Dual identities: enhancing the in-service teacher-trainee experience in further education

The Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) sector in England provides vocational, work-based and academic education and training for over 4.2 million learners. Further Education (FE) Colleges form the largest part of this sector but in stark contrast to the situation in schools, ninety percent of FE teachers complete their teacher-training on a part-time in-service basis (Ofsted 2003). This means that trainees have the dual role of employee and learner. This research will focus on the nature of this dual identity, which partly reflects the “dual professionalism” of FE staff who have an expertise from their original vocation as well as a new identity that derives from their role as teacher. We will analyse the symbiosis and tension for both trainees and their employers arising from this situation and make recommendations to colleges and teacher-trainers to enhance the experience of in-service teacher-trainees. The project's aims are: 1. To explore the dual role of employed teacher and teacher-trainee in order to consider how the roles interact and affect the training of teachers in FE. 2. To develop strategies to enhance the teacher-trainee experience through partnership with college employers. 3. Make recommendations to enhance the initial development of in-service trainees, focusing on improving teaching and learning for all students. In order to disseminate our findings and recommendations we will produce a best practice guide for employers and teacher-trainers in the PCET sector which will be made available through ESCalate, the Consortium for PCET and the Huddersfield University Distributed Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training, HUDCETT