LITTLE more than 100 students in Worcestershire signed up for the Government’s flagship diploma qualifications in their first year after being launched.

New figures released yesterday revealed that of the 12,000 students nationwide who had signed up for the qualification for 14-to-19-year-olds, just 126 were in Worcestershire.

The Government had initially hoped 50,000 students would sign up for the new diplomas in their first trial year, but scaled that prediction back to 38,000 in the summer.

There were 268 places available in Worcestershire for the current school year - but fewer than half were filled.

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council, said: "Currently across Worcestershire we have 126 students enrolled on diploma courses since September 2008.

“This figure is set to rise to over 2,000 students for September 2009, where more courses will be made available students across the whole county.

“The learners lucky enough to have secured places this term are very positive about the new experience, as are the teachers and employers who are directly involved."

Just seven student places out of 45 were filled on IT diplomas courses, and 36 out of 100 in creative and media. In engineering, 25 out of 43 places were filled, and 58 out of 70 in construction.

Sharon Gray, area director for Herefordshire and Worcestershire Learning and Skills Council, said: “The launch of the diploma for 14- to 19-year-olds is an important part of a co-ordinated national strategy that will enable young people to choose a learning pathway that suits their particular needs and interests.

“We look forward to growing the number of learners and range of available subjects in Worcestershire in the run-up to full roll-out by 2013.”