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Forthcoming Diploma's lukewarm reception from universities

The response by universities to the soon-to-be-launched vocational Diplomas is mixed as fewer than four in 10 admissions officers see them as a “good alternative” to the current A-level system.

The government wants Diplomas, set to be launched next year, to be a qualification that will allow students to find places at university but a survey shows that of those universities polled, only 38% saw Diplomas as a suitable alternative, while 88% backed the International Baccalaureate.

The survey, commissioned by ACS International Schools, found that only 41% of admissions officers saw the Diploma as a “positive step forward”.

However, 70% of admissions officers questioned supported the principle of offering a wider range of qualifications beyond the traditional A-level. The diploma is intended as a different type of qualification, linking to industry and providing an alternative to the academic A-level with courses initially in construction, engineering, health, IT and media.

The survey was commissioned to see which qualifications would be most likely to be welcomed for university admissions.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .