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'Sign for diploma and you'll earn £1m'
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent1 Aug 2008
Teenagers will earn more than £1 million if they agree to sign up for the Government's new school diplomas, according to official advice.
A publicity pamphlet aimed at 14-year-olds who are choosing their options states that's how much a diploma graduate can expect in lifetime earnings.
But experts accused the Government of "misleading" pupils with claims about the potential earning power of a diploma before courses have even begun. Diplomas, which will be taught to 20,000 pupils for the first time next month, have been billed as potential replacements for A-levels and GCSEs.
But they have been criticised by business groups and there have been difficulties recruiting pupils. The pamphlet, The Diploma: Bringing Learning To Life, aims to convince more teenagers to take the courses, which combine academic theory with practical work experience.
It says a diploma "will help you earn more" and has a table suggesting a 16-year-old who takes one will earn £1,022,112 over their lifetime. Those who take an "advanced diploma" instead of A-levels in the sixth form will earn £1,233,024, it claims.
Under the heading, "Will my Diploma help me get a job?", the pamphlet says: "Because you get the chance to learn in different settings, including the workplace, you'll develop skills that employers really value."
But Professor Alan Smithers, an education specialist at the University of Buckingham, said: "It is worrying that in their desire to push through these qualifications, the Government should be giving misleading information to young people who are having to make some of the most important decisions of their lives. Yes, you can calculate that getting A-levels or going to university has a monetary advantage but the diplomas have not been taught yet.
"Whether or not they become good qualifications is for the market - universities and employers - to tell us. The early signs are mixed."
Shadow schools minister Nick Gibb said: "We hope the new vocational diplomas are a success but ministers must be careful to make sure they don't oversell them by making promises about future earnings which simply can't be known."
Schools minister Jim Knight said the figures were based on potential earnings for people with qualifications that were "equivalent" to diplomas, such as GCSEs and A-levels, and were calculated by the Learning and Skills Council.
He added: "It is nonsense to suggest we are giving an inflated view of the potential earnings of diplomas. These qualifications will be first-class."
The courses will initially be in five subject areas: creative and media, society, health and development, engineering, IT and construction.
But the Confederation of British Industry, examiners and teachers have all warned that schools and colleges may not be ready in time to teach the courses and pupils and parents do not know enough about the plan.
