Last updated: 15 Aug 2008

New from the Diploma team:

• New guidance on planning your curriculum for both foundation and higher Diploma learners, including opportunities for co-learning
• Additional inserts for Design for success: shaping your curriculum to incorporate the Diploma on approaches to curriculum planning, functional skills and post-16
• New progression illustrations, demonstrating how different combinations of qualifications can come together as part of a Diploma, and possible progression routes for learners

The Diploma is an exciting new 14-19 qualification that will bring an innovative approach to learning. It will enable students to gain knowledge, understanding and hands-on experience of sectors that they are interested in, while putting new skills into practice.

For example, as part of a Diploma in engineering, learners will have the opportunity to study physics and have direct involvement with how physics is applied in the workplace through a project in a local engineering company. The result will be more engaged and enthusiastic learners who understand the purpose of what they are learning, as they see their newly-acquired knowledge and skills in action.

Employers and awarding bodies have teamed up with schools, colleges and universities to form Diploma Development Partnerships (DDPs) and develop high quality content for the new qualification. Diplomas will be available at levels 1, 2 and 3 in 14 sector areas as a national entitlement from 2013.

In October 2007, the Department for Children, Schools and Families announced that a further three Diplomas in subject-based areas would be available for first teaching from September 2011, bringing the total number of Diploma Lines of Learning to 17. They will be part of the same 2013 entitlement as the original 14 Lines of Learning.

First teaching of the following Diplomas will be available from 2008 in the following sectors:

• creative and media
• construction and the built environment
• engineering
• IT
• society, health and development.

The development of the Diploma

The Diplomas across all 4 phases are being developed jointly by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) and QCA in consultation with 17 Diploma Development Partnerships (DDPs). These DDPs are playing a key role in ensuring that each Diploma accurately reflects the needs and demands of the sector it represents, and its employers.

The fact that employers, supported by representatives from further and higher education, have led on the content development of the qualification means that the Diploma will offer learners excellent opportunities to progress.

Finding out more about the Diploma

The Diploma team at QCA is advising on Diploma policy and has developed the structure of the Diploma with partners. To find out more about work on developing this qualification, please see the links and downloads available on this page.

Further information can be found on the Directgov Diploma website.

Consultation on draft requirements for new applied language qualifications for inclusion within the Diploma additional specialist learning catalogue

This project is considering how language provision within additional specialist learning (ASL) can be engaging and relevant through contextualisation to the Principal learning. The aim is to provide flexible accessible language provision to improve motivation and take up. The project has two strands of work within ASL; firstly developing guidance for the delivery of languages using existing language qualifications and how they can be contextualised to the Principal learning; secondly developing new qualifications based on small, flexible units of applied language learning, contextualised to the Principal learning to complement existing provision and meet the needs of learners and employers.

The recent consultation concentrated primarily on the draft requirements for new applied language units and qualifications for inclusion within the Diploma ASL catalogue. The consultation comprised an online questionnaire and a series of focus groups with awarding bodies, HE, SSAT, Language specialists, schools and colleges and other interested organisations.

The results from the consultation show there is strong support for ensuring Diploma students have the opportunity to learn at least one language within the ASL component. Small flexible unit based provision, contextualised to the line of learning is crucial for improving motivation and it is clear there is the need to complement existing qualifications with new provision that could be delivered in any language and any context.

The draft requirements have been amended to take account of the consultation findings and are being presented to the Diploma Sub Programme Board. Pending feedback from the Board, this project will move forward with interested stakeholders, considering approaches for developing new provision for the ASL catalogue.