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
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
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