Employers urged to support the Construction and Built Environment Diploma

Employers are being urged by ConstructionSkills to sign up to the new Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment (C&BE) during the Governments Gateway 3 process, the latest window in which companies can apply to participate in the partnerships which deliver the Diploma.

The Diploma in C&BE offers employers in the sector a real opportunity to help inform the education of young people and shape the skills of the future workforce. More than 270 employers are already involved, including Wates, Balfour Beatty, Lovell, G&J Seddon, CB&I, Kier Group and Bovis Lend Lease but greater numbers are needed to come forward to offer work experience, teaching support or site visits to give students an insight into industry.

44 Diploma consortia, which include employers, schools and colleges, began delivering the C&BE Diploma this September 2008 and that number will rise to 120 from September 2009. Employers can still sign up to those approved consortia or alternatively they should contact their Local Authority or the National EBP Network before the  26th November to register an interest with schools and colleges applying to take part in Gateway 3.

The Diploma offers an alternative to GCSEs and A-Levels and provides employers with a unique opportunity to influence the education of young people and shape the skills of the future workforce. It has been developed in consultation with employers to ensure it reflects their needs, teaching students English, Maths and IT as well as industry specific skills. A minimum of 10 day’s work experience will also provide students with an opportunity to practically apply their knowledge.

Nick Gooderson, Head of Standards and Qualifications, ConstructionSkills said: “For the first time we have a qualification which brings Construction and the Built Environment into the mainstream national curriculum , helping ensure the industry has the quality recruits it needs to meet the forecasted long term expansion in output . More than 1,500 pupils have already started the Diploma in C&BE this year with a further 8,000 expected next year and so far the feedback from teachers and students has been really positive. As the numbers of students rise, more and more employers will be needed to form local partnerships with schools and colleges to deliver the Diploma so we want all employers to get on board.”

Val Lowman, UK Community Development Manager at Bovis Lend Lease said: “We are committed to playing a key role in the development of the industry, and fully support initiatives like the Diploma in C&BE which can only provide the workplace with even better equipped recruits. The Diploma is a great example of businesses working with schools and colleges to ensure that education is well suited to the realities of the working world. We thoroughly recommend getting involved with your local consortia.”    

Jim Knight, Minister for Schools said: “The Diploma is an exciting new educational option for young people, which combines theoretical study with practical experience and best prepares them for higher education or work. We thank all of the organisations who have pledged their support for the Diploma.”

More information on the Gateway, how to apply and what support is available to help consortia develop their 14-19 provision is available on the DCSF's 14-19 website www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19.

Notes to Editors

For more information contact:

Andrew Mabey on 0300 456 5407 / andrew.mabey@cskills.org or

Quinton Drawbridge on 07939 405187 / quinton.drawbridge@geronimocommunications.com

About the Diploma in C&BE

The Diploma will give young people the opportunity to gain real hands on experience previously unavailable through traditional education methods. It combines practical skill development with theoretical and technical knowledge, taught by people with relevant industry knowledge.

It requires young people to demonstrate numeracy and literacy but also ability in a number of important practical issues relevant to the construction and built environment sector such as health and safety, sustainability, work based practical learning, and the impact of the built environment on the community.

The Diploma will teach students about professions such as architecture, civil engineering and building services, the regulatory framework, design processes, and the enterprise and management challenges which construction poses.

• The Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment (C&BE) has been developed by the Diploma Development Partnership (DDP) made up of ConstructionSkills, Summit Skills, Asset Skills, Proskills, Energy & Utility skills and the ECITB
• The Diploma is a new qualification for young people aged 14-19
• By 2011 all students in the country will be able to choose a Diploma in one of 17 disciplines
• There are three levels of Diploma – Foundation, Higher and Advanced – that will be graded in the same way as GCSEs and A-levels
• The Foundation Diploma is equivalent to 5 GCSEs grade D-G; the Higher Diploma is equivalent to 7 GCSEs grade A*-C; the advanced Diploma is equivalent to 3.5 A Levels grade A*- E