NCFE and WorldSkills UK announce partnership on new Centre of Excellence project

27 Feb 2020 01:46 PM

WorldSkills UK has announced plans for a pioneering new project in partnership with NCFE to create a Centre of Excellence for the development of world-class educators.

The three-year long pilot project, which is due to launch in September, will see the two organisations working closely together to develop an innovative new training programme designed to upskill teachers and training providers working in technical and vocational education.

What is WorldSkills UK?

WorldSkills UK is a partnership organisation which combines the worlds of business, education and government to accelerate the development of young people’s skills from national to world-class standards. Through a range of ‘Olympics-style’ national and international skills competitions, learners from all over the world are able to compete in events, tailored to their specific field of expertise.

Why a ‘Centre of Excellence?’

Year after year, WorldSkills UK’s highly experienced training managers produce competition-winning students and apprentices. Through the Centre of Excellence, we are aiming to harness the experience and expertise of the training managers to create an innovative training programme which will seek to finesse the art of technical teaching and make this available to educators operating across the sector.

What will the training programme involve?

The programme will cover three strands:

1. Train the trainer modules
2. Real-time harnessing of international industry best practice through current preparation for WorldSkills Shanghai 2021
3. Influencing setters of training standards

Who will benefit from the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence?

In its pilot phase, it’s anticipated that the project will directly impact more than 40,000 young people, nearly 1,000 educators and more than 120 educational institutions, with a view that this will be the foundation to roll-out to hundreds more in the years to come.

David Gallagher, Chief Executive at NCFE, commented:

“The development of skills is a crucial aspect of enabling young people to reach their full potential. High quality learning experiences builds confidence, self-esteem and enables people to be the best they can be. Central to great learning experiences are great educators, and for the UK to be competitive on a global scale, we know that we need more truly world-class educators in our technical education and skills system.

“As two organisations with a common purpose for the promotion and advancement of learning and a shared vision for a world-class skills system, we are delighted to be working together with WorldSkills UK to invest in the development of world class technical educators. The combination of our 170 years of expertise in learning, with the hands-on knowledge of WorldSkills UK’s Training Managers, is a perfect fit which will benefit the sector and learners for years to come.”

Read the press release in full to find out more, visit NCFE’s dedicated Centre of Excellence page or for more information about WorldSkills UK, visit www.worldskillsuk.org.