News RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


Brighton teens given taste of new diploma

11:36am Friday 27th March 2009 in


Four new vocational diplomas for teenagers will start to run in the city from September. The courses for 14 to 19-year-olds are seen by the Government as a possible replacement for A-Levels.

Teenagers were given a glimpse of what the new creative and media diploma will be like during a taster session at Garage Studios, in Vine Street, Brighton. They met a photographer and took part in a photoshoot. That course, also involving other forms of media, will start running at Varndean College, Brighton, in September. Other new diplomas in construction and built environment, environment and landbased studies and hospitality will start this year. Students will spend part of their time taking regular classes, sessions working with specialists at colleges and practical workplace training.

Comments(10)

PB says...
1:28pm Fri 27 Mar 09

Photography, media, hospitality. No hi-tech subjects. Is this any way to get us out of the economic catastrophe we are facing?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Mr. Kipling says...
3:16pm Fri 27 Mar 09

If they did diplomas in the likes of engineering, mathematics etc, then those would be far better options. However if they are trying to give experience for realistic jobs then surely that would be better for the students involved

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Dumbton says...
3:28pm Fri 27 Mar 09

Creative Industries is the governments solution to future employment. Do a search, see the future, if we have one :0

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Peacehaven Paul says...
4:25pm Fri 27 Mar 09

Nice to see they're learning something that's going to help them get a proper job when they leave school. After all, we're absolutely crying out for more media luvvies!!!

Security word: debt-film (honestly!!)

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Jim BB says...
4:57pm Fri 27 Mar 09

I thought this was going to be sensible - proper jobs with a good future such as plumbing, mechanics, building etc.

Media is far too competitive and badly paid. Editorial assistants work long hours for £12-14,000 p/a but expect around 400-600 to apply for the job.

This is giving them false hope, a 16-year-old cannot compete with a uni graduate who did media but has more life experience - and can actually go to cocktail bars and mix with people they need to interview i.e. be taken seriously.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Tigger says...
6:53pm Fri 27 Mar 09

there are various lines of learning as they are called, some have already begun, some start this year and some start next. Engineering is already available as a Diploma

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

TheInsider says...
11:27pm Fri 27 Mar 09

They should run degrees in pole dancing, nail bars, fake tanning and cheap laminate floor polishing.
Britain is awash with the aforementioned crap.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Joe Average says...
12:56am Sat 28 Mar 09

What on earth is a course on "hospitality" about? Apart from the obvious that is, such as providing tea and cakes.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Valerie Paynter says...
3:58am Sat 28 Mar 09

I'm sick to death of seeing kids kidded into believing that this kind of silliness will save their bacon!

When I was at school, from day one, if the year's curriculum was not mastered to a specified extent, we had to repeat that year.

Not in England! God forbid the little darlings should fear failure or even taste it.

The fear of having to repeat the year and get left behind while friends went ahead and forgot you was one helluva'an incentive believe you me.

And here? The kids are driven forward and too many sit in class while it all goes over their heads because they should not be there. They leave school bluffing and insecure and unable to survive the transition to adult responsibilities.

In the adult world tasting failure and being equipped to deal with it is about survival. It is also about creating excellence within oneself and too many of Britain's kids are never going to have that because they are kidded along by junk like this 'diploma' that little familiarisation exercises like this mean you have a skill and know from nothing.

Sick, sad, broken Britain at its brokest. Shame on these money-grubbing idiots for selling this fool's gold to vulnerable and ill-prepared youth.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

DeezNuts says...
2:31pm Wed 15 Apr 09

well I have read enough retarded comments from Argus readers before but this is really going some. How can we have any expectations of our youth when the adults behave like this, with such defeatist attitudes and low self esteem. (I am assuming you are adults by your pent up bile and misguided ignorance). I would actively encourage young adults not crush their hopes, of course a realistic approach is needed, fortunately no-one under the age of 30 reads The Argus so they will miss out on all the abuse poured on their generation by those above.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

More News stories


IN FOCUS: The Varndean College group has some studio photography tips from Adam Brockhurst IN FOCUS: The Varndean College group has some studio photography tips from Adam Brockhurst

Most popular







Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »

Local Businesses