Teaching Role

To help you decide which teaching qualification is most appropriate for you, you should first identify what your teaching role is.

Full teaching role: Someone who teaches: Using materials they have designed and evaluated; Across a range of levels, subjects and learner types; Across or contributes to a range of programmes of varying lengths. The role is determined by responsibility, not by number of hours taught and would include planning, delivery and assessment.

Associate teaching role: Someone who is supported in their teaching role; who teaches predominantly in at least one of the following ways: From pre-prepared materials; On a one to one basis; A programme confined to a particular level/ subject or type of learner; Short courses.

Learner / Education Support role: Someone who supports learners in the classes of either of the above teachers.

Skills for Life Specialists
All SfL teachers are deemed to have a full teaching role, regardless of the number of hours they teach and as such are therefore required to have a DTLLS and Subject Specialism in order to be a Qualified Teacher.

(If you started teaching before September 2007 see Am I a Qualified Teacher? for further explanation)

The Qualifications

PTLLS - Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
This is an introductory award for all NEW teachers entering the profession. All new teachers must gain a licence to practice at the start of their career. This award forms part of the DTLLS and CTLLS but can also be taken as a stand alone qualification for people considering entering the profession and who want to gain some experience first but cannot do this without starting some initial teacher training.

CTLLS - Certificate to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
This is the generic teaching qualification for those teachers in an Associate Teaching role.

DTLLS - Diploma to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
This is the generic teaching qualification for those teachers in a Full Teaching role and working in the FE & Skills Sector or Lifelong Learning Sector. The DTLLS has replaced the Cert Ed and 7307 stages 1 to 3 qualifications. Some providers still call this qualification a Certificate of Education or PGCE.

For those new to teaching who wish to be SfL teachers the DTLLS is also offered as a combined or integrated course. This means that the generic teaching qualification and subject specialism can be studied together as one qualification rather than as two separate courses.

(see Qualification Routes for further explanation)

Additional DTLLS - Subject Specialist Qualifications
The term ‘additional’ signals that it is additional to the requirement to hold a generic teaching diploma

These qualifications have replaced the old SfL Subject Specialist Qualifications and are at level 5. They are called:

• Level 5 Additional Diploma in Teaching English (Literacy) in the Lifelong Learning Sector
• Level 5 Additional Diploma in Teaching English (ESOL) in the Lifelong Learning Sector
• Level 5 Additional Diploma in Teaching Mathematics (Numeracy) in the Lifelong Learning Sector

These qualifications are intended to be for part qualified SfL teachers, who have a generic teaching qualification but who are still in need of a subject specialist qualification or qualified teachers who wish to teach an additional SfL subject.
(If you started teaching before September 2007 see Am I a Qualified Teacher? for further explanation)

Qualification Pathways

Concurrent - The concurrent route requires trainees to join a generic teaching diploma and an additional diploma in literacy, numeracy or ESOL. .

The concurrent route differs from the additional route as it requires the providers of generic and specialist diplomas to agree to transfer credit across the 2 awards. This allows the provider of the generic teaching diploma to absorb 30 credits from the additional (SfL) diploma (total 45 credits) to be counted as optional units within the generic diploma, thus saving time as 30 credits are common to both qualifications. There are significant advantages in terms of teaching and observed practice requirements because the units will be undertaken in a mixed subject cohort of trainee teachers.

This route is intended for:-

• Unqualified teachers, currently working in the sector, who have neither an approved generic teaching qualification nor a recognised subject qualification in literacy, numeracy or ESOL. (If you started teaching before September 2007 see Am I a Qualified Teacher? for further explanation)
• Unqualified teachers of vocational and other subjects, who wish to undertake a generic teaching qualification in their primary subject but also qualify as a subject specialist teacher of literacy, numeracy or ESOL.
• Those new to teaching in the sector, who are unable to find an appropriate or available integrated route.

Fully Integrated - The fully integrated route requires trainees to undertake a single qualification. The majority of units are undertaken in a single subject cohort of trainee teachers and this route also qualifies teachers to teach subjects other than the literacy, numeracy or ESOL subject specialism named in the qualification.

This route is intended for:-

• Initial teacher trainees, wishing to teach in the sector who have neither a recognised generic teaching qualification nor a recognised subject qualification.
• Unqualified teachers, currently teaching and who have neither a recognised generic teaching qualification nor a recognised subject qualification.

Partly Integrated - The partly integrated route requires trainees to undertake a single qualification. In part one or year one of the diploma, there are designated pathways for Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL. The units of which are undertaken in a single subject cohort of trainee teachers. In part two or year two of the diploma, SfL teacher trainees join a mixed subject cohort enabling them to achieve both the generic and the SfL specialist diplomas by the end of the programme.

This route is intended for:-

• Unqualified teachers, currently working in the sector, who have neither a recognised generic teaching qualification nor a recognised subject qualification.
• Those new to teaching in the sector, who have neither a recognised generic teaching qualification nor a recognised subject qualification.

Additional - The term ‘additional’ signals that it is additional to the requirement to hold a generic teaching diploma.

