The Diploma in Public Services

The Diploma in Public Services has been designed in collaboration with a variety of public services employers to ensure its relevance to the sector...

9 Sector Skills Councils started the development of the Diploma in Public Services in April 2007 consulting with a wide range of employers including 

• HM Prison Service (HMPS)
• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
• Local Government Association (LGA)
• UNISON
• South Yorkshire Police
• Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH)
• West Midlands Ambulance Service
• Ministry of Defence (MoD)
• Tyne & Wear Museums
• Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA)
• Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
• Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)

Colleges, schools and universities were also asked to help develop this rigorous qualification to guarantee a strong, useful qualification to help young people achieve their training and employment goals.

How will employers benefit?

As an employer, you'll see real benefits in terms of reducing recruitment and staff training costs, as young people will enter the workforce with a higher essential skill level and having made better informed choices.

The Diploma will help young people to develop the knowledge and personal skills needed by new employees in public service roles.  Personal competencies and service frameworks have been taken into consideration so employers should recognise important skills already forming the abilities of young people entering their area of work.

The work experience component of the Diploma will be vital in assuring that learners gain an understanding of public services and the working environment in general.  This will ensure that young people develop the flexibility to work across the wide range of jobs which is indicative of the public services sector.

How can you get involved?

A key feature of Diplomas is that they must be 50% practical so the emphasis for all aspects of learning in this qualification is that it should be work-related learning. Traditionally this has meant work experience which continues as a vital component of the Diploma with a 10-day minimum requirement at each level. However, work-related learning means so much more and opens up the chance for employers to be involved in a variety of ways, requiring various time and resource commitments. For instance, employers could get involved by

• Mentoring
• Work Shadowing
• Providing Careers information
• Workshops
• Setting projects
• Mock interviews
• Practical experience
• Part-time work
• Tasters
• Assess presentations
• Provide Case Studies
• Curriculum linked visits
• Industry days
• Work simulations or role plays

The Civil Service - an employer of choice in the future.  An example of Good Practice.

The Home Office is one of several Government Departments who have engaged with Lewisham and Greenwich and Stockwell colleges as part of a wider Civil Service project which promotes the Civil Service as a future employer to young people from diverse or underprivileged backgrounds.

The project has recently become interested in incorporating the Diploma in Public Services into their offering, because the Diploma shares the same goals to engage with young people to promote awareness of, and increase engagement with, the Civil Service as an employer of choice in the future.

Greenwich Community College will be trying out modules from the 14-19 Diploma this September and the Home Office is co-ordinating a Departmental approach to support this initiative. The support involves offering work placements, providing speakers and arranging visits for students to other Government Departments. this partnership with Greenwich Community College will serve as a proof of concept of a Civil Service framework of support for when the full 14-19 Diploma in Public Services is delivered in 2011.

What can you do...

Your support is vital in ensuring that students of this Diploma acquire skills and knowledge to equip them for work in public services.

If you are interested in offering your expertise to students and would like to know where the Diploma is being taught from September 2010 please click here.|