Teenagers in Bradford will be among the first in the county to train in manufacturing and product design with the introduction of a pioneering new qualification.

Secondary schools are being consulted to take up the Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design (MPD) which will be available to pupils aged 14-19 from September.

Bradford is one of 28 areas across England being given the chance to adopt the diploma, which can be taken alongside traditional qualifications.

The diploma is being welcomed by the Engineering Employers Feder-ation (EEF).

Regional spokesman Dave Wilson said: “We’re very supportive of this diploma. One of the big issues in manufacturing over recent years is we can’t get young people in at the right level. Hopefully these diplomas will help address that.”

Peter Baldwin, managing director of industrial boiler manufacturers Byworth Boilers in Keighley, said: “This scheme can only help to raise awareness of the many oppor-tunities in manufacturing. It may also convince teenagers of the importance of traditional school subjects such as geometry.”

Gareth Dawkins, chairman of the Bradford South Confederation of Schools, said the diploma was about more than simply workshop manufacturing.

He said: “We’re confident people who do it will be managerial quality and will move quite confidently into the manufacturing sector.” Dixons City Academy, in Cliffe Road, Bradford, is one of the first schools to sign up to the diploma.

Assistant head teacher Mike Fergus said: “It’s interesting that it’s weighted towards the business end of manufacturing. The UK is good at designing products but not perhaps at the economics of manufacturing.”

The diploma will be available at foundation level for 14 to 16-year-olds and is equivalent to five GCSEs. The higher level, for 16 and 17 year-olds, will be equivalent to seven GCSEs, and the advanced, for 18 and 19-year-olds, will be the equivalent of three-and-a-half A-levels.

Derek Jones, the national project team leader for the diploma, said: “The diploma will help develop pupils’ skills and knowledge through practical learning, and will provide a great deal of flexibility. It’s ideal for those students who don’t know yet what they want to do with their lives, as it’s a great way to keep their options open.”

Councillor Michael Kelly, Bradford Council’s executive member for services to children and young people, said: “The diploma will be an exciting way of learning and will include links with industry, and it will enable students to either go into jobs at the end of the course, or to go on to university courses.

“I’m sure young people, parents and employers will welcome the introduction of a whole range of diploma courses.”