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help you keep up to date with what’s happening in the further education and skills sector.

The further education and skills sector

      In the UK, the term further education (FE) and skills sector includes the following contexts in which learning can take place (in alphabetical order):

      • adult education

      • armed, emergency and uniformed services

      • charitable organisations

      • community education

      • further education colleges

      • health authorities

      • higher education institutions and universities

      • immigration and detention centres

      • laboratories

      • local authorities

      • on-site learning centres

      • prisoner and offender centres

      • private sector learning

      • probation services

      • public and private training organisations

      • schools and academies

      • sixth form colleges

      • technical colleges

      • voluntary sector learning

      • work-based learning.

      Basically, learning in this sector can occur with anyone from the age of 14 and upwards, whether it be academic or vocational (i.e. theoretical or practical), and it can take place in any environment. In the UK, the term lifelong learning is also used. Other terms include adult education, adult and community education, adult and continuing education, and adult learning. The opportunity for people to take further education often gives them chances to do new things. It also gives people the opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge. It could be that they did not do well at school, or are looking for a new interest or a change of job role.

       Activity

      What is the term used for the further education and skills sector where you work? Why is this term used, and what age range does it encompass? It’s useful to know a little about the history of further education and any current national or local initiatives which might affect it. You could search the internet to find this out or talk to your colleagues.

      If you are new to teaching, this could be because you have been contemplating a change of profession, or you are required to take a particular teaching qualification because of your job role. Perhaps you have a hobby or a trade you would like to teach to others; you know you are good at it and feel you have the skills and knowledge which you could pass on to others. While this book will guide you through the process of teaching, learning and assessing, it is up to you to ensure you are up to date with your subject knowledge. This is what you will actually teach and is sometimes referred to as a subject discipline or specialist subject. As you will be an experienced practitioner in your subject, and also a professional teacher, the term dual professional is often used to denote your role. This is because you are a professional in two different aspects.

       Example

       Peter works full time as a plumber. The local college is advertising for plumbing teachers to deliver an evening class. Peter feels he has the necessary skills and knowledge and would like to apply. The advertisement states the successful applicant will be able to take a part-time teaching qualification which will be paid for by the college. If Peter is successful, he can continue with his job, teach an evening class and work towards a teaching qualification. Peter will therefore be a dual professional. A professional teacher and a professional plumber.

      Depending upon where and what you will teach, you may not need to be qualified in your particular subject, but be able to demonstrate appropriate occupational skills and knowledge at a certain level. Some subjects require you to have a level above that which you will teach, for example, holding a level 3 qualification to teach it at level 2.

      Some subjects might not require you to hold a specific subject qualification at all, but just possess the necessary skills, knowledge and experience. If you are teaching towards an accredited qualification, you will need to find out what the requirements for you to teach it might be. There is often a particular body responsible for your subject. In the UK, it’s the Federation for Industry Sector Skills and Standards and you can access their website at: http://fisss.org. They, along with the awarding organisation who accredit and certificate the qualification, will decide what is required by teachers to deliver and assess in each subject area.

      Programmes or courses are frequently known as vocational or technical (i.e. work or employment related), non-vocational (leisure, hobby or interest related) and academic (theory related). However, some topics can cover all three aspects.

       Example

      Kersti works for herself as a horticulturist. She designs gardens for customers and advises which plants are suitable for their environment. The owner of the local garden centre is often asked if there are any short courses regarding garden design. He approached Kersti and she offered to deliver a three-hour session at the garden centre to a group of interested customers. Her session will therefore be vocational (as it could relate to a job), non-vocational (as it could relate to a hobby) and academic (as some theory will be covered). The session will take place in the garden centre and will not be in a classroom. The learners will not receive a certificate but will receive a record of attendance.

      Programmes that lead to qualifications are known as accredited and an awarding organisation (AO) will issue a certificate to all successful learners. The AO produces a qualification specification and checks that the requirements of it are followed. This is by carrying out ongoing verification or quality measures. All AOs are regulated, in the United Kingdom the regulator is Ofqual in England; it’s Qualifications Wales in Wales; the CCEA in Northern Ireland; and the SQA in Scotland (weblinks to these are at the end of this chapter and further details can be found in Chapter 3). Any college or training organisation can apply to an AO to offer accredited qualifications or endorsed programmes of learning, and they are often called a centre or a provider. An accredited qualification can be offered by several AOs, and is nationally recognised. Endorsed programmes are specifically written by a centre in conjunction with an AO, to meet the needs of particular employers or learners. The AO will still issue a certificate to successful learners; however, it might not be accepted like a nationally recognised qualification would.

      Records of achievement or records of attendance could be issued by centres to learners who are on a short programme which is not certificated by an AO. It’s good for the learner to have something which shows what they have done, but it only proves achievement or attendance at something specific. For example, an update to the company’s policies and procedures, or attendance at a garden design course.

      The most important aspect of teaching is to ensure that learning is taking place. If you are currently teaching, your delivery methods might be based on experiences of how you were taught in the past. However, there are many different approaches you could use. This book will hopefully give you new ideas to use in a more engaging and practical way. Chapter 5 includes a table of different teaching and training approaches and activities. Teaching isn’t just about being in a classroom; it can take place in many different environments such as the workplace, a voluntary setting, indoors, outdoors or online.

       Extension activity

       Think back to when you were at school or college. What were your favourite and least favourite subjects and why? How did the teachers impart their skills and knowledge to help you learn? How

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