McDonald's serves up 'Diplomas'

I'll be worried when they start handing out Ph.D.s, as it'll add to
our glut!

Marco
-------------------------------------------------

McDonald's serves up 'Diplomas'
By Hannah Goff
Education reporter, BBC News

McDonald's has won approval to offer courses which could form part of
a qualification at the standard of A-levels or advanced Diplomas.

The fast-food giant, airline Flybe and Network Rail are the first
firms to be approved to offer the Level 3 courses.

It means students could combine units from in-house courses with
others to obtain the new Diplomas, which combine practical and
theoretical learning.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said this did not mean standards would
fall.

He told GMTV: "It is going to be a tough course, but once you have got
a qualification in management you can probably go anywhere.

"I think that is the important thing, companies prepared to train
people up which they weren't doing before, in the way that we want
them to do, in a far greater number, so that people have the
qualifications for the future."

Universities secretary John Denham said it was an important step
towards ending the old divisions between company training schemes and
national qualifications.

The move follows concerns raised by business leaders that schools,
colleges and even universities are failing to equip youngsters for the
world of work.

But critics complain that the Diplomas they see as the answer to the
issue are not sufficiently academically rigorous.

McDonald's have achieved the standards for awarding accredited
qualifications at Level 3
QCA spokesman

Last week, four out of 10 university admissions tutors in a group of
leading universities said they would not accept students who had taken
the new Diplomas which are being introduced next autumn.

There are also plans to increase the proportion of youngsters offered
an apprenticeship training course. The prime minister wants the in-
work training scheme to be available to one in five young people.

Exams watchdog, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, said all
three firms had been given awarding body status to Level 3 - which is
equivalent to A-levels or the advanced Diploma.

And Flybe has won accreditation to offer qualifications that could
theoretically form part of a degree - Level 4.

To achieve this status all three firms had to meet a set of standards
set out by the QCA in its Qualifications Credit Framework (QCF).

Cabin crew courses

HAVE YOUR SAY Can you see any of the better universities accepting
someone because of their McGCSE results? Chris Q, Bradford

This QCF is a new system by which learners can bank up credits for
workplace learning and take them with them to future courses.

A QCA spokesman said: "The Qualifications Credit Framework is a new
framework that allows nationally recognised courses to be broken down
into units.

"It is componentised so if a learner drops out of a course or can't
manage to complete they can take those units with them."

He added: "McDonald's have achieved the standards for awarding
accredited qualifications at Level 3.

"This will enable them to assess, track and recognise learning that
otherwise would be lost."

QCA head Ken Boston said: "By becoming awarding bodies, Flybe,
McDonald's and Network Rail, are enabling the skills of their
employees to be recognised and recorded.

"They are the first three companies to gain awarding body status and
we look forward to considering further applications from employers to
have their valuable work related learning programmes validated."

Cabin crews

But general secretary of the University and College Union Sally Hunt
said although it supported the need for transferrable qualifications,
it was concerned about qualifications that are very "narrow and
specific to one organisation, like McDonald's".

"Just last week, a report revealed that some universities have
concerns over diplomas. We are unsure whether those institutions would
be clamouring to accept people with McQualifications."

From this month, McDonald's will be piloting their basic shifts
manager course.

McDonald's chief people officer David Fairhurst said the accreditation
was a natural extension of the qualifications the firm already
offered.

He said: "Our employees tell us they want the chance to do more formal
learning and we're responding to that."

He shrugged off suggestions that McDonald's accreditation meant exams
were being "dumbed down" saying: "We have had to achieve the same
rigorous criteria as traditional awarding bodies."

Meanwhile, from this summer Flybe will offer courses covering the work
of cabin crews, engineers, call centre staff, some of which will reach
Level 4 - degree level.

Network Rail will offer courses up to A-level or Diploma standard
mainly to their track engineers at first.

(quoted material at end)

Back in 1985 or so, and as part of a massive reorganization I had forced
down my throat (along with about 700 other employees), I went to a
corporate-sponsored "cultural re-education" short course. About 2-3 days
and you had to do play acting, in front of a tv camera, and if you didn't
get it right, you had to do it again. This all took place at a commercial
training center in Northern Virginia, about 20 miles west of DC. The
training center was quite large, had its own sleeping quarters, cafeteria,
and any kind of lecture/lab facility you could imagine. I saw enough to
realize any kind of course, any lenght, etc., could be taught. Looking in
open doors I saw tons of guys working on computer equipment (certification
courses, programs, etc.?), and I'm sure all of this is branching out into
missions, needs, whatever.

He who pays the piper, calls the tune.

