New Skills for VET Teachers

Introduction

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A strategy of continuous professional development and training has become more important than ever, and no more so than in vocational education and training. In this article, we will discuss key areas of importance which will affect future teaching and learning models and highlight those models that we believe are central to future educational skills development.

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What is the goal for teaching and learning?

 

From a teacher’s point of view, the ultimate goal is to help students find their place in society and provide them with the skills they need to carry them through life, to be able to update their skills, as necessary, and find solutions to the challenges they may face.

 

If we examine it from the personal development point of view, is it right to suggest that the goal is to stay up to date with changes as they happen, and feel that we are in control of our own destiny? We want to be proactive, feel that we are ahead of the game, rather than reactive and feel that we are being left behind.

 

From a human resource perspective, the goal is to provide staff with the tools and competences which they need to feel satisfied with their working life. Organisations that invest in training and development are more likely to retain their highly skilled and qualified staff and therefore protect the organisation’s future.

 

For all groups, the change may not be as dramatic as first thought. When we take the time to analyse current teaching and learning models and consider what future models may be required, we see that there is a strong overlap between the two. To create robust teaching and learning models for the future, it appears to be more a question of further development of current models, so that they become more efficient and effective, resulting in improved teacher motivation and increased student attainment.   

 

We have drawn on three main areas which we feel are important to discuss when considering the future skills needed for VET education staff. These are personalisation, modularisation, and digitalisation.

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Personalisation

 

Over the last few years teachers have become increasingly familiar with personalised study paths for students, especially in Finland, and particularly within the vocational qualification structure. In vocational adult education, personalisation has been the core teaching method for quite a considerable time. Also, employers are increasingly focusing on upskilling staff through personalisation based on the organisations needs and the staff members personal interests.

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However, many teachers have not been presented with or considered the opportunity to personalise their own professional development. We are all different, we all have our own interests, different strengths, and different weaknesses. Therefore, there are areas in which we are more comfortable in developing, and areas where we resist. We need to be aware that personalisation is education field dependent, study area dependent, team dependent, and interest dependent.

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The task of predicting or forecasting professional needs concerns both the organisation and the individual. This raises an interesting question: who is responsible for making sure that the needs of the organisation and those of the staff member connect?

 

Modularisation

 

We live in a modular society: car parts, machines, houses and the like are created from different components. We are used to the idea that there is always a part that fits and fixes a problem. The same is happening within the field of education. Organisations can no longer afford the luxury of letting their staff take up full time study which could take two to three years. Rather, organisations need their staff in work and being fully productive. However, they also need staff with specific current skills. The solution may be short modular subject specific courses. Organisations also want the freedom and flexibility to take modules from different educational providers in a way that suits their working methods. The result is a highly skilled staff member with the organisation having only to invest in the new skills the individual needs to keep pace with change.

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As teachers and lecturers, we need to change our mindset. Rather than thinking about one complete course, we need to think of each part of the course as an individual module that could be studied separately. This is quite a step change for teachers and VET organisations.

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To reflect this step change, the future of teacher professional development within VET organisations may also need to change into short, highly focussed modules on critical topics that have clear, concise outcomes. Indeed, this flexible and personalised training methodology needs to be available for our own staff at Salpaus College. One key method may be found in peer mentoring or peer sharing. In Salpaus Further Education College, mentoring lecturers organise workshops for groups, on-line orientation for all as well as personalised peer mentoring for individuals. The College has eleven mentoring lecturers, two of which work almost fulltime in this position. The others have this responsibility alongside their normal teaching responsibilities. The feedback from our VET staff has been very positive.

 

Digitalisation

 

Digitalisation has been part of everyday life for many years, but it is still not reality within some VET organisations. Of course, you cannot learn all skills by simply watching videos and using on-line material, but on-line teaching combined with e-learning and practical training has many advantages. VET organisations should invest in researching and understanding digitalisation and the benefits to be derived from the use of digital techniques in the classroom on both the teacher and the student. This investment does not just mean learning how to use the wide range of tools available, but also how these tools can become embedded in a whole College technology-driven teaching and learning pedagogical strategy.

