Association of Colleges

20 March 2008

88% of Colleges will be offering Diplomas to 14 -19 year olds in partnership with 72% of schools by 2009, Government announced yesterday.

“This high level of involvement by colleges demonstrates their commitment to the new over-arching qualification, and importantly, to creating new and rewarding learning opportunities for all young people,” said Maggie Scott, Association of Colleges Director of Learning and Quality.

Colleges and schools will form 317 consortia across 136 local authorities, initially offering 10 subject areas to 92,000 students, supported by universities, training providers and employers.

The introduction of Diplomas begins this September with 144 groups of colleges and schools already in place. From September 2009, students can choose from courses that will include: Information Technology; Society, Health and Development; Environment and Land-based studies; Business, Administration and Finance.

Maggie Scott added;

“The fact that the vast majority of colleges are now on board and signed up to provide Diplomas is testimony to their broad expertise in curriculum development and their experience in offering a rich mix of academic and vocational courses tailored to meet students’ needs.

“Colleges also welcome the added flexibility and challenge of Extended Diplomas. We hope this will make Diplomas even more attractive to the brightest students and give those students’ turned-off’  by the traditional learning path, an alternative style of learning.”

Implementation and delivery of the new Diplomas will be the subject of an Association of Colleges conference, sponsored by the DCSF, in Nottingham on 7 and 8 of May 2008.

ends

 

Contacts:
Michael Williams
Press Officer
020 7034 9900
07921044511
michael_williams@aoc.co.uk

 

FE Facts and Figures

• 727,000 16 to 18 year olds choose to study in colleges (compared with 447,000 in all schools)
• Colleges provide 46% of entrants to higher education
• Ethnic minority students make up 16% of learners in colleges compared with 9% of the general population
• 27% of 16 to 18 year olds in colleges are from the 15% most deprived wards in England (compared with 9.5% of 16 to 18 year olds in maintained school sixth forms)
• 64% of those in receipt of an Education Maintenance Allowances in 2005/06 were studying in an FE or sixth form college

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