questions

Please find below some of the frequently asked questions about the Diploma. If the answer to your question is not below, please contact us and we will add your question to this page for other readers.

How can providers be involved in the pilot?

Any institution wishing to offer the new specialised Diplomas will need to go through a Gateway process, in order to determine at what point they will be ready to provide them. We will be publishing information on this by the end of May at; www.dfes.gov.uk/14-19.

A number of 14-19 pathfinder regions are working with QCA and will be testing elements of the Diplomas as they are developed. These include: Cumbria, Derbyshire, Gateshead, Islington, South Gloucestershire (Kingswood Partnership), Southwalk, Wolverhampton, York. You will find background information about these pathfinders on the DfES 14-19 Gateway website at www.dfes.gov.uk/14-19.

QCA are also in the process of developing a webpage to provide information on the pathfinders at www.qca.gov.uk/14-19. As the pathfinders develop, this webpage will include update reports on the work with the pathfinders.

The pilots from 2008 will not be limited to these Pathfinder areas.

How do existing 14-19 qualifications fit with the Diploma?

Employers, Higher Education representatives and Awarding Bodies are highly involved in the development of specialised Diplomas, in order to ensure that they form a coherent learning package for young people which cover the skills, knowledge and attributes needed for entry to employment or to further or higher education in line with existing qualifications.

In time, Diplomas will be widely recognised by everyone and we expect that they will be taken by large numbers of young people.

The process of creating a Diploma requires a review of existing qualifications and the Diplomas will include these (or units from them) where they meet employer and HE requirements.

How will Diplomas prepare a young person for University as well as work?

The Diplomas are being designed as multi-purpose qualifications with clear progression routes to higher education and to employment. The Diploma teams are working closely with Higher Education Institutions to ensure that, at Level 3, the Diplomas are able to develop and test the range of academic knowledge and aptitudes necessary for success on the most demanding university courses.

Diplomas may also include stretch content for the most able students, for example allowing options for Level 4 (undergraduate) content within a Level 3 Diploma. There will also be options for students who prefer to enter the workforce directly from their Diplomas.

Whatever options a student chooses, they will benefit from the holistic approach of the Diploma, including the personal, learning and thinking skills development, the extended project, the functional skills in maths, English and ICT, and the support of an Individual Learning Plan.

How will the Diploma fit with Apprenticeships?

Specialised Diplomas and apprenticeships are distinct. However there will be clear progression routes from Diplomas into apprenticeships and vice versa. Commonality of learning will be maximised through the identification of common aspects of Diplomas and apprenticeships and units within the two qualifications will be designed so that where appropriate, they meet the needs of both qualifications.

This does not mean existing apprenticeships will have to be revised to fit with the Diploma or will be any less valid.

If the answer to your question is not here, please contact us and we will endeavour to answer your enquiry as soon as possible.

How will we make sure that the Diplomas are right?

Diplomas must be of the highest quality in both content and delivery. This means learning lessons from early delivery through the pilot and making refinements for the future. There will be a five year pilot programme so that each set of Diplomas will be subject to three years of evaluation from the point at which it is introduced.