3 Companies Allowed By U.K. To Grant Level 3 Job Certificates

January 28, 2008 8:27 a.m. EST

London, England (AHN) - Three companies were authorized by the United Kingdom's exams regulator, the Qualifications Curriculum Authority, to issue Level 3 job training certificates. The three were fastfood giant McDonald's and transport firms Network Rail and FlyBe.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was at the formal launch of the qualifications Monday, defended the inclusion of the Golden Arches. "If McDonald's do it, it is not the standards are going to fall, in fact it is going to be a tough course. Once you have got a qualification in management you can probably go anywhere."

The courses offered by the three companies are in line with the QCA's Qualifications and Credit Frameworks, which grants credits for units of work that, over time, build up to full qualifications.

McDonald's pilot basic shift manager course teach the fastfood giant's crew modules on running a McDonald's store, including marketing, personnel management and customer service skills. Flybe's airline trainer program for summer includes engineering to cabin crew training.

The new diplomas are part of U.K.'s initiative to increase the number of skilled workers across the nation. Eventually, accumulation of these certificates may lead to a university degree.

The apprenticeship program, which currently has 250,000 slots, may be doubled in the coming months to provide young Britons leaving school to have more opportunities to learn. Brown said, "Every young person needs a skill and to think about going to college, doing an apprenticeship or university."

Although 51 percent of apprentices drop out, the prime minister observed a rising percentage of British youth completing their training. To entice the young Britons to finish the program, the government is considering offering a financial incentive.

Skeptics, however, question the worth of the company-specific trainings received by the apprentices with possibly little value outside the firm's operations. They cited in particular McDonald's modules.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said, "We fully understand the benefits of people being able to transfer in-house accredited training to the next level."

But Hunt added, "We are unsure whether those institutions would be clamoring to accept people with McQualifications."