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Higher Education

The Diploma in Environmental and Land-based Studies is designed to prepare learners for employment and for further or higher education by developing a thorough understanding of how the sector works, including its environmental and economic importance.

 

The Advanced Diploma has been designed and structured to allow young people to study it instead of, or alongside A Levels and is a key part of the Government’s programme to improve secondary education as part of 14-19 reform.

 

About the Diploma

Designed in collaboration with employers, the Diploma in Environmental and Land-based Studies is intended principally for 14-19 year-olds and combines knowledge, understanding and skills that are informed by and recognisable to industry and the world of work.

 

Available at Foundation, Higher and Advanced Levels, the Diploma in Environmental and Land-based Studies will be available in England from September 2009.  At Advanced level, which is equivalent to three A Levels, learners can develop knowledge, skills and understanding to enable them to progress effectively to higher education.

 

Professor Brian Chalkley, Higher Education Academy of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

“This Diploma opens up opportunities for attracting more, well qualified students into the broad field of environmental education and training.

 

"It is particularly important that higher education is alert to these opportunities and that HE colleagues take an active interest in the design and delivery of the new Diploma in their local region”.

Learners will be engaged in learning related to all the sectors involved in the Diploma Development Partnership, and will have gained thorough and tested research skills developed through the applied work-related learning environment, and by the completion of a sector-related extended project. 

 

How will it develop learners?

Learners will be better able to plan, review and manage their own time and study commitments, and will bring with them contemporary sector knowledge, understanding and skills gained through their applied and work-related learning.  Their functional skills in English, maths and ICT will be well developed and, as such, will support learners to transit more effectively between the school/college learning environments to the university learning environment.  Ultimately higher education institutions will identify an improvement in the calibre of their enrolments and subsequent graduates.

 

The Diploma Development Partnership estimates that there are over 250 existing foundation degree/degree courses that can provide direct progression opportunities for learners possessing the Advanced Diploma in Environmental and Land-based Studies.

 

 

For more detailed information about the structure and content of the Diploma, please go to the downloads page to access the Line of Learning Statement, Line of Learning Criteria, the Line of Learning Executive Summary and other related documents.

 

Click here for news of consultations and other events taking place.

 

Click here to find out about the partnership of six Sector Skills Councils which has been formed to develop the Diploma.