Access keys Skip navigation
What matters to you?
Developing and sustaining a motivated and flexible workforce
The challenges of teaching and training in the further education system
In addition to the everyday challenges of teaching and training, there have been several recent changes in government policy and many new initiatives designed to improve standards, performance and productivity — all of which will affect your staff. In order to succeed, your organisation will need to be able to implement the changes promptly and efficiently. Today’s professional education workforce needs to know and understand the rationale behind any policy changes that are relevant to them. They also have to be able to adapt to change and to support their colleagues as they, too, adapt. Communicating effectively to your staff all the relevant policy changes and new initiatives — making certain that they understand their role in bringing these initiatives to life — is key to their successful implementation and the overall success of your organisation.
If we are to rise to the challenges set out in reports such as the Leitch Review, Prosperity for all in the Global Economy: World Class Skills and to realise the ambition of doubling attainment at most levels by 2020, we shall need to place a significant focus on developing the workforce. Without a far-reaching reform agenda that applies to all schools, colleges, adult learning providers and the UK’s workforce to raise the UK’s skills base, Leitch argues that UK businesses will find it difficult to compete in the global economy.
Some of the major changes that will affect the workforce include how we support and measure quality improvement, the way in which we encourage providers to work together to provide more seamless and efficient services that support the diverse needs of learners, new curriculum developments, and changes to workforce reform, professional development and initial teacher training.
How does NTLCP support the development of a motivated and flexible workforce?
The Professional Training Programme takes a unique approach to workforce development, combining sound pedagogical knowledge with coaching and facilitation skills that really draw out the capabilities of learners and practitioners. Just as we promote active learning for our learners, the Professional Training Programme promotes an action learning and experiential approach, immersing practitioners in action research and encouraging reflective practice.
The fact that Subject Learning Coaches are supported by lively communities of practice at a number of levels ensures that the momentum is sustained, continues to develop beyond the initial training events and is embedded in everyday practice. On the programme, staff are supported in subject coaching networks and also by using a dedicated e-learning portal. Combining traditional and electronic delivery methods means that Subject Learning Coaches go on to develop communities of practice nationally, regionally, locally and within their organisations. The activities of these communities of practice extend far beyond the valuable sharing of resources, tools and techniques: they also provide mechanisms for mutual development through shared reflection and exploration. The focus is very much on the continuation of professional development, reinforced through the programme requirement to maintain an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and a Professional Development Portfolio.
Subject Learning Coaches have helped us drive changes and improve quality. The investment has been well worth it because staff involved become more confident and more skilled, and so perform better. Subject Learning Coaches bring their new skills back into the college. Their personal development adds to the overall development of the college.
Wally Brown CBE, Principal,
Liverpool Community College
The entire Professional Training Programme for Subject Learning Coaches is being embraced by the college and has become a valuable resource in giving staff enthusiasm in their teaching and allowing learning to be enjoyable for learners. It has brought innovation and creativity into the classroom and lifted standards.
Margaret Woodcock, Professional Development
Manager, City College Manchester
The subject coaching networks provide regular opportunities for your staff to examine new initiatives, while the Professional Training Programme offers exposure to a broader spectrum of providers — thus fostering a wider understanding of the issues facing the different sub-sections of the further education system.
As lead provider for E2E in the Wakefield District, Wakefield College has used the coaching programme to promote the use of the teaching and learning resources and support delivery staff through the sharing of good practice at Partnership Practitioner Focus Groups
What Subject Learning Coaches have said…
The impact on staff motivation, morale and enterprise is evident from what some Subject Learning Coaches have reported as they completed their Professional Training Programme.
There’s been a renewed focus on the improvement of teaching and learning practice in my organisation, which has sprung from the National Teaching and Learning Change Programme.
Subject Learning Coach
For me the Professional Training Programme for Subject Learning Coaches of self-discerning and development has not finished, and while I am still operating in further education it never will. For me this is just the start!
Subject Learning Coach
I have valued action learning sets — being listened to and supported. Reflecting on my own practice, delivery and teaching techniques has motivated and energised me.
Subject Learning Coach
What Subject Learning Coaches are doing
At Tameside College, former Assistant Principal Gabrielle Lagan had a clear vision for how the National Teaching and Learning Change Programme could support her wider ambitions for improving teaching, training and learning. She adopted a structured approach, forming a team comprising the six Subject Learning Coaches, the Teaching and Learning Manager and a co-ordinator. The team also worked closely with the Staff Development Manager, the initial teacher training staff and the E-learning Group. In doing so, Gabrielle was able to maximise the impact. She has used the initiative to draw together common goals and address several key issues at once. Doing this has shown not only how it is possible to ‘work smarter’ but also that new initiatives shouldn’t be seen in isolation — if you view them holistically it’s possible to address multiple targets in one go.
The initiative has been so successful at Tameside because there are very strong links between the work of the Subject Learning Coaches team, ITT staff and the staff development team: the Staff Development Manager is a Subject Learning Coach for Science and Maths, the Teaching and Learning Manager delivers initial teacher training programmes, coordinates the work of the Subject Learning Coaches and the E-learning Group, and oversees the work of the Performance Unit and the peer observation and graded lesson observation process. In addition, there’s a strong link to e-learning and ILT strategy.
Gabrielle Lagan
Richard Spencer is Subject Learning Coach and Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator at Bede College, Billingham. He quickly realised the potential benefits of involvement in the programme.
The training prompted me to reflect on my role as College Teaching and Learning Coordinator. As a result, I re-evaluated my approach to the role and redefined it. The training has helped me to maximise my supportive capacity within the College.
Richard Spencer
He also readily acknowledges the benefits it has brought to his own personal practice and how the approaches and techniques he learned on the programme have helped him not only to address the issues he faces as a subject teacher, but also to develop strategies for sharing the benefits more widely.
The programme has been instrumental in building my skills as a manager and directly supporting teaching staff across the whole of Bede College.
Richard Spencer
Read the full case study
How can I use NTLCP to develop and sustain a motivated and flexible workforce?
There are some simple things you can do to benefit from the programme. Here are just a few ideas to get you started…
- Look for opportunities for your Subject Learning Coaches to share with colleagues throughout the organisation some of the knowledge, resources, tools, strategies and techniques they’ve gained from their involvement in NTLCP.
- Encourage each Subject Learning Coach to use the subject coaching networks as a means of accessing up-to-date information on new initiatives in an environment where they are supported in exploring what this might mean to them, their practice, the organisation and the wider sector.
- Why not magnify the impact by bringing together people with common/similar goals to form communities of practice that provide an effective and sustainable support mechanism within your organisation?
- Align your CPD strategies to organisational development plans, so that the CPD will support the future needs of the organisation.
- Draw on the new workforce-reform requirement for practitioners to demonstrate continuing professional development and build this into your appraisal and personal development reviews.
- Use tools and strategies promoted in the Professional Training Programme to foster an ongoing, active and enquiring approach to personal development.
- Offer supportive, non-graded teaching practice observations and opportunities for staff to observe others as part of their professional development. Making the observer the beneficiary rather than the judge and divorcing these sessions from the more formal teaching practice observations will contribute greatly to a more open and collaborative culture: it removes the perceived threat and encourages and promotes reflective peer support.
Back to What matters to you?
Back to top