Knife crime hits Construction Diploma numbers

Fear of knife crime is hitting Construction Diploma courses in London and other major cities, CJ has learnt.

Surveys by a number of training consortia have revealed that some inner city students have rejected the course for fear of being attacked by gangs whilst travelling to their courses.

The surveys were carried out to pinpoint why some students had rejected the new Construction and the Built Environment Diplomas. Just over 3000 students have signed up for the Construction Diploma so far - 25% less than predicted. 

Most students said their parents feared they would be “guinea pigs” for the new qualification. Others cited the amount of time spent travelling to colleges offering the course. However some students raised concerns about the dangers of travelling across different gangs’ territories.

CECA training director Joe Johnson commented: “Some students have said they are worried about travelling across other gangs’ turf. This is a problem for students in London and other major cities and something that could never have been factored in when the Diploma was being designed.”

The Government has recently made £23m available to assist travel to Diploma courses in rural areas. However Johnson said. “More assistance may be needed in inner city areas where students are having to make several journeys by tube and bus to get to colleges offering the Diploma courses.”