Brighter Futures

Schools and Learners Minister, Jim Knight MP, today (9th January) officially opened the Kingston Maurward College Stafford Centre, designed to create the construction professionals of the future.
 
The £1million state of the art teaching building is delivering the new flagship 14 to 19 Diploma in ´Construction and the Built Environment´ to 17 students from The Purbeck and Lytchett Minister schools.
 
The new two year Diploma qualification sits alongside traditional academic qualifications and allows the 14-19 year-olds to split their time between the school classroom and real work environments. Students spend two days a week at the College gaining specific construction skills and practical experience. Essential functional skills English, maths, IT are taught within the school classroom.
 
Jim Knight said: "I am delighted to be able to return to Kingston Maurward to open what is not only a valuable resource for the College, but also for local schools. Here they are taught construction and built environment skills in a purpose built facility".
 
"Speaking to the young people who currently study here, they are really motivated to get up in the morning, get out from under their duvets and do some learning that can later lead onto an Apprenticeship, to university or directly into the world of work. The Diploma means they can combine developing the practical skills of carpentry, bricklaying and plumbing here at the College with learning English, maths and other skills back at school".
 
"I´d like to thank the Principal, the College Governors and staff and the schools for their leadership and vision in bringing this Diploma to life."
 
Kingston Maurward College Principal David Henley said: "We are delighted to welcome Jim Knight here today to officially open this brand new facility, as well as Richard Holman, Headteacher of The Purbeck School and many other people who have helped make this centre a reality."
 
"Together with Purbeck, Lytchett and Thomas Hardye schools, we help young people to identify academically positive choices that will secure them a sound future. This Diploma gives them the ability to recognise the wide range of employment opportunities within the construction industry and helps them with the all important personal and social skills necessary to succeed in the workplace".
 
"This is positive news in terms of future skills provision for the region´s building and construction industry during a currently difficult time. We have no doubt that, as we move out of this current downturn, these students will be primed ready and possess all the skills the profession will be crying out for."
 
Students on the Construction and Built Environment Diploma at the College learn the principles of good design and management, the impact of the built environment on people and communities and the importance of teamwork. They develop a range of skills and knowledge needed to work in different construction industries including the correct way to use tools and understanding modern construction methods and materials. Along the way they will cover Trowel Trades, Plumbing and Heath and Safety and will complete a construction project of their own design.
 
The Diploma qualification is available at three levels - Foundation, Higher and Advanced. Foundation is equivalent to five GCSEs and aimed at 14 to 16-year-olds, while Higher is equivalent to seven GCSEs and targeted at 16 and 17-year-olds. Advanced is equivalent to three-and-a-half A-levels and is designed for 18 and 19-year-olds. The new students at Kingston Maurward are currently studying the two-year Foundation Diploma and the college hopes they will all progress through the levels.
 
Fourteen-year-old Jack Guilfoyle from The Purbeck School explains why he chose to take the new Construction Diploma: "Kingston Maurward College came into school and did a demonstration of the types of skills we could learn. I´ve always wanted to do something practical and this looked like a great way to start a career in the construction industry as early as possible. I´m fourteen but I´ve already learnt so many of the skills needed for this type of job like bricklaying, pipe cutting and bending, soldering and carpentry. I want to stay on for the three years and then maybe go on to an Apprenticeship."
 
Five new Diplomas launch across the UK this September, when Kingston Maurward will start teaching the Environmental and Land Based Diploma. Anyone interested in more information about Diplomas should contact Kingston Maurward College on 01305 215000.
 
For more information contact: Jeannie Lunn, Marketing and Communications Manager, Kingston Maurward College. Tel: 01305 215035.
 
Notes for Editors:
 
As Dorset´s College of the Countryside, Kingston Maurward College offers learning opportunities in a wide range of subjects including agriculture, animal care, equine, countryside management, outdoor adventure and sports coaching and IT and Business. The college has over 4,000 full time and part time students.
 
This is the second new building to be constructed at the College in two years to ensure students have access to state of the art learning facilities. A £4.4 million Learning and Resource Centre, (LRC), also built by Rok of Yeovil, was completed in 2007 providing IT facilities, a comprehensive reference library, well-equipped high-tech laboratories, group study and individual consultancy rooms.
 
Nationally 11,500 students have chosen to study one of the five new Diplomas. The programme received a recent boost with 235 of 306 of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) announcing they will consider applicants who have achieved an advanced Diploma.