Tuesday 25 Mar 2008 @ 15:58
Institute for Learning
Institute for Learning
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Membership of IfL tops 100,000 as 31 March deadline approaches
As the deadline approaches for all further education college teachers to register as members of the Institute for Learning (IfL), the professional body for teachers and trainers in the learning and skills sector has announced that over 100,000 teachers are now registered as members.
Existing FE teachers in England are required to register by 31 March 2008, and to abide by the IfL code of professional practice. They will also have to undertake at least 30 hours' continuing professional development (CPD) each year. By virtue of changes to Learning and Skills Council (LSC) provider contracts, these requirements will be extended to teachers and trainers throughout the wider sector, who will have to register by September 2008, or within six months of starting to teach.
Lee Davies, acting chief executive at IfL, said, “With one week to go before the deadline for registration, I would encourage all those FE college teachers who have not yet registered with us to do so. The easiest way to do this is through our website, and the government will pay the standard membership fee for teachers in LSC-funded institutions who register online.
"Our code of professional practice will be launched in April, and following a successful pilot phase, we will also be rolling out the Reflect tool, an online personal learning space where members can reflect on their professional practice and record their many and varied CPD activities. Teachers, employers, unions and other stakeholders have been very supportive of the drive towards professional status for all the sector's teachers, and we look forward to welcoming thousands of new members in the coming weeks and months."
NOTES TO EDITORS
About IfL
The Institute for Learning (IfL) was formed in 2002 and is the professional body for teachers, trainers and student teachers in the learning and skills sector, including adult and community and learning, emergency and public services, further education colleges, Ministry of Defence and the armed services, the voluntary sector and work-based learning.
Much of IfL’s work is guided by two sets of regulations that came into force on 1 September 2007:
* Revised teaching qualifications, including the introduction of licensed practitioner status and differentiation between full and associate teachers
* Remaining in good standing as a teaching professional, including mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) for all teachers.
Under the regulations, all FE college teachers are required to register as members of IfL, undertake CPD each year and abide by the IfL code of professional practice. The regulations are supported by contractual requirements for LSC-funded provision, which will ensure that the scope of the regulations will cover all teachers in the sector.
The government has agreed to meet the full cost of standard registration with IfL for teachers in LSC-funded institutions who register online.
IfL also welcomes teachers and trainers who do not work on LSC-funded programmes; they are required to pay their own annual subscription, for which they receive a comprehensive range of professional benefits.
Teachers new to the sector from September 2007 are additionally required to become licensed practitioners. Although not mandatory for them, existing teachers are also encouraged to become licensed practitioners, as this will become the benchmark for the sector.
Further information about the new regulations and the FE workforce reforms is available from Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) at www.lluk.org/ittreforms/.
As a key partner in delivering workforce reform, IfL is responsible for managing this registration process and for conferring licensed practitioner status.
An independent body, IfL is run by an elected council and works closely with several sector organisations, unions and employer bodies.
CONTACT
Press office:
Lindsay Baugh 07736 246 697 or 01707 392 552
Email lindsay.baugh@howardsgate.co.uk
Existing FE teachers in England are required to register by 31 March 2008, and to abide by the IfL code of professional practice. They will also have to undertake at least 30 hours' continuing professional development (CPD) each year. By virtue of changes to Learning and Skills Council (LSC) provider contracts, these requirements will be extended to teachers and trainers throughout the wider sector, who will have to register by September 2008, or within six months of starting to teach.
Lee Davies, acting chief executive at IfL, said, “With one week to go before the deadline for registration, I would encourage all those FE college teachers who have not yet registered with us to do so. The easiest way to do this is through our website, and the government will pay the standard membership fee for teachers in LSC-funded institutions who register online.
"Our code of professional practice will be launched in April, and following a successful pilot phase, we will also be rolling out the Reflect tool, an online personal learning space where members can reflect on their professional practice and record their many and varied CPD activities. Teachers, employers, unions and other stakeholders have been very supportive of the drive towards professional status for all the sector's teachers, and we look forward to welcoming thousands of new members in the coming weeks and months."
NOTES TO EDITORS
About IfL
The Institute for Learning (IfL) was formed in 2002 and is the professional body for teachers, trainers and student teachers in the learning and skills sector, including adult and community and learning, emergency and public services, further education colleges, Ministry of Defence and the armed services, the voluntary sector and work-based learning.
Much of IfL’s work is guided by two sets of regulations that came into force on 1 September 2007:
* Revised teaching qualifications, including the introduction of licensed practitioner status and differentiation between full and associate teachers
* Remaining in good standing as a teaching professional, including mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) for all teachers.
Under the regulations, all FE college teachers are required to register as members of IfL, undertake CPD each year and abide by the IfL code of professional practice. The regulations are supported by contractual requirements for LSC-funded provision, which will ensure that the scope of the regulations will cover all teachers in the sector.
The government has agreed to meet the full cost of standard registration with IfL for teachers in LSC-funded institutions who register online.
IfL also welcomes teachers and trainers who do not work on LSC-funded programmes; they are required to pay their own annual subscription, for which they receive a comprehensive range of professional benefits.
Teachers new to the sector from September 2007 are additionally required to become licensed practitioners. Although not mandatory for them, existing teachers are also encouraged to become licensed practitioners, as this will become the benchmark for the sector.
Further information about the new regulations and the FE workforce reforms is available from Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) at www.lluk.org/ittreforms/.
As a key partner in delivering workforce reform, IfL is responsible for managing this registration process and for conferring licensed practitioner status.
An independent body, IfL is run by an elected council and works closely with several sector organisations, unions and employer bodies.
CONTACT
Press office:
Lindsay Baugh 07736 246 697 or 01707 392 552
Email lindsay.baugh@howardsgate.co.uk
