Diploma for 14 to 19-year-olds
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3rd Mar 2010
Diploma to be rolled out across city
An innovative new qualification which offers teenagers the chance to work with leading manufacturing companies will be available in all Sheffield secondary schools from later this year.
As part of Manufacturing Week (March 1 to 5), leading employers are encouraging budding entrepreneurs, engineers, technologists and design specialists to consider the Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design (MPD) when making their choices for next September.
Gary Drabble, engineering and manufacturing coordinator for the Sheffield City Council 14 to 19 team, said pupils at all 27 of the city’s secondary schools would be able to take the Diploma in MPD from next year. “We’ve got around 60 students signed up already,” he said.
“One of the strengths of the course is that it is as much focused on enterprise, you could say the business of manufacturing, as it is on the technical side. The students this year have been very enthusiastic about that. We’ve had one group actually set up their own business selling branded mugs to local football sides, it has gone so well they are now thinking of selling the business. It is proving to be attractive, especially to girls – we’ve actually got more girls signed up for next year at the moment than we have boys.”
Companies including Polestar Group, AMRC Boeing, TWI and Cadburys have all been working with students in Sheffield this year, working in partnership with schools and colleges to host site visits, give presentations, arrange work experience placements and mentor students through projects.
“In all we’ve got 228 manufacturing and engineering businesses signed up to work with us on our 14-19 education provision,” said Mr Drabble. “We’ve also got funding in place to build a specialist manufacturing education centre, with three fully functional production lines and workshops.”
As well as being available to students in Sheffield again next year, the Diploma in MPD is also due to be rolled out across Barnsley and Bassetlaw.
Manufacturing Week is being organised by trade body the EEF. A series of events around the country promoting the industry will culminate on Friday with the publication of a manifesto outlining a strategy for putting the UK’s manufacturing industry at the heart of efforts to rebuild the economy, which will include careers promotion, education and training.
Nigel Fletcher, Education & Skills Adviser at the EEF, said: “There are a huge number of career opportunities at all levels within manufacturing, and young people should be given every encouragement to take advantage of them. The new Diploma in MPD is an important development, which will help many talented individuals get the skills they need to succeed in this sector. The demand from employers for better-qualified staff means the rewards can be considerable for those who make the right choices.”
The Diploma in MPD is one of 14 new Diplomas for 14 to 19-year-olds developed to sit alongside GCSEs and A-Levels. It has been developed in partnership with employers to offer a strong foundation for young people who might want to work in the industry in manufacturing while also developing general skills useful in the workplace in general. It combines elements of maths, science, engineering, ICT and business studies and teaches them in the way they are applied day-to-day in the manufacturing industry.
Employers, play a direct role by giving presentations in schools, hosting site visits, setting project topics, mentoring students and offering work placements. Their involvement is key to students getting a realistic insight into what manufacturing is all about.
For more information, visit the website for the Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design, at www.manufacturingdiploma.co.uk/, or contact Sheffield City Council at http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/education/information-for-learners/14to19/diplomas. To find out more about Manufacturing Week, visit www.lovemanufacturing.co.uk.
For more information about the Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design and to read about the projects students have been involved with, visit: http://www.manufacturingdiploma.co.uk/.
Ends
Issued on behalf of the Manufacturing Diploma Development Partnership, by Nexnet PR, Leeds, www.nexnet.co.uk. For further information call Nexnet on 0113 247 0029 or email joanne.mead@nexnet.co.uk or paul.newham@nexnet.co.uk.
