The New Diploma in Engineering: Bringing Engineering to Life

The New Diploma in engineering is proving to be a new, innovative and pioneering qualification for Young people which is set to be fully rolled out across the UK by 2013 amidst claims that it is at last ‘bringing engineering to life.’

Designed and developed by employers, and taught by a local consortia of Schools, Further Education Establishments, Universities and Businesses, the approach of this Diploma is unique and fresh. It offers young people the chance to learn about and experience engineering in the modern world, to see technology and how it affects our lives, now and in the future, and to explore new ideas and new materials to see how they work together

Professor Matthew Harrison, Director of Education Programmes at the Royal Academy of Engineering adds ‘The Engineering Diploma finally provides young people with the chance to apply their learning in an engineering environment and to contextualise their maths and science learning so as to give it sense and meaning.’

‘By immersing young people in the excitement and potential of working in the real world of engineering, it will blend together the best of academic and applied learning to create a new generation of young engineers who are deeply engaged with their subject and career’ says Harrison.

Designed to allow would-be young engineers to continue with other GCSE’s and qualifications in conjunction with studying for the Diploma it allows young people to gain invaluable and specific academic and applied learning that doesn’t disregard other options.

There are various different types of Engineering Diploma, all of which offer a non-sector-specific and general engineering qualification and which are relevant to various age groups or long term goals in engineering.  For example, In Year 10 or 12, you can do the:  
              
• Foundation Diploma (equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grades D to G) more of a ‘toe in the water’ of engineering and less demanding
• Higher Diploma , 2 days a week (equivalent to 7 GCSEs at grades A* to C)
 
Following these, you can do other Diploma levels, A Levels, a job, an apprenticeship, or other training.  In Year 12 or above (16 years+), you can do the:

• Advanced Diploma (equivalent to 3.5 A Levels) which is full time
• Progression Diploma (like the Advanced Diploma, but without various options, equivalent to 2 A Levels)
 
Both of these can take you to university, college, a job or other training.

‘This Diploma is proper engineering’ reiterates Harrison.  ‘It is turgid to sit in school doing maths exercises that don’t have any context.  Students on this Diploma will see how to use their maths and science to understand physical processes, to distil them into components and to be able to manipulate them.  Essentially they will get to play with problems and see what happens when you change parameters and for young people that is the real deal about learning.’

There are already 63 consortia running the Diploma and a further 70 set to start running courses in September 2009 with a full take up by 2013.  It is a challenge for a lot of young people, however, in that it is a tough curriculum, but its’ authenticity and provision of functional skills, individual projects and hands-on engineering work experience means that students get to appreciate the richness of a broad introduction to engineering.

The initial feedback from students and schools is extremely promising.  ‘There are some real early signs of this being a success’ adds Harrison.  ‘Students are enjoying their learning and this a positive sign for future vocational courses, of which we are not shy, and it seems that because students are enjoying it, Teachers are going the extra mile for them’

Harrison believes that if the credit crisis has taught us anything, then it’s that we need an economy that is stable and built from home-grown talent and that is the synthesis of the Engineering Diploma.

Put simply, it gives students relevant, transferable skills that will be welcomed by colleges, universities and other employers.

‘We welcome anything that brings people into authentic engineering and that allows them to see engineering in action’, concludes Harrison.

For further information:

www.youngeng.org.uk
www.raeng.co.uk