TVEP Proposal to develop an ‘Engineering Academy’ for the 14-19 Diploma
17-05-2007
TVEP has just completed a visioning exercise, facilitated by an organisation called Future Matters. As an industrial body our primary concern is the sustainability of a highly skilled and competitive sector in the Tees Valley.
This exercise led to the identification of a series of long term goals, one of which is the setting up of an ‘Engineering Academy’ to develop the next generation of engineers in this area.
As a concept this has been inspired by the company JCB who manufacture excavators and its proposal to build an academy in Staffordshire offering the 14 – 19 specialised diplomas in engineering, manufacturing and business. The objective being to ‘encourage many more young people of the right calibre and attitude to pursue careers with JCB or other successful manufacturers and businesses’…….to meet growth and investment plans. Exactly the same issues we have within the Tees Valley area.
The Engineering Partnership has been working with local schools for a number of years but we believe the success that Middlesbrough has had in gaining approval to run the new 14-19 engineering diploma from September 08 has created a unique opportunity to produce an innovative and best practice model of delivery.
There are 3 main drivers. The approval of the Middlesbrough bid opens the door; the funding available from DfES which can provide a platform and stimulus, and the willingness of the engineering fraternity to devote precious resources to a long term investment.
The Diploma will only fulfil its potential as a progressive qualification if it incorporates some significant employer engagement. 50% of the student work has to be applied, i.e. practical, non-classroom. A number of schools have practical facilities, some more so than others. Currently, much of the practical aspects of the current GCSE are ‘outsourced’ to training providers and colleges. With the volumes of youngsters opting for the new qualifications increasing there will be considerable strain on the existing infrastructure and a requirement for more ‘outsourcing’ to ensure the quality of provision.
There is also some concern, within the industry, about the capability of some teachers to provide the quality of tuition needed, particularly at levels 2 and 3. Locating a dedicated facility on an industrial site will offer the opportunity to combine academic and vocational expertise in a setting that reflects a real working environment. Teachers, training provider tutors and industrial trainers will learn from each other, cross-fertilising experience and knowledge to ever higher standards.
There is no rose-tinted ambition to duplicate the multi-million pound JCB new build but local DfES funding to the tune of more than half a million pounds will help to refurbish and equip an existing building and encourage further investment from the sector.
Just such a facility has been identified on the site of Wilton Engineering, on the side of the Tees next to the Transporter Bridge (an iconic piece of engineering in its own right).
The Directors of Wilton Engineering have their own vision and that is to create an integrated ‘engineering village’ on what was the old Swan Hunters site and to regenerate that part of the riverside.
Imagine, a dedicated educational facility on a vibrant industrial site; youngsters learning in the shade of high quality, large scale off-shore construction projects with real engineering they can smell and touch, how inspiring would that be? A different environment with different stimuli and different requirements of behaviour and attitude and the teachers would reap similar advantages.
This is not to say that this would be an industry-controlled initiative, far from it. The diploma is an ‘academic’ qualification and must be managed by the schools and local authority. But, the Academy would be exemplar in collaboration and partnership with both public and private sector having a vested interest in the long term success of the venture. It would be innovative and exciting and basing it away from school or college promises would encourage significantly more private sector involvement, surely one of the key objectives of the diploma.
The premises in question are owned by Wilton Engineering and the facilities will be maintained by the company to industrial standards. It would be leased to the schools and will be permanently available during term time and as a priority at other times if required. Sustainability and improvement would be ensured by the availability of the workshop for internal use and as a facility for the industry at other times.
Malcolm Potter
www.tvep.co.uk
