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Further Education and Training PGCE

GOV.UK code: T417 (full-time), C089 (part-time)

Do you want to pursue a career teaching in Further Education? This course will develop your comprehensive knowledge and understanding of current theory and practice in Further Education and you will gain recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Overview

Course length: 1 year full-time
2 year part-time
Start dates: September 2023
September 2024
Location: Wirral Metropolitan College (Hamilton Campus)
Subject(s): Education and Teaching
Faculty: Education
Department: Secondary and Further Education
A student shows their peers data on their laptop.

If you have an undergraduate degree and wish to progress your teaching career in Further Education colleges, the PGCE Further Education and Training could be for you. The PGCE is ideal, if you have a degree already and wish to work as a lecturer in Further Education. This course will provide you with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of current theory and practice in Further Education, you will be meticulously prepared for your transition to a career in teaching.

You will be supported in acquiring the knowledge, skills and professional confidence to ultimately take control of your own classes within FE colleges and settings. Through the clear training curriculum, you will be able to chart your own developing knowledge and confidence and be able to put into practice in supportive and familiar settings the knowledge and skills you have acquired on this PGCE.

You will have the opportunity to experience all aspects of teaching practice in one setting. For example, English, Mathematics, SEND, and Community Learning, adults and 16-18 curricula. Wirral Metropolitan College has links with a wide range of third sector, NHS and Social Services which offers opportunities for you to work with a broad range of students including those engaged in the probation service.

To support your career goals, you will have regular meetings with your personal academic tutor who will you to identify your desired career path and then support you in achieving your career goals. You will also receive training on how to apply for roles in FE as well as how to approach interviews.

Following graduation, you will be ideally placed to pursue your QTLS certification from the Society for Education and Training. This is the most desirable professional certification for those teaching within the Further Education sector.

Course features

  • Professional practice placements

What you'll study

If you choose to study full-time, this programme will be delivered in one year. You will complete two academic modules and an extended professional placement. This will help you to expand your knowledge and skills required to develop and teach both individual lessons as well as design and deliver an extended curriculum of instruction for various age-groups and phases of learning. You will also gain the confidence and skills required to source and interpret the latest thinking and practice emerging from the cutting-edge research being published in the field of Further Education today. This will ensure that you are prepared not just for the classrooms of today, but also for the classrooms of the future.

If you choose the part-time mode, the PGCE is delivered across two years. You will study the same modules and content as the full-time students, only delivered across a longer span of time.

In first year of the part-time mode, you will focus on curriculum design and delivery alongside the first part of your professional placement. In second year of the part-time mode you will build upon your first year studies by focussing on evidence based practice whilst completing the second part of your professional practice.

For part-time students, the following modules are all compulsory in first year of this two-year course, and there are no options:

Principles of Learning and Curriculum Design.
Module code: PET4800

The Professional FE Practitioner (first part).
Module code: PET4802

For part-time students, the following modules are all compulsory in year two of this two-year course, and there are no options:

Evidence Based Practice
Module code: PET4801

The Professional FE Practitioner (2nd part)
Module code: PET4802

Compulsory modules:

Expand all
Principles of Learning and Curriculum Design
The Professional FE Practitioner
Evidence Based Practice

How you'll study

For full-time students, sessions will usually be during the daytime each Thursday and Friday.

For part-time students, the PGCE will typically delivered in late-evening sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with professional practice taking place during specific days of the week.

How you'll be assessed

You will be assessed through a combination of practical, written and portfolio assignments. You will be supported in practising the design and delivery of course curricula, developing portfolios to evidence your own learning and development, and also creating responses to and reflections upon some of the latest research relating to Further Education policy and practice.

Who will be teaching you

You will be taught by Wirral Metropolitan College staff who are experts in their field.

Staff bring with them a blend of expertise in the design and delivery of FE and HE curricula, as well as professional experience in the subjects and specialisms that they teach.

All staff engage in continuing professional development to ensure that they keep abreast of the latest developments in the knowledge and practice of their specialisms.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

To join this PGCE, you will be expected to have:

  • A degree equivalent to UK first-class or second-class honours (2:2 or above) preferably in your subject specialism.
  • 5 GCSEs at Grace C or Grade 4 and above or equivalent as a minimum qualification, to include English and Mathematics.
  • Level 3 qualification in your teaching subject specialism if you do not have a degree in that subject.

Please note, for the purposes of initial teacher training, level 2 literacy and numeracy qualifications are not considered as equivalent to GCSE Grade C or Grade 4 in English Language and Mathematics.

If you accept a formal offer from Edge Hill University you will be required to meet the Department for Education’s standards for physical and mental fitness to teach and clearance to work with children. Further information, including a Declaration of Health questionnaire and details of how to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure will be sent to you after you have firmly accepted an offer.

How to apply

Apply full-time

Apply online through GOV.UK

Read our guide to applying for PGCEs and PGDEs to find out more about the application process.

Apply part-time

Apply online through GOV.UK

Read our guide to applying for PGCEs and PGDEs to find out more about the application process.

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Did you know?

If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.

Discover our accommodation

Facilities

You will study at Wirral Metropolitan College (Hamilton Campus) – https://www.wmc.ac.uk/

All campuses at Wirral Metropolitan College include a broad range of vocational and academic subjects, delivering 16-18, adults and Higher Education.

The College has invested a huge amount of resource into the facilities and learning resources for students.

It also offers family friendly timetables, and use online tutorials to fit around work and home life as well as facilitating 24hr access to all resources.

You’ll find the College campuses are open 4 evenings per week until 9pm, facilitating evening study in tailored, quiet, and networked spaces.

Wirral Metropolitan College is currently graded “good” by Ofsted with areas of “outstanding” for Supported Entry Education. All departments offering placements for student tutors are graded “good” or “outstanding”.

Finance

Tuition fees

UK Full-Time

£9,250

for the course

Tuition fees for part-time students joining this course in academic year 2023/24 are still to be announced. We will update this information as soon as it is available.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Financial support

Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.

Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.

Your future career

The PGCE Further Education and Training is an ideal opportunity if you want to pursue a career teaching in further education. The skills and knowledge that you will acquire as part of the course will also be transferrable into other graduate-level jobs relating to education, such as pastoral roles within schools and colleges, education roles in cultural and historical organisations (museums, galleries, historic properties, etc.) and also education roles within large corporations.

Once graduating from this course you will be able to pursue a Master’s in Education from Edge Hill University. There will be the possibility for those with suitable levels of achievement on the PGCE to pursue accelerated progress towards our Master’s award.

Discover Uni: Full-Time Study

Discover Uni: Part-Time Study

Download our course leaflet