PROFF – Professionalisation of VET teachers for the future - Europa

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The studies show some of the strategies programmes have used to provide these skills to VETteachers and trainers. Several different programmes display the same basic trends. In manycountries in Europe, continuing VET teacher training programmes have adopted a ‘dualistic’approach, in which theoretical work alternates with practical work in their own school.Another trend is that teachers work in companies for two to three months in so-called on-thejoblearning schemes to update their vocational competences. Participants agree that suchprogrammes provide an invigorating experience, stimulating their motivation and addingrealism to their training. By participating in on-the-job learning teachers create ties withinstructors and managers in the companies where they are placed. These ties may later helpthem provide support for their students. At the same time, close contact with professionalVET teachers may be useful for workplace instructors, who often have received no teachertraining.On accreditation, PROFF detected a degree of convergence between practices in differentcountries – all of which treat accreditation as important. Some programmes considered byPROFF provide a full course of study leading to a university degree or other forms of teachercertification. Most other programmes, while shorter, provide credits which participants canuse in subsequent further education. Sometimes, course certificates enable participants to winpromotion and/or pay increases.One area where the project did not detect convergence was in funding models. There are greatdifferences between approaches in different countries. In some, the main source of funding isthe European Social Fund, meaning uncertainty in future given the inevitable trend to divertthese funds towards the new Member States. In others, funding is provided by local, regionalor central government or directly from training institutes’ own budgets. In several countriestrainees pay for a part or even all their training. In others it is provided free. A review of thecase studies suggests that often teacher access to training is constrained by lack of adequatefinancial support.Another critical issue addressed by the project is teachers’ professional wellbeing, an unjustlyneglected important topic, in a period when national VET systems are struggling to recruitnew VET teachers and keep their existing staff. The case studies identify several importantissues for teacher welfare and provide concrete examples of strategies designed to improveteachers’ satisfaction with their work. The study identified a key need for a ‘collegialapproach’ which can contribute significantly to reducing teachers’ workloads.The study looks at the impact of the programmes examined in the case studies. Although acomplete evaluation is not yet possible, school managements believe they have had a positiveimpact on teacher skills and motivation. This assessment is shared by most programmeparticipants, who none the less make several suggestions for improvement. Important is thedemand for stronger management commitment, ensuring that teachers have enough time totake part in in-service training programmes, even when these conflict with the short-termpriorities of the training institutes where they work.6
The report ends by summarising the main findings and drawing up a series ofrecommendations for policy-makers and practitioners. The recommendations for policymakersare:(a) VET reform should make adequate provision for training VET personnel;(b) training should be differentiated to meet the differing needs of different categories ofVET personnel as well as local needs;(c) better training should be provided to middle management and other non-teaching staff;(d) it is essential to improve training for workplace instructors;(e) changes to training programmes, particularly when encouraged by a reform, shouldinvolve all stakeholders and allow participants to develop a sense of ownership andcommitment to the reform;(f) effective VET requires closer contacts between training institutions and industry. Thiscan be achieved best by adopting an approach where theoretical training alternates withon-the-job learning in enterprises;(g) training for teachers should adopt a dual approach. It is essential that teachers themselvesparticipate in on-the-job learning;(h) policy-makers should pay greater attention to teachers’ professional wellbeing – reducingworkloads, improving financial incentives and making efforts to provide them with amore satisfying work environment;(i) in-service training should be regular and compulsory.The main recommendations for practitioners are:(a) training managers and teachers should encourage close contacts between schools andlocal companies;(b) teaching should integrate theory and practice. This requires both classroom teaching andon-the-job learning;(c) training should provide teachers with managerial, organisational, counselling andcommunication skills;(d) training programmes work best when teachers and trainers take part in identifying theirown training needs and designing the training;(e) professional development of VET teachers and trainers is too important to be left in thehands of the individual teacher. Competence development must go hand in hand withorganisational change;(f) change in teachers’ working cultures requires commitment and time. Teacher andtraining programmes will only be effective if managers show their commitment throughtheir own active participation and by ensuring that teacher training is allocated adequatetime and financial support.7
Page 3 and 4: PROFF - Professionalisation of VETt
Page 5: The European Centre for the Develop
Page 9 and 10: Table of contentsForeword .........
Page 11: Executive summaryThis report descri
Page 16 and 17: Pedagogical and vocational skills;
Page 18 and 19: The responses to these challenges w
Page 20 and 21: not have the skills the labour mark
Page 22 and 23: • transferability: the potential
Page 24 and 25: Portugal, a government initiative t
Page 26 and 27: ‘continuing education of teachers
Page 28 and 29: of teaching staff at ROCs, and a ne
Page 30 and 31: new set of competences. The new app
Page 32 and 33: education and to foster creative, e
Page 34 and 35: Just as programmes differ in scope
Page 36 and 37: of continuous learning. Individuals
Page 38 and 39: 3.8.2. Material outcomesOn material
Page 40 and 41: 4. Conclusions and recommendations4
Page 42 and 43: adequate training not only for teac
Page 44 and 45: (c) Training policy for VET personn
Page 47: List of terms and abbreviationsESFE
Page 50 and 51: Theme Target group, scope Outcome A
Page 52 and 53: Theme Target group, scope Outcome A
Page 54 and 55: as their ability to cooperate in te
Page 56 and 57: 4. Telkkä, development of educatio
Page 58 and 59: • familiarise teachers with pract
Page 60 and 61: with different skills and organisat
Page 62 and 63:
10. Continuing education of teacher
Page 65 and 66:
BibliographyAmmatilinen opettaja ty
Page 67 and 68:
Cedefop (European Centre for the De
show all

PROFF – Professionalisation of VET teachers for the future - Europa

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?