Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides
IfL: The Institute for Learning (IfL) has published its policy statement on professional formation for teachers, trainers and tutors in the further education & skills sector. Professional formation is the post-qualification process by which a teacher demonstrates, through professional practice:
* the ability to use effectively the skills & knowledge acquired whilst training to be a teacher
* the capacity to meet the occupational standards required
Successful professional formation leads to the conferral of Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) or Associate Teacher Learning and Skills (ATLS) status. Applications for licensed practitioner status, through QTLS or ATLS, may be made from 1 September 2008, and will be mandatory (when they can sign up on that date) for teachers who joined the sector from 1 September 2007.
Other than the regulatory requirement to achieve QTLS or ATLS status within five years of employment in the sector, professional formation is not time-limited, and the time taken to achieve licensed status will be determined by the circumstances of individual teachers.
MO: Produced by the Met Office in association with the CAA, the latest edition of the pilot weather guide 'GETMET' is now available. Full with essential information on where to get your weather details to enjoy safe low-level flying, both in the UK and the near continent, 'GETMET' is free of charge.
The latest 2009 edition includes information for the Met Office on-line weather briefings, fax & telephone services, weather reports and en route information to help with flight planning. 'GETMET' also includes important information on the forthcoming TAF changes due in November.
LLUK: Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) is responsible for the most significant collection of workforce data in the FE college sector in England. Known as the Staff Individualised Record (SIR) data collection, it provides a comprehensive overview of the profile of all staff working in FE colleges since 2001/02 and contains individualised data on demographics characteristics, qualifications, location, pay and other factors.
LLUK, in collaboration with data partner, Texuna Technologies, has now developed & launched a new, user friendly and interactive online system for collecting this year's SIR data (2007/2008). The system is now open for colleges to submit their data returns and will remain open until 01 November 2008.
