14-19 Diploma Providers ConferenceBirmingham January 13th 2010

Migrating Vocational places to Diploma lines and working

with local Consortia

sue.cooke@sunderland.ac.uk

The starting point:

• 2008-9 Strand 3 ITT places for C&M and S,H&D;

• 10 Engineering places which had not recruited since 2006-7;

• generic model of Secondary Professional Year (SPY);

• validation required to add new 14-19 provision;• decision to roll-in Engineering Strand 3 as

school provision is strong in the region;• integrated provision seen as most sustainable.

Key elements of Diploma ITT

Engineering provision

• industrial/commercial experience prior to programme (explored at interview);

• strong focus on ‘applied learning’;• Industrial Placement as part of the programme;• secure knowledge of the Diploma specification;• teaching Diploma students during TE1&2;• Health & Safety training• Key Stage 3 teaching- which subject?

ITT model: SPY

Interspersed with an occasional week in University – (4 in all), trainees experience:

• Professional Studies 1 is 7 weeks of Monday & Friday in University, Tuesday to Thursday in school

• TE1: 6 weeks practical teaching plus M level Case Study

• Professional Studies 2 is a repeat of PS1• TE2: 10 weeks practical teaching plus

second M level academic module

Diploma Engineering trainees have:

• the entitlement to an Industrial Placement on

Friday during PS1 and 2;• subject application (the focus of Friday subject

sessions) is accommodated by an extra Monday evening session and with an increased focus by school mentors;

• Health & Safety accreditation by additional course• Examination Board inputs on assessment. Additionally there was Strand 2 provision in

Engineering, CBE, C&M, S,H&D, and IT in 08-09 and this training model includes a half day industrial placement in PS1&2 and experience of Diploma teaching during TE2.

Integrated provision for Strand 1,2 and 3

• Induction Week: half day input to introduce Diplomas and how they fit into the secondary curriculum. Strand 1 opt into Strand 2. 1 day input on Diploma specifics, the specification and how one authority operates Diploma provision

• PS1 industrial placement (S2&3)• Review Week 1: S2&3 whole day input on PLTS and

IAG, half day for S1• PS2 input by strand leaders on Functional Skills,

linked to SPY subject (S1,2&3)• PS2 industrial placement (S2&3)• Reading Week: S2&3 whole day input by exam

board on assessment and related activities, this is Diploma line specific

• Review Week 2: whole day summary session (S2&3)

2008-9

Validation of the new additions to the SPY structure in June 2008

Strand 3 recruitment for September:10 C&M10 S,H&D 0 Engineering Strand 2 recruitment in September -

volunteers from SPY10 C&M, 10 CBE, 10 IT, 10 S,H&D10 Engineering!!!

2009-10

• Strand 3 recruitment to target in C&M, S,H&D, BAF and IT (numbers migrated

from ICT secondary numbers)6 trainees recruited for Engineering!

• Strand 2 recruitment around target inC&M, S,H&D, BAF,IT, Engineering, C&BE,

M&PD and Hospitality.

Sunderland Futures• Local authority 14-19 provision partnership;• Gateway 1,2&3 success;• all secondary schools and FE college in the

partnership;• 2 skills centres for delivery of Diploma, BTec and

related vocational courses, funded by all schools and KSt4 timetables centralised;

• skill centre teaching by QTS and QTLS staff;• each school is the ‘lead’ for 1 Diploma line;• specialist schools teach ‘their’ Diploma in 3

consortia;• good links with employers and other training

providers;• symbiotic relationships with FE and HE.

University Links• University led working group of all regional LA 14-

19 partnerships;• initiated to facilitate university wide

understanding of the 14-19 Diploma and its acceptance as an HE entry qualification;

• developing into a collaborative group working to initiate and develop good practice across the delivery of Diploma lines in the region;

• information sharing is invaluable and often informal as well as a result of formal meetings;

• minutes of meetings and newsletters are all sources of valuable intelligence when targeting schools and employers.

Employer engagement

• To maximise employer engagement, the whole Diploma requirement for applied learning should be aligned with existing work experience related practices in a geographically small region.

• ITT provision linked with Sunderland Futures and the EBP to find appropriate trainee teacher placements (strand 2 & 3) with the aim of encouraging employer familiarity with Diplomas through working with adults as well as students.

Funding• EBP are paid to find appropriate industrial

placements and to lead on employer meetings/feedback through such activities as ‘employer breakfasts’;

• University provides around 15 placements, mainly for C&M and IT Diploma lines, linked to specific projects;

• Sunderland Futures placement officer contributes contacts and links into companies which the partnership works with for KSt4/5 delivery of Diploma lines;

• Faculty has extended its Placement Office by one officer to liaise with EBP & Sunderland Futures, manage industrial placements and to contribute to teaching placement arrangements.

Engineering placements

• Strand 3 trainees all placed with Rolls Royce• Strand 2 trainees all placed with TDR for the

second year• Strand 2 trainees all have the experience of a

‘serial’ placement teaching Engineering Diploma in either their school or in the Sunderland Skill centres as part of TE2. This requires a new cooperation with mainstream teaching placements

• Strand 3 trainees teach Diploma Engineering whenever possible as part of their TE1&2 placements. Sunderland based trainees go with their students to the Skill Centre and teaching mixed classes, often with another trainee. In TE2 strand 2 trainees will also be involved.

Industrial Placement Outcomes

• From each placement with industry, the trainee teachers are expected to develop the following outcomes:

• a pen portrait of the company and its commercial/industrial activities;

• a Case Study of some key employees of the company with details of roles/responsibilities, entry qualifications, and relevant experience;

• the outline of an ‘industry specific’ project which could be completed by school/college students as part of their Diploma studies, in their own school/college with the support of teachers and perhaps occasional input from company employees. This project to be developed with the placement company approval and may be expected to be further refined in subsequent placements.

Materials for teaching

• These Industrial Placement outcomes/materials were submitted electronically to the University VLR.

• 2 C&M trainees were employed to draw all the materials together into a Diploma production cd. Materials are available on the cd in both pdf ‘glossy’ style and in word format so that teachers can cut and paste materials to produce customised teaching materials.

• Cd distributed to all employers who were involved and to all trainees who contributed materials.

• It will also be distributed to Diploma line planning groups and other interested parties

• We continue to work with Sunderland Futures to develop Diploma teaching materials to support applied learning in Diploma teaching.

Challenges

• Managing trainee expectation of industrial placements

• Managing employer expectations of trainee teachers

• Managing teacher expectations of Diploma trainees

• Obtaining sufficient Diploma teaching Placements