IfL welcomes move to maintain teaching qualifications
Skills Minister John Hayes has announced that the requirement of teaching qualifications in FE, which have been stringently regulated since 2007, will be retained for the near future.
The Institute for Learning (IfL) has embraced this decision, which was reported in the Minister’s foreword of a prospectus released by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), which acts as advisory documentation for FE teaching.
More than 5,300 IfL members responded to its consultation on the matter earlier this year, with 87 per cent of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that teaching qualifications should be mandatory on a national basis. Around 80 per cent thought that removing the national requirement for teaching qualifications would deprofessionalise the sector.
“Raising the profile of high-quality vocational teaching and learning is crucial to the development of the skills this country needs, and the qualitative evidence collected as part of our consultation demonstrates the unequivocal benefits and value attached to initial teacher training in supporting the development of excellent teaching,” said
Jean Kelly, director of professional development at IfL.
“IfL is keen to engage with sector partners seeking to establish an FE guild, and will explore with them the role it can play for the benefit of teachers and trainers, and their learners.”
Natasha Spencer
Responses