WIREDGOV

The Institute for Learning (IfL) has responded to the publication of “A Skills beyond School Review of England”, one of a series of country reports on postsecondary vocational education and training in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.   

IfL’s chief executive, Toni Fazaeli, said, “IfL strongly welcomes the report’s explicit acknowledgement that ‘the quality of teachers is the most critical factor in effective learning in vocational programmes’, and that ‘having the right pedagogical skills is important, so teachers can transmit their skills and knowledge to students’. Just as other professions have robust initial training and qualification, followed by ongoing professional development, so too it is essential for teaching and training in vocational areas. IfL’s view is that there should be a national requirement – as there is in most OECD countries – for teachers and trainers to be qualified: a position strongly supported by an overwhelming majority (87 per cent) of the 6,000 or so IfL members who responded to our consultation on the subject last year.

“It is crucial that tomorrow’s engineers, accountants, chefs, mechanics, plumbers, healthcare workers and technicians should be taught by teachers who know their specialist subject well and have also been through initial teacher training to ensure that they have the right teaching and training skills. Being a top-notch engineer or chef doesn’t automatically make one an outstanding teacher in those disciplines.

“IfL agrees that colleges and providers should be able to employ people from industry so that learners can benefit from their industry knowledge, but believes that almost all should have or be working towards teaching qualifications, even if they teach part-time (with exceptions perhaps for visiting experts who ‘teach’ fewer than 28 hours a year). Who would like to be treated by a part-time surgeon or nurse who is unqualified, because qualifications are only for full-time surgeons and nurses? It is irrelevant to the patient (or in this case the young or adult learner) whether the employment contract is full or part time.

“We agree with the report’s recommendation that teachers new to the profession should be supported with effective mentoring and induction, but these should be complementary to, not a replacement for, initial teacher training and continuing professional development (CPD) – that is, professional learning that follows initial qualification and keeps practitioners up to date in teaching methods and their vocational or subject area. As the professional body, IfL works to support members to achieve excellence in their individual practice. Our 2010-11 review of CPD, which is cited in the OECD report, highlights the effectiveness of self-directed and collaborative development opportunities, and the role of providers in creating the expansive working environments that allow these effective practices to thrive.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

This press notice is available online at http://www.ifl.ac.uk/newsandevents/press-releases/ifl-comments-on-oecd-review-of-vocational-education-and-training

The 2010–11 IfL review of CPD: CPD for the future: the networked professional is available to download in PDF format at http://www.ifl.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/26681/2010-11-IfL-Review-of-CPD-lr_2mb.pdf

The OECD report is cited as Musset, P. and S. Field (2013), A Skills beyond School Review of England, OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training, OECD Publishing/OECD. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264203594-en

About IfL  

The Institute for Learning (IfL) was formed in 2002 by further education teachers, trade unions, employers and others, and is the professional body for teachers, tutors, trainers and student teachers in the further education and skills sector, including adult and community learning, emergency and public services, FE colleges, the armed services, sixth-form colleges, the voluntary sector and work-based learning. IfL supports excellence in professional teachers’ and trainers’ practice for learners.

IfL confers Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status, which since 1 April 2012 has been recognised as equivalent to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for teaching in schools, and Associate Teacher Learning and Skills (ATLS).

An independent professional body, IfL is governed by an elected advisory council and non-executive board with the large majority from its membership, and works closely with several sector organisations, unions and employer bodies.

Contact IfL

IfL press office:

Lindsay Baugh              01707 392 552 or 07736 246 697  

Email                             lindsay.baugh@howardsgate.co.uk

Membership and other enquiries:  

The Institute for Learning

First Floor 49-51 East Road

London

N1 6AH

Telephone:                    0844 815 3202

Website:                        www.ifl.ac.uk

Email:                            enquiries@ifl.ac.uk