PROFF – Professionalisation of VET teachers for the future - Europa

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(c) Training policy for VET personnel should consider the needs of non-teaching staff. It isimportant adequate training is provided to middle managers, who are often unpreparedfor the jobs they are asked to perform.(d) It is important to improve the training of workplace instructors – many of whom have nobackground in teaching and no formal teaching qualifications. One strategy for achievingthis goal is to encourage teachers with the required teaching skills to take part in on-thejoblearning programmes where they can transfer their skills to industry-based instructors.(e) It is essential all stakeholders (including industry and the unions) take part in planningand designing teacher and trainer training. It is particularly important to involve theteachers and trainers who receive training. Where participants feel reform is imposedfrom above they are likely to oppose change, hindering implementation of the reforms.Where they have a sense of ‘ownership’ it is more likely reforms will achieve their goals.(f) Effective VET requires closer contacts with training institutions and industry, making iteasier for VET students to move from school to work. This can best be achieved byadopting a ‘dualistic’ approach, alternating theoretical training in the classroom with ‘onthe-joblearning’. Policy-makers should provide guidelines for implementing ‘dual’training.(g) Training for teachers should adopt a ‘dual approach’. Teachers themselves shouldparticipate in ‘on-the-job learning’. This enables them to keep up to date with newdevelopments in technology and working techniques, guaranteeing the relevance of thetraining they provide to their students while at the same time creating the human contactsthey need effectively to support their students.(h) Policy-makers should be aware that for teachers, the changes introduced by VET reformrepresent a major upheaval. It is thus extremely important that they should pay attentionto teachers’ professional wellbeing – where possible reducing workloads, improvingfinancial incentives and making efforts to provide them with a more satisfying workenvironment.(i) From the perspective of lifelong learning, in-service training should be both regular andcompulsory. Initial teacher training cannot sustain the professionalism of teachers whosecareers can span over 40 years.4.2.2. Recommendations for practitioners(a) Key for effective VET is that practitioners maintain close contact with companiesproviding jobs to future trainees. This requires close and continual contacts betweenmanagers and teachers in training institutions and their company counterparts. Suchcontacts can be promoted via ‘twinning arrangements’ between teachers and workplaceinstructors. Work placements are another important tool, providing teachers with aninvigorating and stimulating experience. Practical training periods in companies allowteachers to update their skills and knowledge in the subject areas they teach, whileencouraging them to experiment with new teaching methods and materials, giving them a38
ealistic and holistic impression of the professions, and bringing elements of realism intotheir teaching.(b) In-service training should provide teachers with knowledge and skills to cope with newroles and functions. To achieve this teachers need an adequate theoretical background(e.g. on the nature and goals of VET legislation, the changing needs of employers, newteaching methodologies, how to integrate ICT into teaching). It is none the less essentialthey also have extensive on-the-job training – allowing them to develop a realistic pictureof the needs of business, to keep up to date with recent developments in workingpractices and technology and to ‘network’ with company managers and instructors.(c) The role of modern VET teachers is not only to teach, but also to guide students in theireducational choices. They have to act as counsellors, perform administrative andmanagerial tasks, plan, conduct research and cooperate with colleagues and externalpartners (other institutions, enterprises, public authorities, parents, etc.). Often VETteachers are called upon to work in cross-disciplinary teams. It is essential, therefore, thattraining for VET personnel should provide them with the managerial, organisational andcommunication skills they need to perform effectively these tasks. One way of achievingthis is to encourage ‘bottom-across’ experience and knowledge sharing betweenpersonnel working in different departments in the same training institutions and withstaff from other institutions.(d) Training programmes function best when management adopts a participatory approachallowing teachers and trainers to cooperate in identifying training needs and designingtraining required to satisfy those needs. Where management adopts this approach, the‘curriculum’ is not set by training providers but is drawn up continuously with teachers.In this way, teachers take responsibility for change and acquire a feeling of ‘ownership’which contributes greatly to the effectiveness of the programme.(e) The professional development of VET teachers and trainers is too important to be left toindividual teachers’ motivation and personal incentives. It is not only the individualteacher who has to become more ‘professional’, but the entire organisation.Organisational change and competence development have to go hand in hand.(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 teachers are given the time andfinancial support they need.39
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 and 12: Executive summaryThis report descri
Page 13: The report ends by summarising the
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 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

PROFF – Professionalisation of VET teachers for the future - Europa

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