Does your awarding body suddenly want more from your teaching staff?
Posted on 10th November 2022 at 15:51
By Amanda Harriott, Director of The Education Management Group (The EMG)
It is no secret that the pandemic brought many changes to education and, as a training provider, you may be one of many whose awarding body is now demanding more of you! As well as increased stringency in terms of quality assurance, lots of awarding bodies are now asking for teachers to attain their Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training where previously the Level 3 Award in Education and Training was sufficient.
I speak to Directors of training companies - on an almost daily basis - who are worried about the changes and are wondering how they are going to get their already busy staff through another training qualification without losing them for too long from their business.
If you're in this position, read on: I've got some information you should find useful!
It's going to cost me, isn't it....?
First and foremost - yes - there is a cost to your business as well as the time and energy it takes for your staff to come away from your business to complete the qualification.
On the flip side, this can offer you huge benefits to your business, which I will come on to later.
If your awarding body has told you that your tutors need to have level 4, this is unlikely to be debatable and there really isn’t much you can do to prevent this! Unless you look to change your awarding body, which might not be as easy or convenient as we would like and there is a risk that eventually the same thing will happen down the line with a new awarding body.
Plus, signing up with a new awarding body will bring even more costs, so all in all, it is likely to be more cost effective to stay where you are and upskill your staff!
My staff already have level 3, so can they do a short cut to level 4?
This is one of the most common questions I am asked by concerned training providers at the moment.
The short answer is no.
The Certificate in Education and Training is a level above the Award, so not only is there more work, it is also far more detailed! This means that teachers need to demonstrate their own teaching practices and standards using real situations and learners. Reflection is a major element of the course and everyone is required to do as much wider reading as possible in order to reference in the assessments.
While level 3 is fantastic for teachers who are just getting started or need something quickly to demonstrate competence, level 4 is more about developing as a teacher and improving every aspect of delivery.
I've seen a much cheaper option with an online provider...
I have carried out a lot of market research over the last 12 months and have spoken to countless learners who have either completed the level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET) or are working towards it with other providers.
Generally, their experiences of completing CET have been, overall, disappointing and stressful due to some training providers "delivering" the course just using the course specifications provided by the awarding body and not providing any resources at all.
As a result, learners have said that they're unmotivated by the lack of a course programme or support to guide them to provide evidence using a variety of learning styles.
So many learners told me that they didn't even complete the course or have now been completely put off learning at level 4 as it is feels too hard and inflexible.
Here at The EMG, we are committed to making sure that all our courses are designed to be relatable and clear so that the learner can always understand what is being asked of them.. which let’s face it, is half the battle, especially if you are not a typical read/write learner, which so many teachers aren't! After all, teaching is often very practical.
You'll find our workbooks suit all sorts of needs and learning styles: in fact, this is why so many training providers are now asking us to write their resources for them!
As adult learners ourselves, we know the benefit of having everything in one place without having to lug a massive folder around. Who wants hundreds of bits of paper flying around?!
Having to log in to an online system and read black writing on white pages can also be a massive pain - and when would you ever log back in to look at those resources again? Yes, these sorts of courses are cheaper, but is it really cost effective if your staff can't access the courses or don't finish at all?
This is a teaching qualification and how your staff learn ultimately translates back to your own students.
We want all of our learners to enjoy completing their qualifications and to learn how to be more proactive and productive within their teaching. And become more confident when facilitating essons using different techniques they have learnt on the course.
What other benefits are there to completing a level 4 teaching qualification?
Your staff can train other staff:
This may mean you spend less moving forward on mandatory training: your own staff could design and deliver this. You could even then invite other businesses in to train with you.
If you need more information on how this might work, please see our information on centre set-up.
Your staff can create their own resources:
Level 4 units support teachers to create their own resources, which will help support with continual improvement of your service as well as your internal quality assurance practices.
Your tutors will have a greater understanding of teaching standards:
All information in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training are completely up to date for 2022, including all knowledge needed to understand the 2022 Professional Standards for Teachers and Minimum Core.
Here are some more reasons why the Level 4 Certificate in Education could be your staff's next course.
How can my staff complete the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training?
CET can be completed as a distance learning qualification or as classroom learning.
To book, or if you have any further questions, please contact me directly either by clicking here or calling me on 07865 611202.
Tagged as: Adult learning; Tips for adult learning, CET; CTLLS; level 4; career development, Cheap online courses; accredited courses, Choosing a course, How to choose a course
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