DIPLOMAS
Engaging employers
With the 14 to
Having found this to be a problem in many
consortia around the country, the Wates Group
19 Diplomas
reacted by launching a free-to-use website (see further
information). We have designed this using the expertise
of teachers, education consultants, accreditation bodies,
well into their
and students, in order to make sure it provides module-
by-module support.
second year,
the website has material both for teachers and
students. the teaching materials are accompanied by
lessons have been learnt.
practical work tasks, interactive games, and progressive
challenges that allow students to test the skills they have
Chris Simpson, from
learnt in a stress-free manner.
this resource was developed simply because we
clearly do not have the capacity to give active support
construction company Wates
to all consortia across the country, but it certainly is not
intended to replace the active participation of employers
Group, says wider employer
or the site visits and work experience that are so critical
to the success of the Diploma.
engagement is essential
as an enthusiast for the construction industry, I am
excited about the possibility of attracting students with
talent and enthusiasm who might simply have missed
the opportunities available to them without this course
ates Group has always of learning.
W
had a firm commitment to We typically find that students sign up to the
supporting the education Diploma because they have a genuine interest in the
of our industry’s future construction industry, but a limited understanding of the
workforce, but our support range of career paths available.
has never been more in For example, at Croydon College, 15-year-old
demand than with the aaron Cooke is well into his Diploma studies. He
introduction of the Diploma. challenging coursework and practical skills can really the CBe Diploma at a very early stage and have chose the course because his dad is a scaffolder and
We have found there to be genuine enthusiasm for inspire students if they get the right back-up from supported our local colleges by providing industry bricklayer, and from an early age wanted to follow in
the new curriculum, but actually starting to teach it is outside organisations such as ourselves. experts, our time and knowledge, as well as site his footsteps.
posing significant challenges for teachers – some of From our perspective, we are keen to support the visits and orientation days for both staff and students aaron’s enthusiasm for the construction industry has
which we can help with. Diploma in Construction and the Built environment wherever possible. only increased as the course has progressed, but work
the fundamental principle of the Diplomas is the (CBe) because it starts to challenge the assumption We have even built a special education resource experience and a greater understanding of the options
way they are designed to put learning into context (still sadly all-too prevalent) that the construction Centre on one of our larger sites. the ground floor available has led him to consider studying architecture,
– where this works well, it is a hugely positive way to industry is for lower achievers and not for the highly is used as a classroom, while the top floor contains and using the Diploma as a path to university.
engage students at an age where their enthusiasm for motivated students in schools. construction drawings, safety notices, plans and one of our own trainees, 17-year-old Claudia Farmer,
learning is tremendously significant. My aim is therefore to promote an understanding of information about the site – plus a viewing gallery joined us after completing a BteC in construction and
It is so easy for teenagers to be turned off, or to the range of skills and professions required by this huge overlooking the site so that students can get a feel for had her sights clearly set on architecture as a career.
make choices that limit their range of possible career and complex industry. the project without affecting the site team. However, having spent a year working within the
paths. the Diplomas, with their mix of academically Coming from this direction, we got involved with this allows us to cater for up to four groups company, she admits that she had no idea of other
of students a day, every day. teachers can cover a professions such as contract management, quantity
construction-related topic in the class, and then go out surveying and planning.
onto the viewing platform and see it for real. Her view now is that, while she still plans to go on to
Organised by In our experience, it is this direct contact with the university, she will be in a much better position to know

industry that really inspires students, who can otherwise exactly the right course to choose because she has had
D
Delivering
iplomas
be turned off because their education is too abstract. exposure to the industry.
once you can show them how maths is needed when It is this combination of experience and learning
The UK’s only magazine dedicated to the 14-19 Diploma constructing a building, you can see the turnaround. that we feel is so attractive about the Diplomas and we
reminding them that the construction industry is a believe that the courses have the capacity to engage
The 5th National Conference on
multi-million pound enterprise, essential to the long- students and bring learning to life in a way that existing
term prosperity of the nation, can also make a real courses have not always achieved.
difference. this type of real-life experience is difficult as an employer, we acknowledge that we cannot
Delivering
to replicate in a classroom. expect the education system in this country to equip
at Croydon College – a college with which we students with the skills that our demanding industry
have worked particularly closely in designing the best needs in isolation. We see it as part of our responsibility
possible teaching programme – the staff have taken to get involved and support the system, providing input
Diplomas:
the decision to create their own working site and have where it can be of most use.
dedicated part of their car parking space to the building our website is just one manifestation of this
of a bungalow. commitment to education and has been funded by Wates
students attending the course spend the morning on Giving, a programme whereby the Wates family owners
the site and the afternoon in the classroom – a brilliant invest significantly in local community projects funded
Sustaining Delivery
example of the way the Diploma works best. by the Wates Family enterprise trust. We have taken
this kind of initiative, of course, is much easier our commitment to this stage because we are certain of
where the Diploma is being taught at a college which the benefit this qualification will bring. SecEd
has a history of teaching construction related skills.
Eighteen months into the delivery of Diplomas, an increasingly vital consideration
While the majority of the first 45 consortia to deliver • Chris Simpson is education liaison advisor for
for all consortia is ensuring that their delivery models are sustainable. This is just
as vital for new partnerships gearing up for delivery as it is for more established
the CBe Diplomas have used this type of resource, construction company Wates Group. He has been
consortia. we are now finding that more schools are taking on
heavily involved in helping schools and colleges get the
The Fifth National Delivering Diplomas conference focuses on this crucial aspect
the teaching of the whole Diploma at their own site Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment up
of successful Diploma delivery – sustaining partnerships, engagement and – posing particular challenges for teaching staff whose and running.
enthusiasm.
specialisation has not previously been in this sector.
With staff moving on, parents and students still becoming accustomed to
We know that many teachers are facing the prospect
Further information
the qualifi cation, and a tough fi nancial climate making businesses count the
pennies, how can consortia ensure they have the structures and systems in place
of teaching the Diploma for the first time with some access Wates Group’s free-to-use website at www.
to safeguard the quality of their offer? And as the number of Diploma subjects
trepidation, and, where there have been difficulties, cbelearning.com
increase, how can the demands of the numerous lines be balanced? these have often been attributed to a lack of easily SecEd’s sister magazine, Delivering Diplomas,
The event also looks at the individual Diploma components, offering unrivalled available teaching material designed specifically with is available free as a digital download at www.
access to best practice advice on topics like IAG, Functional Skills, work experience,
the Diploma curriculum in mind. deliveringdiplomas.com
additional and specialist learning, and timetabling.
Lakeside Conference Centre,
Engaging with employers: Wates Group’s top tips
Aston University, Birmingham
BOOK
Wates Group works as part of, or alongside, consortia delivering the Diplomas. Partnership
involves understanding from both sides and here is Wates Group’s advice on the
Thursday 18th March 2010
NOW
fundamental steps that schools can take to ensure good, long-term relationships:
1, Understand their business: Take time to find out exactly what it is a company does
Sponsored by
For a brochure, visit
so that your requests for involvement are deliverable.
www.deliveringdiplomas.co.uk
2, Understand what it is you want: An employer is more likely to respond positively to
and follow the link or call a specific request than a vague “whatever you can do”.
020 7501 6762
3, Employers support, not deliver education: An employer will be happy to give
their time to talk to a group or deliver a masterclass, but the bulk of the lesson must be
delivered by the tutor and the industry professional brought in to emphasise the lesson.
PUTTING EDUCATION FIRST
4, Reward the employer: All employers are keen that their involvement in education is
recognised. A certificate of thanks to show the involvement is valued and is often all that
is needed.
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