Quality learning and achievement are top priorities for Guernsey College of Further Education as part of The Guernsey Institute. In striving for excellence the College has an incredible range of professional development courses and programmes including the City and Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training. This summer, five trainees at the College passed this acclaimed teaching qualification after two years of study and practice placements.
“Being in lockdown, though challenging and tough, has provided us with some great learning opportunities and we have developed some amazing resources using EdTech and other platforms we might not have previously explored,” said Curriculum Lead Vanessa Mee.
This group of graduates are all going into lecturing careers at the College in engineering, horticulture, photography, theatre and SEN.
“It’s been one of the most challenging yet rewarding things I have done,” said Russell Kellaway, Lecturer in Performing Arts. Desmond Gorman, Lecturer in Engineering added: “This course has helped me immensely to become a better and more professional practitioner of teaching. As well as covering classical and new teaching theory, legislation, professional standards and research methods, the course has allowed me to become a more reflective person, continuously looking to be better in work, and elsewhere. The delivery is broad and mentally invigorating as well as good fun and opens up many other avenues to explore in my journey ahead in teaching.”
The course, open to the general public, is a two-year part-time teacher training programme that focuses on lecturing and training in the further education sector. “We attract a range of students to our course; practising teachers who want to specialise and vocational professionals looking for a career change into lecturing,” said Vanessa. “We have a few places left on our next course starting in the autumn for those wishing to work in the post-compulsory education sector.”