Small colleges are competing with those 2 year degrees, too, tailored to
job markets. I'm going to guess that 5-10 years from now, there will be a
decline in academic curricula. Actually, in terms of the local places
around my neighborhood, most of the coursework is very
mission/commercially orriented _or_ it is "continuing enducation" and
entertainment orriented (so called "travel education"). They will teach
anything that makes money.

Thinking, critical analysis, creativity, classical eduation...you
won't find any of this. World wants robots, zombies, machines.

===== no change to below, included for reference and context =====

On Mon, 28 Jan 2008, Marco wrote:

> I'll be worried when they start handing out Ph.D.s, as it'll add to
> our glut!
>
> Marco
> -------------------------------------------------
>
> McDonald's serves up 'Diplomas'
> By Hannah Goff
> Education reporter, BBC News
>
> McDonald's has won approval to offer courses which could form part of
> a qualification at the standard of A-levels or advanced Diplomas.
>
> The fast-food giant, airline Flybe and Network Rail are the first
> firms to be approved to offer the Level 3 courses.
>
> It means students could combine units from in-house courses with
> others to obtain the new Diplomas, which combine practical and
> theoretical learning.
>
> Prime Minister Gordon Brown said this did not mean standards would
> fall.
>
> He told GMTV: "It is going to be a tough course, but once you have got
> a qualification in management you can probably go anywhere.
>
> "I think that is the important thing, companies prepared to train
> people up which they weren't doing before, in the way that we want
> them to do, in a far greater number, so that people have the
> qualifications for the future."
>
> Universities secretary John Denham said it was an important step
> towards ending the old divisions between company training schemes and
> national qualifications.
>
> The move follows concerns raised by business leaders that schools,
> colleges and even universities are failing to equip youngsters for the
> world of work.
>
> But critics complain that the Diplomas they see as the answer to the
> issue are not sufficiently academically rigorous.
>
> McDonald's have achieved the standards for awarding accredited
> qualifications at Level 3
> QCA spokesman
>
> Last week, four out of 10 university admissions tutors in a group of
> leading universities said they would not accept students who had taken
> the new Diplomas which are being introduced next autumn.
>
> There are also plans to increase the proportion of youngsters offered
> an apprenticeship training course. The prime minister wants the in-
> work training scheme to be available to one in five young people.
>
> Exams watchdog, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, said all
> three firms had been given awarding body status to Level 3 - which is
> equivalent to A-levels or the advanced Diploma.
>
> And Flybe has won accreditation to offer qualifications that could
> theoretically form part of a degree - Level 4.
>
> To achieve this status all three firms had to meet a set of standards
> set out by the QCA in its Qualifications Credit Framework (QCF).
>
> Cabin crew courses
>
> HAVE YOUR SAY Can you see any of the better universities accepting
> someone because of their McGCSE results? Chris Q, Bradford
>
> This QCF is a new system by which learners can bank up credits for
> workplace learning and take them with them to future courses.
>
> A QCA spokesman said: "The Qualifications Credit Framework is a new
> framework that allows nationally recognised courses to be broken down
> into units.
>
> "It is componentised so if a learner drops out of a course or can't
> manage to complete they can take those units with them."
>
> He added: "McDonald's have achieved the standards for awarding
> accredited qualifications at Level 3.
>
> "This will enable them to assess, track and recognise learning that
> otherwise would be lost."
>
> QCA head Ken Boston said: "By becoming awarding bodies, Flybe,
> McDonald's and Network Rail, are enabling the skills of their
> employees to be recognised and recorded.
>
> "They are the first three companies to gain awarding body status and
> we look forward to considering further applications from employers to
> have their valuable work related learning programmes validated."
>
> Cabin crews
>
> But general secretary of the University and College Union Sally Hunt
> said although it supported the need for transferrable qualifications,
> it was concerned about qualifications that are very "narrow and
> specific to one organisation, like McDonald's".
>
> "Just last week, a report revealed that some universities have
> concerns over diplomas. We are unsure whether those institutions would
> be clamouring to accept people with McQualifications."
>
> From this month, McDonald's will be piloting their basic shifts
> manager course.
>
> McDonald's chief people officer David Fairhurst said the accreditation
> was a natural extension of the qualifications the firm already
> offered.
>
> He said: "Our employees tell us they want the chance to do more formal
> learning and we're responding to that."
>
> He shrugged off suggestions that McDonald's accreditation meant exams
> were being "dumbed down" saying: "We have had to achieve the same
> rigorous criteria as traditional awarding bodies."
>
> Meanwhile, from this summer Flybe will offer courses covering the work
> of cabin crews, engineers, call centre staff, some of which will reach
> Level 4 - degree level.
>
> Network Rail will offer courses up to A-level or Diploma standard
> mainly to their track engineers at first.
>