Institute for Learning
 Printable version
|
 E-mail this to a friend
|
IfL publishes policy statement on professional formation
· the ability to use effectively the skills and 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 for teachers joining 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.
IfL's deputy chief executive, Lee Davies, said, "It's important to note that relevant qualifications do not automatically lead to QTLS or ATLS status. This is conferred by IfL only after suitably qualified candidates have successfully completed professional formation, which is not available until 1 September 2008. The first conferrals will happen after early adopters have submitted their professional formation accounts for assessment."
The professional formation account should incorporate both mandatory and personalised evidence:
· Mandatory elements include completion of an approved qualification (or equivalent) at level 5 for QTLS or level 3 or 4 for ATLS; literacy and numeracy skills at or above level 2; supporting testimony; and a self-declaration of fitness to practise.
· Personalised elements include accounts of subject currency and of teaching and learning skills; self-evaluation of the candidate's learning needs and goals for the next 12 months; an individual learning plan; and evidence of reflective practice.
All teachers and trainers in the sector, including those who joined before 1 September 2007, are required to become members of IfL, abide by IfL's Code of Professional Practice and remain in good standing through continuing professional development (CPD).
"Licensed practitioner status is not mandatory for all FE and skills teachers, but will become the new benchmark in the sector," said Mr Davies, "and so we are encouraging all those teaching in the sector to achieve this as a demonstration of their professional skills and standards."
Further information about professional formation is available on IfL's website at www.ifl.ac.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
IfL's policy statement on professional formation:
http://www.ifl.ac.uk/services/docs/1248/ProfessionalFormationStatement.pdf
Frequently asked questions about professional formation:
http://www.ifl.ac.uk/services/p_wwv_page?id=523&session_id=
The word 'teachers' is used to refer to all teaching staff in the FE and skills sector: teachers, trainers, tutors and trainee teachers.
About IfL
The Institute for Learning (IfL) was formed in 2002 and is the professional body for teachers, tutors, trainers and student teachers in the learning and skills sector, including adult and community learning, emergency and public services, further education colleges, Ministry of Defence and the armed services, the voluntary sector and work-based learning.
Much of IfL’s work is guided by two sets of regulations that came into force on 1 September 2007:
· Revised teaching qualifications, including the introduction of licensed practitioner status and differentiation between full and associate teachers
· Remaining in good standing as a teaching professional, including mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) for all teachers.
Under the regulations, all FE college teachers are required to register as members of IfL, undertake CPD each year and abide by the IfL code of professional practice. The regulations are supported by contractual requirements for LSC-funded provision, which will ensure that the scope of the regulations covers all teachers in the sector.
The government has agreed to meet the full cost of standard registration with IfL for teachers in LSC-funded institutions who register online. IfL also welcomes teachers and trainers who do not work on LSC-funded programmes; they are required to pay their own annual subscription, for which they receive a comprehensive range of professional benefits.
Teachers new to the sector from September 2007 are additionally required to become licensed practitioners. Although not mandatory for them, existing teachers are also encouraged to become licensed practitioners, as this will become the benchmark for the sector.
As a key partner in delivering workforce reform, IfL is responsible for managing this registration process and for conferring licensed practitioner status.
An independent body, IfL is governed by an elected council and works closely with several sector organisations, unions and employer bodies.
CONTACT
Press office:
Lindsay Baugh 07736 246 697 or 01707 392 552
Email lindsay.baugh@howardsgate.co.uk
Membership and other enquiries:
The Institute for Learning
Bracton House
34-36 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6AE
Telephone: 0870 757 7894
Website: www.ifl.ac.uk
Email: enquiries@ifl.ac.uk
