County's teens first to try for diploma.

TEENAGERS in Warwickshire will be among the first in the country to get the chance to study for a new diploma qualification when it is launched next year.

Young people across the county aged between 14 and 19 will be able to study courses such as construction and business when the scheme starts.

The new government diploma, announced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, will encourage more young people to stay in education and gain the qualifications they need to go into higher education or employment.

Students in Warwickshire will be able to take qualifications in a range of subjects including environmental and land-based studies, business, administration and finance as well as construction and the built environment.

Lynne Upton, the county council's senior inspector for the 14 to 19 age group, said: "The diploma is an exciting broad qualification, which we hope will be attractive to students at all levels and providing the range of skills employers and universities want."

The diplomas will combine theory as well as practical learning and will be taught alongside the GCSE and A-level programmes.

Warwickshire has been named as one of the initial groups of schools, colleges and training providers which have been chosen by the government to introduce the diplomas next year.