Manufacturing diploma for 14-19 year olds

Author:Sue Ferns, Created 05/07/2006 16:39:46

Employer expertise needed to shape the new Manufacturing Diploma
 
Online consultation launched 1^st July 2006
 
Cogent is urging all employers in its footprint to grasp the opportunity to shape the development of a manufacturing diploma for 14 to 19 year-olds.
 
The diploma is one of a series of new vocational qualifications planned as part of a far-reaching reform of the education system. The Government intends to establish the manufacturing diploma within the school curriculum by 2009. Cogent, the sector skills council for the chemical, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries, is working in partnership with four sector skills councils representing the wider manufacturing industry.
 
Employers can log onto a dedicated website:  (www.manufacturingdiploma.co.uk) for the opportunity to have their say and express their views on the content and structure of the diploma. The site will be accessible from 1 July, and feedback will be used in the design of the qualification, ensuring that it delivers relevant skills in response to employer needs.
 
Joanna Woolf, Chief Executive of Cogent SSC said:  “for the first time, employers will be using their knowledge and experience to help design a unique qualification for the next generation of people entering our  industries.
For school pupils the new diploma provides an alternative to the traditional academic route of GCSEs and A levels, combining practical work with technical theory.
 
“Employers are already telling us that this is a positive step to addressing skills gaps and skills shortages.”
 
A steering group, comprising employer representatives from all the manufacturing sub-sectors, has been formed to oversee the development of the diploma. The group will be chaired by Chrissie Dunn, board director of Improve, (The SSC for food and drink). The steering group will take responsibility for approving the final content and structure of the diploma.
 
Three other sector skill councils are partnering  Cogent and Improve: Semta, which covers the science and engineering sector, Proskills, which represents process and general manufacturing industries, and Skillfast UK, which covers the clothing, footwear and textiles sector.
 
The government also has plans for 13 other specialised diplomas for 14 to 19 year-olds to be launched across England from 2008. They will cover sectors as diverse as hair and beauty, sports and leisure, and retail.
 
For your chance to have a say on the design of the new specialised Diploma in Manufacturing, visit www.manufacturingdiploma.co.uk.  For further information on the diploma, please contact Dawn Allen at Cogent on 01925515200, or by email Dawn.Allen@cogent–ssc.com
 
 

Background
Cogent is the expert, employer-led body delivering strategic solutions to the skills needs of our industries. We develop and maintain occupational standards, provide skills audits and development plans, and advise on the skills and qualifications necessary for businesses to perform safely, effectively and profitably.
 
                                    www.cogent-ssc.com