Case study
One advantage of this is that up to four Wates is extremely happy to work as part keen that their involvement in education is
students a day, every day, can get a view of of, or alongside, consortia delivering the new recognised. A certificate of thanks to show their
the site and teachers can cover a construction- qualification, but this partnership involves involvement is valued is often all that is needed.
related topic in the class and then go out understanding from both sides and we have The education system should not be expected
onto the viewing platform and see it for developed a few fundamental steps that to provide the construction industry with the
real. No other construction site could host schools and colleges can take to ensure good, skilled people it needs in isolation. Indeed, it
student numbers of this magnitude without long-term relationships. These include: is our responsibility as employers to contribute
severe disruption to the build process. This Understanding their business: take time to to the education provision – and the Diploma
facility is not there to replace site visits, but find out exactly what it is they do so that your presents us, and many other companies like
is an additional resource to help students requests for involvement are deliverable. ours, with the opportunity to do just that. DD
understand the construction process. Understanding what it is you want: an
Clearly one company alone cannot provide employer is more likely to respond positively • Chris Simpson is the education liaison advisor
this level of support for every consortium, to a specific request than a vague “whatever for Wates Group.
but as the year progressed we began to get an you can do”.
understanding of some common challenges Employers support, not deliver, education: Further information
faced by teachers delivering the new an employer will be happy to give their time The Wates support website is at www.
curriculum. to talk to a group or deliver a masterclass, but cbelearning.com. If you are an employer who
First among these was a lack of support the bulk of the lesson must be delivered by the would like to get involved with Diploma
material pitched at the right level for Diploma tutor and the industry professional brought in support or host an Inside the Workplace
students. By definition, anyone teaching the to emphasise the particular lesson. event, contact richard.hammersley@ssatrust.
Diploma is doing it for the first time and, Rewarding the employer: all employers are org.uk or visit www.diploma-support.org
for many, construction is not their area of
specialisation. Couple this with the unique
mix of practical and academic education, and
the delivery of the course presents entirely
new challenges.
Recognising the gap, our response
has been to develop a specialist CBE
website (see further information). This
free resource provides module-by-module
support material for teachers together with
practical work tasks, interactive games, and
progressive challenges that allow students to
test the skills they have learnt in an accessible
and stress-free manner.
This does not replace the hands-on input
of industry professionals and we would
encourage other companies also to engage
with their local colleges to provide the day-
to-day involvement that brings the course
learning so vividly to life for the students.
The impact of this kind of support cannot
be over-rated. For example, one of our
own trainees, 17-year-old Claudia Farmer,
joined our training programme in 2008
after completing her BTEC in construction
at Croydon College as a direct result of the
support she received during the course.
Continuing with her academic learning
through studying the National Certificate in
Construction, Claudia is aiming for a degree
in architecture and, while working in our
training programme, has also been giving her
insight to help us ensure that our resource is
engaging for students of her age and ability.
Claudia is a great example of the type of
student the Diploma will benefit – bright,
ambitious and keen to understand the context
of learning and to get a broader understanding
of the industry they wish to join.
Delivering Diplomas • Volume 1 No 1 Autumn 2009 27
26-27 case consort copyb.indd 13 17/9/09 18:54:03
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