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Essential Skills. Angela Whiteside Quality Improvement Adviser Department for Employment and Learning Belfast. Quality Improvement. Background. 1996 – IALS study
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Essential Skills Angela WhitesideQuality Improvement AdviserDepartment for Employment and LearningBelfast
Quality Improvement Background • 1996 – IALS study • 24% of adults in Northern Ireland performed at the lowest level; this corresponds to around one quarter of a million Northern Ireland adults at level 1; • Older age groups worse than 16-25 year olds; • 36% of unemployed in level 1 category; • 44% of the economically inactive at level 1; • 19% of people in employment were at level 1
Quality Improvement Essential Skills For Living Strategy 2003
Essential Skills for Living Strategy - • Introduced a regional curriculum • Nationally recognised qualifications at 5 levels • Standardised tutor qualifications - initial tutor training • Continuing professional development opportunities
Northern Ireland Skills Strategy • Identified priority sectors to grow the economy (engineering, financial services, ICT) • Identified the need for Essential Skills development across • Excluded from the workplace • Entering the workplace • Existing employees in the workplace
Essential Skills Delivery includes - • Further Education Programmes • Learner Access and Engagement • Training for Success (vocational training) • Apprenticeships • Employment Programmes (adults) – Steps to Work • Community Family Support Programmes • Workplace (working with Trade Unions) • Extended Schools Programme (parents) • Prisons
Quality Improvement Certificate and DiplomaNQF Level 5 • Certificate in the Teaching and Management of Literacy • Certificate in the Teaching and Management of Adult Numeracy
Entry Requirements for Certificates Aim: to ensure subject specialism developed Part-time delivery • Passes in 5 GCSE subjects • two of which must be at A-level • English/mathematics at GCSE • ?????????? • ??????????
Quality Improvement Entry Requirements for Diplomas • As above plus the Certificate in the Teaching and Management of Adult Numeracy or the Certificate in the Teaching and Management of Numeracy
Content (literacy) Certificate: • Language, Literacy and Adult Learning • Policy and Practice in Adult Basic Education • Work-Based Project in Professional Practice for Literacy Tutors • 40 hours of teaching Diploma: • Literacy in the 21st Century • Management and Pedagogy of Literacy and Essential Skills • Work-based Project in Literacy • 80 hours of teaching
Quality Improvement Since Strategy introduced • Over 1000 tutors trained • Policy not aligned with requirements for other vocational tutors in further education colleges • PIACC 2013
Policy not aligned with requirements for other vocational tutors • Since 207 – ongoing developments in professionalisation of vocational lecturers/tutors • Aim – secure parity of esteem with teachers • All vocational lecturers must have degree + 2 year PGCE • GTCNI recognition • Lower requirements for Essential Skillls tutors
New Requirements 2011+ • New entrants to profession must have a degree in relevant subject (50%) and complete - • Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching • Protected the recognition of existing Essential Skills teachers
Introduced CPD • Voluntary – BUT • Where poor quality identified – we expect to see enrolments on CPD
CPD for existing tutors: • Advanced Teaching Skills for Essential Skills • Teaching Skills for the Essential Skills Classroom • Initial and Diagnostic Assessment for Student Pathway Planning in Further Education and Training • Managing the Student Learning Plan for Essential Skills students • Teaching and Learning Programme Design • Curriculum Specialist Training (literacy, numeracy and ICT) • Active Learning Strategies for Essential Skills • Technology Enhanced Learning • Assessment for Learning, Portfolio Building and Progress Files • Quality Monitoring and Self Evaluation Reviews – Reflective Practitioner
Quality Improvement Way Forward / Still to do - • Compulsory PGCE(ES) new entrants • CPD for underperformance • Curriculum and Assessment needs Review