An overview

Fiona McMillan OBEVice-Chair, Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning

 

New Challenges, New Chances

exploring how the best colleges and providers work with employers; 

Aim

To raise the quality, and improve the outcomes and impact, of adult vocational teaching and learning in the further education and skills sector for learners and employers.

 

Ambitions…• A Commission for the future – developing a new generation of ‘home grown’ talent and highly skilled technicians to drive our future prosperity;

• An opportunity to turn the spotlight on an under- recognised part of the education landscape, but one that will be critical to all our futures;

• A once in a generation opportunity to raise the status of vocational teaching and learning, and to develop a robust vocational model.

exploring how the best colleges and providers work with employers; 

Approaches

The Commission will :

• be genuinely independent and sector-driven; • adopt an organic approach, evolving in response to discussions with commissioners and other stakeholders;• do things differently, innovatively and inclusively, using technology and reaching far and wide across the sector;• establish a non-Westminster based approach, focused on visiting and listening to learners, employers and practitioners, and observing and learning from effective practice in colleges and training providers • work from practice to theory…

Commissioners’ visit to Bridgwater

Practice to theory…

exploring how the best colleges and providers work with employers; 

People19 commissioners:

• Frank McLoughlin CBE, Chair, and Principal of City and Islington College

• Fiona McMillan OBE, Vice Chair, and former President of the Association of Colleges and former Principal, Bridgwater College

• Graham Schuhmacher MBE, Vice Chair, and Head of Development Services at Rolls-Royce

• Bill Alexander, Head of Training and Skills, National Skills Academy - Railway Engineering

• Richard Atkins, Principal, Exeter College• Professor Mariane Cavalli, Principal, Warwickshire College• Rob Hammond, Managing Director, Direct Training Solutions Ltd• Professor Matthew Harrison, Director of Education, The Royal

Academy of Engineering• Sue Hill, Head of Teaching and Learning, West Herts College

• Gary Hughes, Director of Curriculum and Developments (Adults), Hull College

• Colonel Carolyn Johnstone, Ministry of Defence• Roshni Joshi, Student, South Downs College and NUS

representative• Martina Milburn CBE, Chief Executive, The Prince’s Trust• Shauni O’Neill, National Apprentice of the Year 2011, Transport

for London• Jacqui Ramus, Practice Development Manager, St Monica Trust• Mike Smith, Curriculum Development Manager, Eagit Training• Alastair Taylor, Quality Advisor, Landex• Tom Wilson, Director, Unionlearn• Dereth Wood, Director of Operations, learndirect

People (2)

exploring how the best colleges and providers work with employers; 

Task

• To articulate the features of excellent vocational teaching and learning;

• To review a range of pedagogical approaches;

• Investigate the role of technology;• Explore how the best colleges and

providers work with employers.

• Feedback and assessment in learning and role of curricula and qualifications;

• the role of technology as a driver and enabler of vocational teaching and learning;

• leading adult vocational teaching and learning;• embedding English and maths in vocational teaching

and learning;• the re-emergence of technicians, with a focus on

STEM;• higher level vocational teaching and learning;• teacher training and continuing professional

development;• international comparisons.

Cross-cutting themes

From BAE Systems (June 2012):

• A ‘clear line of sight to a job’ is a significant factor in vocational teaching and learning, for both learners and teachers/trainers;

• Culture and context are key, with significant implications for leaders of learning;

• The Commission must reflect the diversity of vocational provision, the industries and occupations it serves, the different motivations of learners, and the differences between types of providers.

Early reflections (1)

From Bridgwater College (September 2012)

That strong colleges can:• Be responsive to employers’ needs;• Provide high quality vocational education and

training for full and part-time students of all ages and abilities across a wide range of programmes; and

• Attract high quality vocational teachers from industry.

That close partnership working between a college and local employers has a positive impact on the quality of vocational teaching and learning.

Early reflections(2)

• CAVTL offers an opportunity to establish a strong vocational system, understood in its own terms;

• That system should be characterised by learning programmes with a clear line of sight to work;

• Specialist teachers and trainers should be at the heart of the system, trusted to develop partnerships and curricula with employers; supported as dual professionals;

• Specialist facilities and equipment are critical – particularly given the ways in which technology is transforming work.

Some emerging messages

More to do…

• Further explore the importance of the teacher-learner relationship at the heart of quality vocational teaching and learning;

• Examine the nature of professional identity in different vocational sectors;

• Capture the voice of teachers and trainers;• Understand what contributes to learners’ ownership and

enjoyment of their learning;• Consider the development needs of trainers in industry;• Explore the contribution of workplace mentoring to

vocational teaching and learning;• Consider how to promote closer connections between

teaching and work, including encouraging more vocational practitioners into teaching roles.

• five commissioners’ meetings incorporating a programme of visits to enable commissioners to see and learn from good and outstanding teaching and learning in practice;

• a range of seminars with teachers, trainers and teacher educators; and learners, employers, professional associations and learning technologists;

• online and virtual discussions that model effective practice

in using technology to support learning; and

• a rigorous review and synthesis of the evidence base, including literature reviews; calls for evidence from practitioners in further education and skills, and industry; and commissioned research.

Work programme

Phase 1 – summer 2012: consult widely, gather evidence, listen to a wide range of perspectives, review research literature and good practice.

Phase 2 – autumn 2012: explore cross-cutting themes, synthesise evidence and emerging themes with a wide range of stakeholders.

Phase 3 – winter/early spring 2012-13: develop, test and refine a framework for excellent adult vocational education and training and prepare final report of the Commission’s findings, conclusions and recommendations.

Phases of work

Commission Secretariat at LSIS

E: cavtl@lsis.org.ukW: www.excellencegateway.org.uk/cavtl