Changes in the school curriculum will see the introduction of specialised diplomas for 14 to 19-year-olds from 2008.

These diplomas will be available in five vocational areas including construction and health and social care.

To prepare schools for this change, Bromley hosted a Health and Social Care Conference for teachers and GCSE and A Level students from schools across the borough last month.

The event was held at the Education Development Centre, Princes Plain, Bromley and organised by Bromley Education Business Partnership, which exists to develop and promote links between business and education to benefit both parties.

It was held over two days and aimed at students currently taking social science courses, teachers and students wishing to pursue a career in health and social care.

Presentations and interactive workshops came from organisations including BMI Chelsfield Park Hospital, Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust, Bromley PCT, London Borough of Bromley Social Services Department and Kings Rehabilitation Centre, as well as private sector providers.

The students tried their hands at all kinds of careers in the genre, including a prosthetist, a pathologist and a speech therapist.

On the second day, a panel of health and social care professionals answered questions raised by the students around health issues currently in the headlines.

Karen Docker, project co-ordinator at the Bromley Education Business Partnership, said: "As these specialised diplomas are not available yet, it can be hard for students to get a good idea of what is involved with working in health and social care.

"As students of this age are unable to gain work experience in a hospital, this conference worked to bring the professionals and vocational relevance to them."

Andree Jordan, head of social science at The Ravensbourne School, one of the attendees, believes these kinds of events are invaluable for students.

She said: "The health and social care event was a real eye-opener and some students stated they were definitely persuaded by a career in this area.

"The workshops were hands-on and ranged from giving information on how to offer support and advice to young, single parents to applying a plastercast to a finger.

"The students had a great time and I hope the partnership continues to hold these conferences."