My colleagues in the Department for Children, Schools and Families are providing a nationwide programme of free training and support to prepare staff in schools and further education (FE) colleges to teach the first five Diplomas and functional skills.
This work is being delivered through eight partner organizations from the school and FE sectors. These are the national college of School Leadership (NCSL), the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL), the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK), the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA), the Specialist Schools and Academies trust (SSAT), the National Assessment Agency (NAA) and the Secondary National Strategies (SNS).
To prepare teachers and lecturers to deliver Diplomas, QIA and SSAT offer a three-day training package to all Diploma practitioners, which covers the Diploma model, employer engagement, and is developed in conjunction with Sector Skills Councils. The training events are delivered in a range of venues with at least one of the days delivered on site in a relevant occupational setting. The face-to-face training is supplemented by a range of electronic and hard copy materials and access to local teacher development networks.
We are also working closely with the awarding bodies that will be offering diploma qualifications to ensure that their offer of support to schools and colleges complements this range of training.