Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Further Education and Skills)

What Modules will you Study?

Modules include:
• Teaching, Learning and Assessment in the Further Education and Skills Sector
• Developing Subject Specialist Practice
• Designing and Developing an Inclusive Curriculum
• Advancing Subject Specialist Practice
• Research Informed Practice
• Policy and Professionalism in the Further Education and Skills Sector

Your teaching placement is a central feature of the programme. Your placement will be for a minimum of 75 hours for each year of part-time programme.

Teaching practice is supported by the programme tutors and by a subject specialist mentor, both of whom will observe you teaching and work closely with you to develop your practice and skills. Support will also be provided by a pastoral mentor.

How long is the course?

Attendance is part-time over two years.

Where will I learn?

Channelside Campus

How much will this course cost?

Course fees vary by programme, delivery mode and duration. To see fees for this course, please click the button at the top right of this page.

Programme Specification

Click here for the Programme Specification.

What are the entry requirements?

Entry Requirements:

UK honours degree (normally 2:2 or above) or equivalent related to your specialist area
• A minimum of a Level 3 qualification in all the specialist subjects¹ they will be teaching (if different to degree subject)
• GCSE English at grade C/4 or above (or OfQual approved equivalent²)
• GCSE mathematics at grade C/4 or above (or OfQual approved equivalent²)
• Where English is not the applicant’s first language: The ability to communicate fluently, accurately and effectively in professional spoken English (IELTS 7.5 with no element lower than 7.0 (or equivalent) ³
• A teaching contract or a voluntary placement that includes:
• A minimum of 125 hours of teaching practice each year (75 hours teaching practice and 50 hours involvement in the department / placement). Placements will be arranged by Furness College.
• A minimum of 100 hours of non-teaching practice
A minimum of 20 hours in a non-teaching placement in an additional institution, which may be Furness College
• A named subject specialist mentor in the main placement location
• A named pastoral mentor in the main placement location
• Completion of a satisfactory course interview
• Completion of a satisfactory subject interview
• Provide confirmation of an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Pre-service applicants wishing to teach in a sixth form attached to a school will also be checked against the prohibition list

Applicants wanting to teach English and applicants wanting to teach mathematics (without a mathematics ’A’ Level/degree) are required to successfully complete an additional entry assessment to demonstrate their content knowledge and skills.
This may impact on the acquisition of a suitable teaching practice placement and therefore additional time must be factored for this.
¹ Specialist subject: Where the subject is regarded as SEND, the applicant must have a L3 SEND qualification.
² Equivalent qualifications must be named by the Society for Education and Training as suitable for entry to QTLS (see Approved maths and English qualifications | Society for Education and Training (et-foundation.co.uk )
³ IELTS certification date must be within two years of the point of application.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities, and in particular those that are currently under-represented in our Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses. We specifically encourage applications from ethnic minority groups at this time.

QTLS

Before applying it is very important that you are clear about your future status, and the difference between QTS and QTLS. University of Lancashire teacher education qualifications do not afford graduates with QTS status. The PGCE will not confer Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

On achievement of the PGCE awarded by University of Lancashire, qualified teachers in the FE and Skills Sector will be eligible to apply for QTLS (Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills) status through the Society for Education and Training (SET). It is not normally possible to gain QTLS in less than 6 months from the end of the course, as applicants have to demonstrate their post-qualification development. Initially, you will pay a £50 application fee (non-refundable) to the SET and then, the Professional Formation programme, leading to QTLS, is priced at £475.

This qualification is suitable for those who are already teaching (in-service) as well as those who are new to teaching. Your partner college will assist you to find a placement.

What opportunities will this lead to?

Progression Routes The Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Further Education and Skills) forms part of a modular Education Studies framework at the University of Lancashire which presents a convenient opportunity for progression to further study. Post Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice The programme is available to teachers and trainers with a degree or equivalent who have completed the PGCE modules (60 credits at levels 6 and 7) with University of Lancashire. It consists of 3 modules (60 credits) at level 7. Master’s in Education (MEd) Successful completion of the PG Diploma allows teachers to progress to the final dissertation stage of the Master’s in Education (MEd) programme. Following the MEd, you may wish to progress still further and study on the taught Professional Doctorate, (EdD) which is also available at the university in Preston.