Second round of £5 million Taking Teaching Further programme opens

Bids are being invited from colleges and post-16 providers to attract industry professionals to teach in further education

The second round of the Taking Teaching Further (TTF) programme has opened today (12 December) inviting bids from colleges and post-16 providers to attract industry professionals to teach in further education.

The scheme forms a key part of the Government’s wider investment in the further education sector as it prepares to introduce the first gold standard T Level qualifications from 2020 – high-quality technical courses equivalent to A levels. T Levels will provide young people with the cutting-edge skills and experience they need to secure a good job or progress into further training.

Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills Anne Milton, said:

“We are transforming technical education in this country with the introduction of new T Levels from 2020, so more young people have access to high quality qualifications which include high-quality training opportunities with a clear path to skilled jobs.

“The Taking Teaching Further programme will help attract talented and inspiring people with industry expertise to teach in the further education sector. These are the teachers who can inspire, energise and bring on the next generation of highly-skilled young people

“I’m delighted the second round has begun and I would urge colleges and post-16 providers to apply and take advantage of this.”

The first round of the £5 million scheme was launched in June to further boost the quality of the post-16 teaching workforce by bringing in more people with diverse experiences so students gain the skills and knowledge that employers demand. The 37 successful providers, who will support 80 industry professional to retrain to work as teachers in their institutions, were announced in October.

Good progress is being made to recruit and appoint these new teachers. This includes Buckinghamshire College Group, who have already recruited five teachers through the programme in priority areas such as Digital, Maths, and Childcare. More appointments are expected to be made by first round providers in the new year:

Paula Kavanagh, Senior Lead at Buckinghamshire College Group said:

“The trainee teachers taking part in this project are benefitting enormously from the support they’re receiving from experienced teachers within Buckinghamshire College Group. However, this is a two-way street and the College recognises and appreciates the value of recruiting industry professionals from these hard to recruit areas. 

“This has enabled a professional exchange between trainee and teacher which is reciprocal and benefits everyone, not least the students.”

The first application round is also funding 20 innovative projects to explore how industry and the further education sector can work together to make sure students gain the knowledge and skills businesses really need.

TTF has been designed with the Association of Colleges, and the Education and Training Foundation who are also delivering the programme on our behalf to create further links between the education sector and industry.

Steve Frampton, President of the AoC, said:

“We know all too well the impact that great teachers can have on students. College staff work to transform the lives of 2.2 million people daily, so it is great that so much work is being put into the further education sector to boost the teaching workforce. We are delighted that our discussions with DfE have yielded a programme of this quality.”

David Russell, Chief Executive of the ETF said:

“We are delighted to be opening the second round of Taking Teaching Further which will continue to develop and build the country’s future through attracting bright industry talent into the FE sector alongside increasing collaboration between the sector and industry.

“The first round has started to set the standard for recruiting world-class teachers and trainers into FE who combine teaching excellence with hands-on industry experience. The successful second round applicants now have the opportunity to follow in their path.

“I encourage all colleges and FE providers to consider taking part in this important programme that will make a real difference to their organisations, learners and local employers.”

Simon Bigrigg, Head of Teaching Academy, EKC Group, a successful applicant from strand 1, round 1 said:

“As a Group we are fully committed to recruiting and retaining teaching staff in hard to fill areas, and Strand 1 of Taking Teaching Further is providing an excellent opportunity to engage and support new teachers. To date we have recruited some very promising industry professionals into teaching roles, as we are able to offer the enhanced support package provided by the scheme.”

David Evans, CECAMM Managing Director, Isle of Wight College, a successful applicant from strand 2, round 1 said:

“CECAMM, part of the Isle of Wight College, is delighted to have been selected for Taking Teaching Further Strand 2. Recruiting and retaining lecturing staff in Engineering has become a national issue, one which we have experienced in our first year of operation. We feel the Taking Teaching Further Project will allow us to ensure our staff feel connected with industry and that industry feel that their requirements are embedded in the Engineering curriculum.”