Applications to become an FE teacher through Taking Teaching Further extended to 31st January

Applications to become a new teacher as part of the £5million government-funded Taking Teaching Further programme have been extended from the end of this month (October) to 31st January 2020. The initiative aims to help recruit over 150 industry experts into teaching roles in Further Education (FE) colleges and providers across England.

Taking Teaching Further was launched by the Department for Education (DfE) in June 2018 with two rounds of funding announced. The first round successfully funded 37 colleges and further education providers across two strands. In May 2019, the Department for Education announced 54 colleges and further education providers that are being funded in Round 2.

Delivered by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) on behalf of the Department for Education, Strand 1 of the programme is funding the chosen providers to recruit industry experts to teach in four key areas:

• Childcare and Education
• Digital
• Construction
• Engineering and Manufacturing

Other Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subject areas will also be considered where clear evidence exists for why they are hard-to-fill vacancies.

New teachers through the programme will be fully funded to undertake a Level 5 Diploma in Education & Training (DET) over two years. This will be classroom-based with practical support given to the new teachers that could include team teaching and work shadowing arrangements.

The recruitment forms part of the Government’s wider commitment to support the FE sector as it prepares to introduce the new T Level qualifications from 2020. T Levels are new two-year technical programmes for young people aged 16 to 19, available at selected colleges and providers. Their primary purpose is to prepare students for entry into skilled employment or higher-level technical study.

Taking Teaching Further is initially running as a two-year pilot. The programme’s Strand 2 is also supporting the ongoing exchange between FE providers and industry in order to allow teachers and providers to gain industry knowledge and skills that will enhance student learning.

Chief Executive of the Education and Training Foundation, David Russell, said in the Round 2 providers announcement in May:

“There is a vital need to bring the very best industry talent into the sector, so they can pass on their expertise and experience to both learners and fellow teachers and trainers. This is alongside the urgency to deepen the links between employers and further education. This programme is proving popular because it brings both needs together and we are confident it will make a real long-term difference.”

Applications for roles close on 31st January 2020.

For information on Taking Teaching Further and the FE providers taking part in the programme can be found on the programme page on ETF’s website.

You can read about four new teacher’s experience of swapping industry for FE teaching through the Taking Teaching Further programme on the ETF blog