Embargo: 00:01, 20 September 2007
ConstructionSkills urges employers to back the new Construction and Built Environment Diploma
Employers are being urged by ConstructionSkills to sign up to the new 14-19 Construction and Built Environment (C&BE) Diploma as the Government opens ‘Gateway 2’, the latest window in which companies can apply to participate in the partnerships which will deliver the Diploma.
With just one year to go until pupils begin to take the new Diploma, approximately 4,000 students studying at schools and colleges named in March’s ‘Gateway 1’ announcement are now able to opt to take the new qualification which has been developed with employer input.
The C&BE Diploma offers employers in the sector a real opportunity to help inform the education of young people and shape the skills of the future workforce but greater numbers are needed to come forward to offer work experience, teaching support or site visits to give students an insight into industry. A large number of employers are already involved including Wates, Balfour Beatty, Lovell, G&J Seddon, CB&I, Kier Group and Bovis Lend Lease.
44 Diploma consortia, which include employers, schools and colleges were approved to deliver the C&BE Diploma from September 2008. Employers can still sign up to those approved consortia or alternatively they have until 3 December 2007 to register an interest with schools and colleges applying to take part in Gateway 2. A full list of areas where applications have already been made for consortia partnerships and their current status can be found on the DCSF’s website.
Jim Knight, the DSCF Minister of State for Schools and 14-19 Learners, delivered a key note speech today outlining what is regarded as the most significant reform of education since GCSEs and the National Curriculum were introduced. He issued a rallying call for industry and education professional alike to back the Diplomas.
Wates is already involved in a consortia and Chris Simpson, Training Manager, Wates, said: “Here at Wates we are passionate about the continuing development of the construction and built environment industries, and fully support initiatives like the Diploma, which can only serve to improve perceptions and future recruits. Changing the image, and content of young people’s introductions to our thriving sectors are key to ensuring a larger, better prepared pool of recruits for employers like ourselves to build Britain’s future.”
Nick Gooderson, Head of Standards and Qualifications, ConstructionSkills said: “Since September 2005 we have worked closely with industry, Government and education providers to develop the C&BE Diploma. We have made good progress with employers to make sure that they don’t miss out on this opportunity to get involved with shaping and delivering the new qualification, but there is still a real need for more employers to get involved in local partnerships.”
The Construction & Built Environment Diploma has been developed in consultation with industry to ensure it reflects the needs of employers. It combines practical skill development with theoretical and technical knowledge, taught by people with relevant industry knowledge. It will give young people the opportunity to gain real hands on experience, previously unavailable through traditional education methods.
The new Diploma will require young people to demonstrate numeracy and literacy, but also ability in a number of important practical issues relevant to the construction and built environment sector such as health and safety, sustainability, work based practical learning, and the impact of the built environment on the Community. The Diploma will teach students about professions such as architecture, civil engineering and building services, the regulatory framework, design processes, and the enterprise and management challenges which construction poses.
Employers are being urged to find out more about getting involved by visiting www.cbediploma.co.uk or through requesting a copy of the new Welcome Pack. To register your interest in supporting the delivery of the C&BE Diploma contact Jenny English on
jenny.english@cskills.org or
lourdes.goodman@cskills.org
ENDS
For further information please contact Paul Hodgson on 020 7544 3096 or email
Paul.Hodgson@fishburn-hedges.co.uk OR Andrew Mabey on 020 7367 9807 or email:
andrew.mabey@cskills.org
Notes to Editors
Case studies highlighting employers already involved in supporting the Diploma are available on request
More information on the application process can be found at: www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19/
About the C&BE Diploma – www.cbediploma.co.uk
§ The C&BE Diploma is being developed by the Diploma Development Partnership. ConstructionSkills are the lead DDP which includes five Sector Skills Councils and ECITB, as well as employers and education institutions.
§ Construction and the Built Environment is among the first sectors to launch a Diploma. It will be available in approved schools from 2008 and will help lay the foundations for the future of the industry.
§ The Diploma combines practical skill development with theoretical and technical knowledge within the context of construction and the built environment
§ It will comprise elements of current qualifications, such as numeracy and literacy, supplemented by sector specific content including:
- Health and safety
- Sustainability
- Work-based practical learning
- The impact of the built environment on the community
- Professions such as architecture, civil engineering, building services
- The regulatory framework
- Design processes
- Enterprise and management challenges involved in construction
§ Diplomas offer quality, broader qualification equivalent to GCSEs and A-Levels. The Foundation Diploma is equivalent to 4-5 GCSEs at Grades D-G; the Higher to 5-6 GCSEs at Grades A*-C, and Advanced Diploma to 3 A-Levels.
§ They provide the building blocks into other qualifications and industry – from apprenticeships and degrees to entry-level jobs.
The C&BE Diploma Development Partnership (DDP) are:
- ConstructionSkills (representing the construction industry from craft through to professional occupations across the UK)
- Summit Skills (representing building services engineering, electro-technical, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and plumbing)
- Asset Skills (representing the property, housing, facilities management and cleaning services sectors )
- Proskills (representing manufacturing including coatings, extractives, building products, glass and print)
- Energy & Utility skills (representing electricity, gas, waste management and water)
- eCITB (overseeing the industry’s role in designing, constructing and maintaining process plants for the oil, gas, water, environmental, food, power generation, pharmaceutical and chemical industries)
