Support grows for food and drink qualification

Support has swelled for the new Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design, which will be available in 48 areas following its initial roll-out in 28 zones this September.

Schools minister Jim Knight has given the green light to a further 20 consortia of employers, schools and colleges to begin teaching the course in September 2010.
The flagship qualification in food and drink manufacturing and design for 14- to 19-year-olds is being introduced as an alternative to A-Levels and GCSEs. It has been developed by five manufacturing sector skills councils: Improve, Semta, Cogent, Proskills and Skillfast-UK, with input from firms such as Cadbury and Unilever.
The course is built around core topics of business and enterprise, material science, product design and production systems. Students have the option to take additional and specialist learning units and must complete an extended project and at least 10 days’ work experience.
Employers working with consortia to deliver the Diploma can contribute in several ways, depending on their resources, including giving talks, hosting site visits and providing teaching material.
“We have developed the qualification in direct response to the common complaint manufacturing companies make that there is a shortage of young people entering the industry with appropriate knowledge and skills,” said Derek Jones, who heads the project team developing the Diploma.
“What we now hope to see is even more companies coming forward and showing an interest in getting involved, joining or forming consortia and taking advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity to inspire and educate a new generation of workers.”