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One of the digital tools that is widely used in industry, such as construction companies, is the use of Augmented (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR). Companies use VR technology to train staff in new tasks and to improve efficiencies. Using this type of technology in College, to deliver some courses, would help students to gain essential real-life technical skills to help prepare them for employment and demonstrate the relevance of such technology during their course. We recognise that this is an ongoing process and will not happen over-night, but it is critical that VET organisations take steps towards developing a technology strategy that develops digital skills and utilises relevant digital tools to support teaching and learning.

 

Whilst writing this article, the world is facing the restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic resulting in a rapid closure of College premises. This has had an immediate effect on the way VET teachers deliver, monitor, and assess their courses. On many levels, our organisation (Salpaus College) found the concept of remote working unclear and based on individual need rather than a strategic whole College strategy. From a positive perspective, this pandemic has resulted in the use of some digital tools becoming prevalent and a compulsory part of daily work activities.

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The coronavirus has clearly accelerated the use of on-line teaching methods. Within one week of the project workshop finishing, most of the participants were subject to lockdown, which meant that we have all had to find new ways of providing education and support to our students. Using digital tools is the only way to continue teaching and assessment at present and it is positive to note that teachers within Salpaus College have readily embraced these new techniques. Teachers want to support students and help them attain the best possible outcomes and the current situation has facilitated a change of approach whereby teachers now understand that technology has a key role in delivering their courses. This has been brought into sharp focus as technology is the only way to deliver material and support their students during the pandemic. Even those teachers that have previously refused to consider e-learning have been forced to embrace it and take a more proactive approach to online teaching.  Teachers have been very quick to embrace these new technologies during this period: just one positive outcome during a difficult and challenging situation.

 

Future models

 

Many technology-driven methods in use today will most likely be valid in the future. Teachers’ co-operation with the changing face of working life and the approach to professional development is essential in VET, so that we can continue to respond to employer need and economic drivers. Teachers can improve their teaching practice through industry work placements of various duration, to understand current working practice and identify skills gaps. Teachers can then reflect on their learning, update the curriculum and teaching methods, and thereby ensure that students are fully equipped with the relevant skills they need to succeed. These new ways of working were discussed at the workshop and considered to be an integral part of future learning strategies.

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The main outcome of the initial project workshop was a detailed list of relevant topics that will form the basis of future articles and which will be discussed more fully at the next scheduled project workshop. Below are just some of the ideas that were discussed.

 

Peer mentoring: staff with prior experience in certain areas have worktime to support their peers.

Peer sharing: when staff have success in any work task they openly and freely share this experience with their peers. However, the organisational culture must be such that it will support this strategy.

On-line/flexible/personalised workshops and e-learning: this has suddenly become reality due to the situation that we are facing whilst writing this article.

Social interaction, face-to-face and team work to ensure soft skills development: we need to develop our communication and interaction skills because the technology must be complementary to and not a replacement for face-to-face contact. Teachers need the non-verbal cues demonstrated in the classroom to ensure engagement and understanding.

Close co-operation with companies, internships for teachers or dual-employer systems: teachers need to have more contact with industry to ensure that their skills are current, and the curriculum accurately reflects economic need. This could be achieved in various ways, for example part time teaching/part time employee.

Augmented and virtual reality: already used in some companies for staff training. How do we encourage our teachers to update their knowledge? We need to be pro-active and not reactive as we are now.

 

​Conclusion

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Many teachers feel that investing in new ideas and new ways of working, such as new technologies, is a huge investment in time and resources. We acknowledge the fact that to learn something new takes time, but we have also noticed that the investment is always rewarded in future. Any time and effort we invest now, will make life easier in future. In the end, being a teacher is not about a set of tasks, it is who we are and almost a way of life.

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