Employers urged to support Diploma to attract young
engineers
With teaching now underway on the new Diploma in
Engineering, more businesses are being encouraged to get involved
in its delivery.
Said Semta Chief Executive Philip Whiteman: “The sector needs
38,000 new skilled employees every year for the next six years.
That’s three times more than the number of young people joining the
sector, so The Diploma in Engineering has a vital role in
developing our future talent. Many companies already recognise this
and, as the Diploma roll-out continues, we want to encourage more
employers to sign-up and help shape the next generation of
engineers and scientists.”
The Diploma in Engineering is a ground-breaking qualification
that teaches young people about engineering in ways that relate to
work. It is different in that it has been developed by employers so
young people will have the knowledge and approach that employers
want.
The Diploma in Engineering has been developed by the Engineering
Diploma Development Partnership, which has worked with employers,
universities, schools, colleges and awarding bodies on the Diploma
content. Employers already supporting include Rolls-Royce, JCB, RWE
npower, BAe, Toyota, Honda, Dyson, MBDA, Jaguar / Land Rover, Rosh
Engineering, Boeing, Messier-Dowty and hundreds of others. The
Diploma in Engineering is also actively supported by many
professional engineering organizations, such as IMechE, Royal
Academy of Engineering, IET, ECUK and Stemnet.
Margaret Gildea, Executive Vice President of Human Resources -
Operations and Skills and Capability, Rolls-Royce, said: “We
believe that the new Diploma in Engineering will meet the future
skills needs of engineering businesses because engineering
employers have been involved in its design. Blending together the
best of academic and applied learning, the qualification immerses
young people in the excitement and potential of working in the real
world of engineering. The experience will create a new generation
of young engineers with a career head-start. “
According to research by Semta, the Sector Skills Council for
Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, hard-to-fill
vacancies in engineering are costing the English economy £702
million a year, with an estimated 38,000 new employees needed each
year in UK engineering between now and 2014.
Diplomas are part of Government reforms for 14-19 year olds
being rolled out over the next five years, which are designed to
equip young people for the fast changing world, as well as making
sure they can continue learning, in employment or education until
they are 18.
The Diploma in Engineering teaching started this term, with over
4,000 learners being taught by 63 consortia of schools, colleges
and businesses throughout England. The Diploma in Engineering is
one of the first five Diplomas to be introduced, with another 12
different subjects being introduced by 2011. The number of
available places will increase until 2013 when every young person
will have the opportunity to study a Diploma. Graduates will be
available to hire from 2010.
The qualification has three main levels that sit alongside A
levels / GCSEs and Apprenticeships. To engage young people,
teaching mixes classroom learning with work-related learning
supported by employers. So business are encouraged to
offer work experience, careers information, work shadowing,
mentoring, job interview preparation, project support and
curriculum linked visits.
This experience will bring learning to life for young people
while employers can positively influence young people about their
industry sector, use their company involvement to develop
their existing staff and better understand customers of the
future.
Engineering employers of all sectors and sizes can get involved
by calling Semta Customer Services on 0845 643 9001 or emailing
diplomainengineering@semta.org.uk.
They will then be linked up with local schools and colleges who are
teaching the Diploma in their area.
A new guide encouraging employers to become involved can be
downloaded from the website HERE
For more information, please contact Icky Hasnain on 020
7269 9844 / 07872 377 638.
Notes to Editors
Semta
Semta is the employer-led skills council for Science,
Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies in the UK. The
sectors it represents are: Aerospace, Automotive, Bioscience,
Electrical, Electronics, Maintenance, Marine, Mathematics,
Mechanical, Metals and Engineered Metal Products and Science.
Its role is to the raise skills levels and competitiveness in the
76,000 companies and 2 million-strong workforce that make up these
sectors.
Engineering Diploma Development Partnership
The Engineering Diploma Development Partnership is led by Semta,
the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and
Manufacturing Technologies. Other partners include EUSkills,
GoSkills, Summit Skills, Cogent and IMI. Its role is to manage
overall work on the Diploma in Engineering.