Nearly 400 lecturers register with GTC Scotland as part of college programme

Nearly 400 lecturers have now joined the GTC Scotland register from three pilot colleges – Dundee and Angus, Forth Valley and Glasgow Kelvin – with nearly 4,000 lecturers due to start the registration process in August.

The registration programme is being undertaken by the College Lecturer Registration Working Group (CLRWG) which was tasked with establishing requirements and pathways for mandatory registration of college lecturers in Scotland. The stakeholders in the group – Colleges Scotland, EIS-FELA, GTC Scotland, the Scottish Government and universities offering the TQFE – are committed to ensuring that lecturers in Scotland’s colleges will be registered with GTC Scotland.

The pilot registration project began registering lecturers from the three colleges in November 2020.

Dr Pauline Stephen, Chief Executive and Registrar of GTC Scotland and Chair of the CLRWG, said:

“Collaboration in the college sector has been key to the success of the pilot registration project and will continue to be vital in enhancing college lecturer professionalism in Scotland.

“I would like to take the opportunity to thank the pilot colleges and lecturers. Their feedback has been indispensable to helping ensure our systems and processes are optimised for the roll out of registration across the college sector.”

Larry Flanagan, General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), said:

“The EIS welcomes the registration of almost 400 college lecturers in the three pilot colleges as a major step in advancing GTC Scotland registration for all lecturers in Scotland’s colleges and in delivering a long-standing EIS-FELA goal.

“Over the last year, college lecturers have risen to the challenges the sector has faced, seeking to support students in this most difficult period. They deserve the professional recognition which registration brings and the acknowledgement that teaching in a college requires a body of knowledge and the development of skills and experience to deliver vocational and academic qualifications to a diverse range of learners. We now look forward to advancing the roll-out of GTC Scotland registration for all those teaching in the college sector.”

Shona Struthers, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland, said:

“Colleges in Scotland are committed to supporting lecturers in the sector. This pilot project is an important milestone towards ensuring that all lecturing staff in colleges are professionally registered which will ultimately enhance the quality of provision available to students across the country. We are pleased to see the good progress that has been made with the three pilot colleges to date and look forward to professional registration being rolled out nationally.”

Simon Hewitt, Principal at Dundee and Angus College, said:

“D&A has benefitted from being a registration pilot college, giving our lecturers a strong voice in this professional process and helping to shape engagement with the sector. We have been continually impressed with the stakeholder collaboration in making this important project a success and look forward to reaching the national rollout milestone this August.”

Kenny MacInnes, Vice Principal for Learning and Student Experience at Forth Valley College, said:

“It is great to see so many lecturers registering through this sector-wide pilot and we have been delighted to support the successful roll-out of the project across the country.  Registration will further enhance the profile of lecturers within the College sector and give formal recognition to their expertise and high professional standards.”

Robin Ashton, Vice Principal – Curriculum & Quality Enhancement at Glasgow Kelvin College, said;

“GTC Scotland registration will bring a range of positive benefits to colleges, enhancing the professional recognition of our lecturing staff and expanding opportunities for professional development and sharing of practice.”