A new £9.5 million fund has been launched by the Department for Education to boost high-quality professional development in the further education sector.
The FE Professional Development Grants programme will be run as a pilot that the government says will strengthen the professional development on offer to the FE workforce and boost teaching practices.
The pilot comes after the government committed in the Skills for Jobs White Paper to “improve the provision of high-quality professional development and support progression for teachers”.
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Apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan said: “We are transforming further and technical education so everyone has the opportunity to gain the skills they need to succeed, but that can only be achieved if we have outstanding teachers with the knowledge and skills to inspire future talent.
“I’ve seen first-hand the brilliant work that is already going on up and down the country, with the FE workforce going above and beyond during the pandemic to support their learners.
“This investment will help build on that by making sure the sector can develop and grow and unlock even more potential”
Sharing existing skills and practice
The funding will also provide increased opportunities for providers to collaborate and share the skills and practice that already exist within the sector in three priority areas:
- Training and supporting staff to strengthen skills and their confidence to use technology effectively to deliver education.
- Subject-specific professional development to improve the quality of curriculum design and teaching, learning and assessment.
- Tailored support for new or inexperienced teachers in the sector to help career progression and keep talent in the profession.
Further education providers have four weeks to submit bids for funding - and can do so in collaboration with others.
Kirsti Lord, deputy chief executive at the Association of Colleges, said: “The £9.5 million investment into CPD for further education is very welcome. The core focuses around technology, subject-specific development and the retention of new teachers are timely, as teaching practice evolves through the pandemic and online delivery of CPD can be leveraged in a way which would not have been considered even just two years ago.
“Colleges are well used to working together on quality improvement and CPD; this fund will enable those collaborating to provide high-quality CPD in a variety of areas and specialisms which it would be challenging to deliver individually.”
Jane Hickie, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: ‘“The pandemic has accelerated changes in the world of work and the way that further education providers respond to them. This pilot programme demonstrates the government’s commitment in the White Paper to support the advancement of high-quality professional development in the sector, and I am confident that a collaborative approach for bids will bring forward some really innovative ideas that will have a positive impact.”