The RSA Diploma is disappointing
Page 59
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ALTHOUGH in 1968 there has been a reasonable increase in the number of candidates for the RSA Diploma in Road Transport Subjects—from 354 to 427—the general picture is not really encouraging. Administered by the Royal Society of Arts, advised by a committee under the rather grand sounding title of the National Committee for Road Transport Education, this diploma is a useful basic preliminary qualification. Formulated during the war, the diploma is intended for operating and traffic clerk grades to assist them in gaining promotion to foreman and inspectorial levels.
The scheme was arranged in conjunction with the Institute of Transport to provide a more practical entrance qualification to the Institute's Graduateship examination with subjects closely geared to road transport operation. It was felt that this was more apposite than the normal entry through success in a group of Ordinary level subjects in the GCE .examination. At first the scheme prospered; it was most successful in the first decade especially on the road passenger side where in many companies the holding of this diploma became the normal promotional channel to the inspec tor grade. But the diploma failed to attract any substantial numbers from the road haulage sectors. In the past 10 years overall support for the diploma has dwindled as a result of changing attitudes and a different labour situation. A simplified two-year scheme replaced the more cumbersome three-year structure in 1964 and there was a marked revival of interest. A heavy failure rate in the first year of the new system, however, had a dampening effect and numbers have come down to the 350 mark in the past three years.
The revival during 1968 is obviously welcome and it is encouraging, too, that the overall failure rate at 28 per cent is the lowest for many years. It would have been even lower if the usual crop of failures (nearly half) had not been repeated in "Communication and Report Writing" and "Elements of Road Transport Engineering". The grouping of the candidates was uneven, the diploma being largely supported by employees of what has become the National Bus Company and by London Transport. Municipal bus company .employees, however, have continued a steady decline from 130 candidates in 1960 to only 50 in 1968.
The road haulage sector continues to attract depressingly few candidates. The combined total was a paltry 72 (including 41 from "industry", presumably staffs of own-account operators), a figure which is even lower than 1966 and 1967.
So the case for congratulation must be tempered in a number of directions. What is perhaps the most disappointing feature of all is that the coming of the Road Transport Industry Training Board and the various discussions concerning the forthcoming transport manager's licence have had so little effect.
As it is conceived, the course is an excellent introduction to the study of road transport operation—so what exactly is wrong? Part of the answer lies in the fact that the syllabus seems somewhat impervious to change. The latest scheme of study (1968/69) includes detail about the 1960 legislation, but makes no reference to the 1968 Act. Of course the scheme had to be produced before the Transport Bill became law under an Act, but the Bill and its attendant White Papers had appeared for some time before the RSA session was due to begin. Similarly, the accent on safety in the Act and with it more sustained maintenance is not reflected in the "Elements of Road Transport Engineering" course which, although non-technical, has a very sketchy syllabus.
The big problem facing the National Committee is that it is an entirely voluntary organization. Although the work is performed with rare enthusiasm this is not enough; the need for a full-time organizer is paramount. Alternatively, the diploma could well become a direct part of the Institute of Transport's administration. Until something is done along these lines, I am afraid the diploma will not be able to have the impact it deserves.