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SECTION 10
Professional Training and Development
College Teaching Staff
10.1 The teaching staff in colleges have
never been so well qualified both in their area of
professional expertise and in teaching skills. Almost all
staff have either a first degree or comparable vocational
qualifications. Those who don't, bring extensive practical
experience of industrial, business or crafts sectors and
entrepreneurship to their teaching. Many are also working
in the sectors about which they teach, many others
regularly update themselves to keep their knowledge and
skills current on industry requirements.
10.2 Statistical returns from colleges
show that during academic year 2003/04 66.4% of permanent
lecturing staff held a full
TQ(
FE) or equivalent while a further 17.0%
held some other form of teaching qualification.
30 All colleges in Scotland
have committed to continued professional development for
their staff by providing access to programmes in teacher
qualifications. In February 2005,
HMIE published evaluations of current
practice across the college sector in the report
Initial and Continuing Staff Development in
Scottish Further Education Colleges, which is
available at
www.hmie.gov.uk .
10.3 The General Teaching Council for
Scotland's (
GTCS) endorsed in March the
recommendations of a working group, which was considering
new flexible arrangements for the registration of teachers.
There are also a number of other ongoing developments that
could have a bearing on the consideration of the
qualifications of college staff to teach pupils and need to
be taken into account. These include the Executive's
consultation about whether there should be a professional
body for the staff in colleges; and the work currently
taking place to develop a new professional development
award and units for college staff teaching school pupils
aged under 16.
10.4 Additionally, there are a wide
variety of lecturers, tutors and trainers who work with
pupils, not only in colleges, but in higher education
institutions, the voluntary sector and in some instances in
the private sector. The new skills for work courses could
be delivered in a number of different ways, some involving
school/ college partnership with learning taking place in
either the school or college or in a mix of both. They may
also involve non-school and non-college staff in their
delivery, such as through a private training provider.
10.5 It is for these reasons that we will
establish by October 2005 a Working Group with membership
that reflects its remit to consider matters concerning the
qualifications of non-schoolteachers who teach pupils to
report to Ministers by February 2007 - ahead of the planned
introduction nationally of the new courses in August that
year.
10.6 In the meantime, as a temporary
measure pending the outcome of that review, we have asked
GTCS to confirm by summer 2005 that
college staff registered with the
GTCS (or with conditional registration)
who have or are working towards a teaching qualification in
further education (
TQ(
FE)) within an appropriate timeframe,
will be able to teach pupils in S3 and above in schools.
College staff without such registration will be able to
teach pupils in schools if a teacher is present in the
class.
10.7 We outline in our guide for school
and college partnership that, as well as expertise in their
vocational area, college lecturers who teach school pupils
in college should possess or be working towards an
appropriate teaching qualification, or have other means to
demonstrate that they can teach to the requisite
standard.
New Professional Award and Units
10.8 We know that many lecturers want
specific training on working with under 16-year-old pupils
more effectively. Equipping lecturers with the necessary
skills is being considered in the context of the current
Executive review of occupational standards and national
guidelines on provision leading to the teaching
qualification in further education (
TQ(
FE)) and related professional
development. The Review Steering Group will conduct a
'mapping exercise' to compare the core occupational
standards for lecturers with the standard for full
registration for secondary schoolteachers.
10.9 A higher educational Professional
Development Award (
PDA) and units will be developed. They
will be available in August 2006. This
PDA, which will form part of the
provision for Continuing Professional Development, will be
an optional award. Those parts of the new
PDA that cover the legislative framework
under which schools operate, the purpose and significance
of National Priorities in Education and the structure and
organisation of schools will be incorporated into core
standards. They will therefore be included in all new
lecturers' Initial Teacher Training and in
TQ(
FE) programmes. There may be a need for
lecturers and schoolteachers to work together to deliver
aspects of this training.
10.10 Colleges should encourage relevant
college staff to consider studying for the new
PDA or units. One of the purposes of the
increased funding in 2006/07 and 2007/08 for school/college
partnership is to support this training. This will
encompass the costs borne both directly and indirectly
(through for example the cost of the course and the costs
associated with covering a lecturer's classes while they
are receiving professional development).
Training for Pupil Welfare and Support in
Colleges
10.11 The Scottish Further Education Unit
will by December 2005 scope the work necessary to build on
and expand existing arrangements to give all college staff
training on matters concerning the welfare and support of
school age pupils, including child protection matters.
Another purpose of the increased funding in 2006/07 and
2007/08 for school and college partnership is to support
this training.
Schoolteachers
10.12 The Scottish Executive Education
Department recently announced the second stage of its
review of teacher education for schoolteachers. Included
within the remit of this review is to examine whether
existing initial teacher education courses prepare staff as
well as possible for entry into the profession and to look
at whether current guidelines and requirements relating to
initial teacher education remain appropriate. Currently, it
is expected that a report of the review group's findings
will be published in spring 2005. The Scottish Executive
Education Department will incorporate in the standards for
teacher education for school teachers awareness of the work
of colleges, including the delivery of education and
training in colleges and school/college partnership
activities. Consideration will be given to the extent to
which this awareness can be reinforced, where appropriate,
by the joint delivery of awareness training to
schoolteachers and college lecturers.
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