The Diploma in Public Services

Since 2007 Lis has been working for Skills for Justice as Partnership Lead for the Diploma in Public Services, responsible for all aspects of DDP input into the development of this Diploma from the identification of content through to delivery. In addition to her responsibilities for leadership and management she leads on the principal learning qualification development strand and for Local Government employer engagement.

Lis read Modern Languages at St Hugh’s College, Oxford and after completing a PGCE went on to teach modern languages. She taught part-time in further education (including EFL in Germany) and then moved into education work within the voluntary sector. She worked on a European project at the Dorset Development Education Centre, and went on to manage the Development Education Centre at the School of Education at Nottingham University. During this time she completed an MEd in Education for Social Justice, and began a PhD looking at Young People’s uses of Rights Discourse in their Moral Decision Making, which she completed in 2004.

In 2000 she took up the post of Schools’ Officer with UNICEF UK, supporting and training their network of schools’ volunteers and producing the non-uniform day packs for schools for three consecutive years. She then became volunteering development manager for CAFOD, but returned to education-related work three years later when she took on the role of UK Education Programme Manager with WOMANKIND Worldwide, designing and promoting materials for secondary schools to address issues of violence against women.

Phillip has worked at Government Skills since February 2009 on the Diploma in Public Services. He is currently leading on engagement activities in order to help secure a successful launch of the Diploma in 2010.

He is focussing on employers in Central Government to ensure that they are ready to support the Diploma and know what long term benefits are of supporting the programme. The link with Higher Education institutions involves the need to make clear the progression pathways from completing the Diploma into degree courses.

For the last 10 years Phillip has worked in the civil service at the Department of Health and Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Prior to that Phillip qualified as a teacher and also worked as a construction site manager in the private sector.

Rowena has worked at Skills for Justice for nearly two years on the Diploma in Public Services. She has led on several areas of work including communications, progression routes, Additional and Specialist Learning (ASL) and employer engagement especially within the Justice sector. Additionally, in the next 12 months Rowena will be focussing on overseeing Gateway 4 when schools and colleges apply to deliver this Diploma in 2011.

Recently Rowena has been working closely with awarding bodies; reviewing the principal learning as well as working on some new, exciting options for students to take as part of their ASL. The latter has included consulting employers and consortia on what they need and value as well as finding out what has been most popular with students in the past. This work will add to the rigorous nature of the Diploma in Public Services and help to deliver the types of students and future employees that higher education institutions and employers are looking for.

Previously Rowena has worked in the private sector including O2 Telecommunications and GfK NOP Market Research.

Pip has been with the DDP since it was first formed and has contributed to higher education and employer engagement. She currently represents the Health sector involvement with this Diploma and leads the Workforce Support Programme Network in the West Midlands.

After graduation, Pip became a Training Manager for a large Birmingham based Housing Association, as well as studying for and gaining her Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development professional qualification.

Her career led her to become a Training Officer for Birmingham City Council in the Planning & Development Department and later, the Engineers Department, and also gained an MBA and Vocational Assessor & Verifier qualifications. She moved on to the NHS to become an Assistant Director of HR – Management Development in a large integrated Trust in the Black Country, ending up as a Director of Learning & Development in a large West Midlands Acute Trust, as well as gaining the British Psychological Society’s Occupational Testing awards.

Pip is now an Education & Development Consultant, where she has been awarded contracts and been commissioned by Higher Education Institutions, Awarding Bodies, QCA, Strategic Health Authorities and local Trusts and PCT’s and is currently working for Skills for Health on the development of the Skills Academy.

Kay joined Skills for Justice in October 2007, working firstly for the Qualifications Development team before joining the Diploma in Public Services Team in 2008. Her role as Diploma Support sees her as the centre point contact and support for the Steering Group, Employer Expert Group and the DDP Project Group.

She plays a key role in ensuring the Diploma in Public Services website is up-to-date with the latest information, and provides the first point of contact through the info@publicservicesdiploma.com e-mail address.

Kay started her career at Sheffield City Council. After 6 years she moved onto working in the voluntary sector, for an EU funded project providing education, training and employment (ETE) opportunities to offenders, ex offenders and those at risk of offending in the South Yorkshire area.

Tonya joined the DDP in September 2008 and is responsible for ensuring all communications and products for this Diploma are aligned with wider strategies, national agreed messaging and guidelines on visual identity.

She supports the DDP Project Group, Employer Expert Group and Steering Group by developing communication products and methods to promote and raise awareness of the Diploma within the sector.

Tonya initially joined Skills for Justice in 2004 as PA to the Chief Executive. Prior to this she worked for a Brighton based events company, responsible for the production and marketing of showcases, events for the Grosvenor Casino and assisting with the training of production shows for Thomas Cook.