WIREDGOV

IfL welcomes QTLS recommendation in Wolf report

The Institute for Learning (IfL) has welcomed Professor Alison Wolf’s recommendation, in her independent review of vocational education, that further education teachers with Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status should be recognised to teach in schools. This is currently not the case, although schoolteachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) can teach in further education colleges. IfL is urging the government to accept this recommendation.

Toni Fazaeli, chief executive of IfL, said, “This is a red letter day for young people who in future should be able to benefit from professional further education teachers with QTLS being able to teach alongside those with QTS in schools – professionals together. In an increasingly globalised and competitive economy, it is vital that that young people have access to brilliant vocational teaching, to help them prepare for good careers with excellent employment prospects and the potential to create successful enterprises.

“IfL has consistently, persistently and insistently made the case for the professionalism of our members and for QTLS to be recognised for teaching in schools settings as well as further education, for the benefit of young people’s learning. We gave evidence to the education select committee and to the Skills Commission inquiry into teacher training for vocational teachers. We have participated in extensive negotiations with government officials, and presented the case to partner organisations. Our authoritative evidence to Professor Wolf’s consultation in October 2010 drew on the input from more than 5,000 IfL members.

“Without IfL’s leadership on this issue, our engagement with policymakers and influencers, and our efforts to persuade those who were sometimes resistant or sceptical, further education teachers would not have seen this very welcome recommendation for QTLS to be recognised in schools. This shows unequivocally the difference that IfL, as an independent professional body, can make for teachers and trainers in further education and skills.

“I want to pay tribute to the many individuals and organisations who have supported and worked with IfL on this issue. We urge the secretary of state for education, Michael Gove, to accept Professor Wolf’s recommendation, without extra restrictions and caveats.

“We are concerned that criticisms made of some vocational education may be seen to taint the whole of vocational education. A lot of excellent vocational education currently takes place in England, delivered in the FE sector by high-quality teachers and trainers. Maintaining and improving the quality of this is dependent on teachers’ continuing professional development and professionalism. IfL members are teachers and trainers whose specialist subject and vocational expertise ranges from Spanish and Mandarin, sciences and mathematics to catering and engineering and we believe it is absolutely right that those with full professional status of QTLS should be able to teach flexibly across schools and colleges.”

Baroness Margaret Sharp, formerly a Liberal Democrat spokesperson for further and higher education, said, “I am delighted that Professor Alison Wolf has recommended that further education teachers with QTLS should be able to teach in schools. IfL has been fighting for this for a long time, and at my meeting next week with IfL and with ministers, we will be pushing for this recommendation to be accepted by the government.”

IfL’s response to the Wolf review consultation is available to download at http://www.ifl.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/17814/2010_11_ifl_response_to_wolf_review.ac.pdf