Central to great learning experiences are great educators – Developing a cadre of world-class technical educators across the UK

David Gallagher @NCFE discusses the new @WorldSkillsUK Centre of Excellence 

Last week, WorldSkills UK announced plans for a pioneering new project in partnership with education and skills charity, NCFE, to create a Centre of Excellence for the development of world-class educators. 

David Gallagher, Chief Executive at NCFE shares his thoughts about the project and what it means for the technical and vocational education market:

At NCFE, we are committed to promoting and advancing learning for people of all ages.

Through our range of qualifications and educational services, we aim to provide platforms at all levels to help our learners to get on in their lives and careers.

Supporting Educators

Over the last six months, we’ve been looking at what else we could do to help our learners on their educational journeys, to ensure that they have the best possible learning experiences and get the most from their time in further education.

As a result of this, one of the key areas that we have decided to focus on is the work that we do to support educators themselves.

Having sat at the forefront of technical education for over 170 years, we understand the critical role that positive, driven, knowledgeable and inspiring educators play in a learner’s success story.

Through the delivery of high-quality learning experiences which help to build confidence, self-esteem and understanding, educators can positively influence learner outcomes to help them reach their full potential and there is no better example of this than the training managers operating on behalf of WorldSkills.

Global Benchmarking

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 the organisation of a range of ‘Olympics-style’ skills competitions.

Shaped by over 65 years of global benchmarking, year after year, WorldSkills UK’s highly experienced training managers produce competition-winning students and apprentices across multiple fields of technical and vocational education which not only showcases the calibre of students in the UK’s education sector, but also helps to inspire future generations of technical and vocational learners.

Delivering Truly World Class Training Experiences

Through the new WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence in partnership with NCFE, we are aiming to harness the experience and expertise of the WorldSkills UK training managers to create an innovative training programme which will seek to finesse the art of technical teaching with a view to mainstreaming the skills needed to become a truly world-class technical educator across the sector.

The Centre of Excellence will see us develop new methodologies, new content, new resources and new approaches, based on taking the best of what’s already out there in the sector, and lifting it up to help educators right across the UK’s technical and vocational education system to deliver truly world class training experiences.

Improving Life Chances Through Learning

Throughout the project’s three-year pilot phase, which commences in September 2020, NCFE will provide strategic advice, resources and funding to the project, which is something we’re very excited about.

It’s anticipated that the initial phase of the project will directly impact more than 40,000 young people, nearly 1,000 educators and more than 120 educational institutions, with the intention that this will be the foundation to roll-out to hundreds more in the years to come.

NCFE is absolutely dedicated to improving life chances through learning. As two organisations with a common purpose for the promotion and advancement of learning and a shared vision for a world-class skills system, the partnership with WorldSkills UK is a perfect fit for us and we’re excited to see where it leads us.

David Gallagher, Chief Executive, NCFE