In September 2007 new teaching regulations and reforms came into effect, which have impacted on many staff working in the post-16 sector. The reforms apply to all publicly funded providers and teachers who are delivering FE training through LSC funding.
This means that the reforms extend outside of FE colleges and to the whole FE sector, including further education, work based learning, offender learning and community learning.
As with any new initiative, individuals are often concerned about what the reforms mean for them. There are some excellent sources of information and ongoing support to guide individuals and organizations. Details of the main sources are given below.
All practitioners who attend professional development training courses at the ESSU receive pre-course Information, Advice and Guidance, which addresses the individual development and qualification requirements, and includes signposting to other sources of information and suggested professional progression pathways that the practitioner might follow. Follow up support is also offered to those practitioners who require further information and advice.
Overview of the reforms
There are two main strands to the reforms: to develop a qualified workforce and to grant individuals licensed practitioner status.
Qualifications
All new teaching staff appointed from 1st September 2007 require a teaching qualification: a Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) award, and either a certificate (CTLLS) or diploma (DTLLS) or equivalent, depending on the scope of their teaching role.
Full Teacher: this is a teaching role that carries the full range of teaching responsibilities and requires the teacher to demonstrate an extensive range of knowledge, understanding and application of curriculum development, innovation or delivery strategies.
Associate Teacher: This is a teaching role that carries significantly less than the full range of teaching responsibilities carried out in a full teaching role, and does not require demonstration of an extensive range of knowledge, understanding and application of curriculum development, innovation and delivery strategies.
Skills for Life Teachers must fulfill the full teacher role and hold a diploma or equivalent, and also require a level 5 specialist subject diploma in their relevant specialist area (literacy, numeracy or ESOL)
NB Teachers who were working in the FE sector before September 2001 are exempt from the qualification regulations but are still encouraged to gain subject specialist qualifications if teaching Skills for Life.
Learning Support Practitioners: this role is gaining increasing recognition, and learning support practitioners work with learners across a wide range of formal and informal settings, with a variety of job titles and responsibilities. In recognition of these developments Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) has developed national occupational standards for those working in learning support, and has also developed some generic qualifications: a level 2/3 award in supporting learning and a level 3 certificate in learning support. Further information can be obtained from LLUK:
Lifelong Learning UK
5th Floor, St Andrew’s House
18-20 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AY
http://www.lluk.org/
Email: advice@lluk.org
Tel: 020 7936 5798
Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) and Associate Teacher Learning and Skills (ATLS)
These are the benchmark standards for licensed practitioners in the FE sector. Licensed status is not mandatory at present, but is encouraged. It will be conferred subject to completion of professional formation, which includes fulfilling at least 30 hours of CPD each year.
Details of what this involves can be found on the Institute for Learning (IfL) website under REfLECT, the personalised learning space for members. It is also subject to demonstrating that you have the necessary literacy, numeracy and ICT skills to teach.
Your teaching qualifications are separate from licensed practitioner status. So whatever qualifications you have, you still have to complete the process of professional formation.
Institute for Learning (IfL)
First Floor, Bracton House,
34-36 High Holborn, London WC1V 6AE.
http://www.ifl.ac.uk/
Email: enquiries@ifl.ac.ukk
Tel: 0844 815 3202
Further sources of information on qualifications
TALENT (Training adult literacy, ESOL and numeracy teachers)
http://www.talent.ac.uk/
Guidance on teaching in the lifelong learning sector and a list of courses available across the South East
Skills for Life Improvement Programme
http://www.sflip.org.uk/
The Improvement Programme is continuing for a third yearfrom September 2008. It aims to build on the successes of the previous years and focus on where support is most needed and on numeracy.
Although already running, applications are still welcome with priority for supportbeing offered to providers involved in, among others, Train to Gain, employability and offender learning.
