Diploma FAQs
What areas do
Diplomas Cover?
From
September 2008:
Construction
and the built environment
Creative
and media
Engineering
Information
technology
Society,
health and development
From
September 2009:
Business
administration and finance
Hair
and beauty studies
Hospitality
Environmental
and land-based studies
Manufacturing
and product design
From September 2010:
Public
services
Retail
business
Sport
& active leisure
Travel
& tourism
From September 2011:
Science
Humanities
Languages
What is Principal
Learning?
Principal
learning is the learning that gives the Diploma its title. It is learning that
is related to a sector of the economy, and has been designed and endorsed by
the relevant industry. This is the guts
of the Diploma - the core content that students will be following. At least 50%
of Principal Learning is applied learning.
What is Generic Learning?
Generic
learning involves developing broader skills for employability and learning.
Within the Diploma it consists of the Functional Skills (English, maths and
ICT), Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS), work experience, and a
project.
What is Additional
and Specialist Learning?
The
Additional and Specialist Learning (ASL) component of a Diploma allows students
to choose qualifications to either specialise in a particular area within their
line of learning (e.g. a student could use GCSE Art and Design as part of a
Foundation or Higher Diploma in Creative and Media), or to broaden their study
according to their own interests (for instance by taking a GCSE in a Modern
Foreign Language). ASL is a significant component of a Diploma - at Foundation
it is has 120 minimum guided learning hours (GLH), at Higher it has 180 minimum
GLH, and at Higher it has 360 minimum GLH.
What is a Diploma
worth - how does it compare to other qualifications?
The
Foundation Diploma is a level 1 qualification. It takes about the same amount
of time to do and is equivalent in points to 5 GCSEs.
The
Higher Diploma is a level 2 qualification. It takes about the same time and
attracts the same points as 7 GCSEs.
The
Advanced Diploma is aimed at those over 16, and is a level 3 qualification. It
takes the same time to do as three A levels, and is worth 3 and a half A levels
Do I have to use the
same exam board for all the Diploma components?
No.
You can choose different exam boards for different components of a Diploma. All
the results for the different components will be gathered together for
aggregation by QCA.
Why do students have
to do work experience?
The
Diploma has been designed in close collaboration with employers, to provide
students with the kind of employability skills that industry will recognise as
valuable. As such, work experience is a key part of the Diploma.
How much work
experience does a student have to undertake?
A
student must undertake at least 10 days work experience. Ideally this work
experience should be directly related to the Diploma that is being studied.
However, the focus of work experience is on overall employability skills rather
than sector-specific skills, so work experience can be achieved with any
employer.
Posted
Aug 07 2008, 03:55 PM
by
admin