'Admissions must look at key skills'

University admissions tutors will have to broaden their entry criteria and give more recognition to key skills under proposals to introduce an English diploma or baccalaureate, further education leaders have said.

General education, including skills in areas such as research and teamworking, is one of three components in a prototype model for a baccalaureate unveiled yesterday by Mike Tomlinson, the former chief inspector who is heading a review of 14-to-19 qualifications in England.

Mr Tomlinson told the Association of Colleges summer conference in Cambridge that his working group was arguing for coherent learning programmes to replace the collection of freestanding courses taken by students.

Higher education institutions will be invited to join in a consultation on the plans from July.

The AoC warned that many universities would have to broaden their admissions policies.

A survey found that only half of university prospectuses refer to key skills among their entry criteria, while 70 per cent refer to AS as well as A levels.