• Level 5 Additional Diploma in Teaching English (Literacy) in the Lifelong Learning Sector
• Level 5 Additional Diploma in Teaching English (ESOL) in the Lifelong Learning Sector
• Level 5 Additional Diploma in Teaching Mathematics (Numeracy) in the Lifelong Learning Sector

The additional route differs from the concurrent route in that the trainee teacher will have to complete two separate diplomas.

The generic diploma (total 120 credits) allows 30 optional credits, however these may not be about SfL. Where a trainee teacher may have chosen some of the optional credits to be about SfL, they may find that they are not able to transfer credit over (APL) to the Additional Diploma (total 45 credits), especially if each diploma is delivered by different providers. (See concurrent route above.)

This route is intended for:-

• Teachers who are part qualified. They may have an approved generic teaching qualification but no approved subject qualification in literacy, numeracy or ESOL. (If you started teaching before September 2007 see Am I a Qualified Teacher? for further explanation)
• Teachers already holding an approved subject specific teaching qualification and who wish to teach an additional ‘Skills for Life’ subject.
• Those new to teaching in the sector, who are unable to find an appropriate and available integrated or concurrent route. This route would require them to undertake a generic teaching qualification and then an additional diploma.

Delivery Mode

Blended Learning – This is an approach to the delivery of any award that blends traditional taught face to face delivery methods with an element of distance or e-learning. This means that a cohort of trainee teachers will not be required to meet so often, it also helps trainees who are spread over a wide geographical area.

EMCETT have recently developed a suite of Initial Teacher Training Education programmes, both generic and SfL. http://www.thelearningchain.net/

Professional Status

Professional status means being able to teach or train to a benchmark standard so the skills of the teacher are officially acknowledged and recognised across the sector. It is also referred to as having ‘license to practice’ or being a ‘licensed practitioner’.

Licensed Practitioner Status - There are two categories:
QTLS - Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status, for those with Full Teaching Roles.
ATLS - Associate Teacher Learning and Skills status, for those with Associate Teaching Roles.

Someone who has completed the teaching qualifications (ie for a SfL Teacher gained a DTLLS and SfL Subject Specialism) will be regarded as a Qualified Teacher, however they must then go onto complete a period of ‘Professional Formation’ in order to be awarded ‘licensed’ status.

Professional Formation – newly qualified teachers will have to demonstrate

• the ability to use effectively the skills and knowledge gained whilst training to be a teacher
• the capacity to meet the occupational standards required of a teacher.

If you started teaching before September 2007
Whilst it is compulsory for all newly qualified teachers (from September 2007), it is hoped that those qualified prior to this date will opt to become licensed as gaining licensed practitioner status becomes a recognised benchmark for the Learning and Skills Sector. GPRLS Scheme

(If you started teaching before September 2007 see Am I a Qualified Teacher? for further explanation)

Am I a Qualified Teacher?

Your 'Qualified Status' will depend on when you started teaching in the sector.

From September 2007 onwards
You are required to become a Qualified Teacher by first completing the Preparing to Teach in the Learning and Skills Sector (PTLLS) award and then by completing either the Certificate or Diploma (depending on your Teaching Role). You then need to undergo professional formation in order to become a Licensed Practitioner

Between September 2001 and August 2007
If you first taught in the sector during this period and you were full time you would have been required to gain a level 4 teaching qualification (with level 4 here referring to the old National Qualifications Framework). Examples of a level 4 teaching qualification include the Cert Ed or completion of all 3 stages of the C&G 7407. However you may hold a different legacy qualification. To help you find out if your legacy qualification is a recognised level 4 qualification, see the Tariff of Legacy Qualifications.

If you first taught in the sector during this period and you were part time you would have been required to complete the first stage of a level 4 qualification.

Skills for Life teachers in addition to gaining a teaching qualification (see above two paragraphs) would also have been required to gain the subject specialist certificate in Literacy, Numeracy or ESOL, in order to achieve qualified status. You are therefore not required by the Sept 2007 Regulations to gain any additional qualifications or to become a Licensed Practitioner. However you may wish to gain licensed practitioner status as recognition of your qualifications and experience.

Before September 2001
If you first taught in the sector before 1 September 2001 you were not required to hold any teaching qualification, although you may already do so. You are not required by the Sept 2007 Regulations to gain any additional qualifications or to become a Licensed Practitioner.

However you may wish to have your experience recognised, i.e. gain licensed practitioner status through the GPRLS Scheme

If you are Part Qualified

If you were only partially qualified when the Sept 2007 Regulations came in, i.e. you do not fulfil the requirements, set out above, to be regarded as having qualified status from when you first taught. You are required to complete your qualifications in line with the new regulations.

The GPRLS Scheme may be one route by which you can achieve this. It may also be useful to refer to the Tariff of Legacy Qualifications to determine what remains to be achieved for your situation.

As a Part Qualified teacher you can either enrol onto your chosen subject specialist qualification (Additional Diploma) or a generic DTLLS to complete your training. You could also consider enrolling onto a combined or integrated DTLLS and APL the training you have already undertaken. You are advised to speak to the course leaders about what would be best for you. Your employer may require you to undertake to complete working towards your qualifications by 2009/10.