The new Diploma qualification: a question of identity?

1
The new Diploma qualification a question of
identity?

• Professor Prue Huddleston
• Dr Andrea Laczik
• Centre for Education and Industry, University of
  Warwick, UK
• Education and Employers Taskforce
  ConferenceEmployer engagement in education
  exploring social mobility and delivery mechanisms
  in international perspective 12 October 2011
• University of Warwick

2
Outline

• Provide a rationale for investigating this issue
  
• Introduce briefly the new Diploma qualification
  and its history
• Outline the sources of data used for our
  argument
• Present and describe issues shaping and
  influencing the identity of the Diplomas
• Reflect upon the issues and processes that
  impacted on the identity of the Diplomas.

3
Why is identity important?

• Nature of the qualification is likely to
  determine the type of young people who
  participate in the programme
• Nature of the qualification is likely to
  determine the progression route a young person
  may pursue
• Diplomas have received mixed reception from
  universities
• Schools found it difficult to conceptualise the
  programme
• Ambiguity exists over the characteristics and
  nature of the Diplomas.

4
14-19 Diplomas

• Phase 1 (2008)
• Engineering
• Creative and Media
• Society, health and development
• IT
• Construction and the built environment
• Phase 2 (2009)
• Business, administration and finance
• Manufacturing and product design
• Hospitality
• Hair and beauty studies
• Environmental and land-based studies

• Phase 3 (2010)
• Retail business
• Sport and active leisure
• Travel and tourism
• Public services
• Structure
• Principal learning Generic learning
  Applied and specialist learning

5
Definitions

• (Occupational)
• Vocational (Stanton, 2008 content, process and
  context)
• Vocationally-related
• Applied
• (Academic)

6
Data Sources

• Policy documents
• Reviewing Diploma Development An Evaluation of
  the Design of the  Diploma Qualifications (Ertl
  et al, 2009) semi-structured interviews with DDP
  representatives
• Two semi-structured interviews with Diploma
  providers from the West Midlands.

7
What impacts on the identity of the Diplomas

• Policy rhetoric
• Phase of the Diploma Line
• Vision for the qualification
• Stakeholders in the qualification development
  process
• Structure and content of the programme
• Delivery and place of the Diploma among other
  qualifications.

8
Policy rhetoric

• The changing name of the new qualification led to
  confusion
• Diplomas were to be developed as employer-led
  qualifications reflecting the skills demands of
  the labour market and the needs of employers
• Diplomas were also to lead to further studies
• Guidance documents (all three) set the purpose of
  the Specialised Diplomas.

9
14 Diplomas in 3 Phases

• Sector Skills Councils (SSCs)led the development
  process
• Earlier phase Diplomas had more freedom and
  flexibility in developing content
• Later phase Diplomas learnt from earlier
  experience
• Attempts to raise the profile of the sector.

10
Vision

• Innovative, engaging, different from existing
  qualifications
• Wanted to create value-added, timely
  qualifications and to improve the image of the
  sectors
• Start with blank paper or by looking at
  existing qualifications?
• Not a training programme
• Need to integrate soft skills and functional
  skills
• More general or more specialised?
• Difficulty of reaching consensus among the
  stakeholders.

11
Stakeholders in the qualification development
process

• SSCs led the qualification development.
• Aim to
• raise the profile of their sector
• influence young people as potential employees
• reduce the gap between skills supply and labour
  market demand.
• Employers not previously engaged in qualification
  development to this extent.
• Finding consensus between HE and employer
  representatives.

12
Diploma delivery and its place among other
qualifications

• Diploma leads (BAF) were heads of business
  studies and vocational courses (including
  competitor qualifications)
• Entry requirements in functional skills in order
  for students to cope, and level of attendance
• Both schools offer only L2 Diplomas, and students
  continue with applied or traditional A level or
  L3 BTEC
• Employer engagement could have been stronger
  logistics and resources
• 25 of L2 Diploma students plan to go the
  university

13
Current developments and their impact on Diplomas

• Political forecast impacted negatively on
  Diplomas
• Less time and effort was put into developing it
  further in the schools
• Change in funding limited opportunities for
  employer engagement and work situated activities
• Growing number of Academies - reduced
  opportunities for collaboration.

14
Conclusion

• Initial confusion over the new Diploma identity
  uncertainty about the specificity of the
  qualification, its form, shape and purpose
• Emphasis on generic skills and functional skills,
  plus sector related understanding
• Dont mention the v word
• Strong applied nature of the qualification is
  this misleading?
• Identity formation is increasingly difficult
  given the decreasing number of school consortia
  and the number of students taking up the course
• Diplomas do not fulfil the vocational acid test
  in terms of content, process and context
• The question remains as to whether or not Diploma
  graduates would be successful in gaining
  employment or accessing HE.