New partnership to provide Further Ed Teacher Training across Bedfordshire

THE Further Education and Skills sector has received a boost following a partnership to provide teacher training between the University of Huddersfield and The Bedford College Group. 

The new collaboration is part of the University’s Education and Training Consortium which is an extensive and equal partnership of Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) providers delivering professional Higher Education qualifications of recognised excellence. 

Dr Lynn Senior from the University’s School of Education and Professional Development is the Consortium’s director.  Each year the Consortium, which includes more than 25 Further and Higher Education institutions across England, provides thousands of staff in the education and training sector with professional development and qualifications from the University, which has been a Higher Education Centre of Excellence in teacher training since 2007. 

Members of the Consortium are Higher Education Institutions and Further Education Centres approved by the University to deliver its qualifications and who are allocated funded numbers by the Consortium to do so.

Opening doors to further career progression 

Dr Senior believes Further Education is widely recognised as the key to economic recovery but qualified teachers with a real-world of work experience are needed. 

She explained how the new partnership will enable teaching qualifications leading up to, and including a Masters degree, to now be accessed via The Bedford College Group (TBCG) which is made up of unique facilities located across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, so that they can provide ‘high-quality learning experiences’ for every one of their 15,000 students. 

“We are looking forward to TBCG joining the Consortium family,” said Dr Senior. 

“This is a really exciting partnership for the University and will provide professional training and recognition for teachers and trainers within the Further Education and Skills sector and will open the doors to further career progression.” 

Alex Mortby, Director of Higher Education at TBCG, said: “This is a major step for us in encouraging people to think about passing their valuable knowledge and work experience skills on to the next generation. 

“People can start on the teacher training course, for which they do not need a degree. In some cases, they can even start work and study alongside through a range of courses eventually completing their full degree, and continuing post-graduate studies up to a Masters or Level 6. 

“This is a real breakthrough and an opportunity for people who have vital expertise and skills they want to share, which we want to harness and help them distribute as teachers or lecturers in the FE college sector,” he concluded.