Advanced Diploma in Jewellery Design and Manufacture

Purpose

The qualification's purpose is threefold

• to provide the Jewellery Industry with designers that have advanced technical and design skills, with which to enhance the quality of the jewellery produced in the sector,
• to prepare learners for further study and to prepare learners for life-long learning.

In order to do this, the qualification focuses specifically on Jewellery Design and Manufacture for enhanced production and visual communication skills, and Jewellery Theory and Professional Practice to encourage entrepreneurial activities and to develop research methods for further application. Learners are expected to participate in exhibitions and competitions outside the qualification.

Rationale

According to the Government Gazette of 15 July 2014 development of Jewellery Design and Manufacture is considered to be in the national interest. Therefore, the qualification equips learners with knowledge and skills to enter the employment arena of jewellery design and simultaneously serves as a means of professional development within critical areas of specialisation. It will also facilitate articulation into more diverse career paths, including workshop management, increase analytical thinking and advanced technical skills through areas of specialisation. The learner will achieve competency through the innovative application of technology and an understanding of aesthetic, economic and social issues within the fields of jewellery design, manufacture and marketing. The kind of positions a graduate would hold in the industry is:

• Specialist Goldsmith offering scarce skills in mass production technologies as well as new manufacturing techniques,
• Designers from small business to mass production,
• Middle management from production manager or quality control,
• Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing specialist and Marketing and sales.

This qualification adds value from an industry perspective because it targets specific new areas of jewellery production and technologies that have become flagged by the industry as 'scarce skills'. This qualification provides a learning pathway to the Masters in Fine Art (MAFA) via a Postgraduate Diploma: Jewellery Design and Manufacture.

The structure of this qualification makes the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) possible. This qualification may be achieved in part or entirely through the RPL, which includes formal, informal and non-formal learning and work experience. The institution must brief the learner thoroughly on the utilised mechanism including support and guidance.

The institution grants credits if, the learner, demonstrates competence in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes implicit in this qualification. RPL may allow accelerated access to further learning at this or higher levels on the NQF and obtaining of this qualification in part or whole.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Diploma in Jewellery Design and Manufacture or equivalent qualification, NQF Level 6.

This qualification comprises of compulsory modules at NQF Level 7 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 120 Credits

• Jewellery Design and Manufacture 4A, 32 Credits.
• Jewellery Design and Manufacture 4B, 32 Credits.
• Jewellery Theory and Professional Practice 4A, 28 Credits.
• Jewellery Theory and Professional Practice 4B, 28 Credits.

1. Demonstrate advanced critical and independent thinking in the context of contemporary jewellery practice.
2. Produce and present creative artefacts which demonstrate an integration of theory and practice at an advanced professional and technical level.
3. Practice jewellery design within a professional environment.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Articulate a specialised area of contemporary jewellery in its cultural, historical, international, intellectual and technological contexts about one's design practice.
• Support verbal, visual and textual Individual design.
• Articulate ideas and information comprehensibly in visual, oral and written forms.
• Present ideas and work to audiences in a range of situations.
• Engage cultural, environmental, global, political, societal, historical, philosophical, ethical and theoretical issues relevant to contemporary jewellery practice.
• Evaluate evidence, arguments and assumptions in order to reach sound judgments.
• Apply analytical and problem-solving skills in the workplace and demonstrate and communicate effectively.
• Source, navigate, select, retrieve, evaluate, manipulate and manage information from a variety of sources through demonstration.
• Select and employ communication and information technologies through demonstration.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Develop and resolve a sustained creative, speculative and specialist jewellery practice in the use of materials, processes and locations.
• Generate new ideas, take creative risks and are produce artefacts for exhibition and public projects.
• Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the techniques and methods specific to the discipline.
• Formulate Questions of context and reception in different kinds of jewellery practice and consider methods for reflection and evaluation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Work in and make positive contributions to collaborative working environments.
• Show initiative, independence and responsibility in a professional working environment.
• Identify and communicate personal strengths.
• Develop audiences for creative work.
• Demonstrate effective communication with a range of external and professional agencies.
• Formulate an approach to professional marketing aspects regarding own production.
• Explore the commercial relationships between the candidate`s creative work and the industry.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment practices are open, transparent, fair, valid, and reliable and ensure that no learner is disadvantaged in any way whatsoever. Incorporate an integrated approach to assessment into the qualification. Show the integration of assessment of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in a qualification. Assessment of fundamental skills and knowledge are integrated with other aspects and use practical contexts wherever possible. Utilise the variety of methods in assessment and tools and activities appropriate to the context in which the learner is working or will work. It allows assessment of learners in the workplace or on-the-job, simulations, case studies, role-plays. Also, other similar techniques are used to provide a context appropriate to the assessment. Assess the theoretical and practical components. During integrated assessments, the assessor makes use of a range of formative and summative assessment tools methods and assesses combinations of practical, applied, foundational and reflective competencies. Continuous assessment is portfolios, practical workbooks, written assignments, written tests, visual presentations, peer group evaluation and face to face contact with learners.