Renata Eyres, Head of Business-led Learning and Development, University of Salford
Chris Perry, Head of ICT, Newhall Green High School
Clive Gee, 14-19 Strategy Lead, Manchester City Council
Pam Brown, IT Lecturer, New College Stamford
Nigel Akers, IT Diploma Co-ordinator, Nottingham City
Narrator: Using organisations to provide professional CPD can help practitioners both build their knowledge of IT and develop relationships within the sector.
Renata Eyres, Head of Business-led Learning and Development, University of Salford: We are probably one of a number of institutions in England who have taken business-led learning as a key area for development. We’ve had concerted focus groups about exactly what the Diploma contains and what it is that we do that can help support teachers in developing the Diploma and making it real for students. One output of that is a suite of study days in effect, CPD activities for teachers around the IT Diploma and some of the content. There’s a real plus for teachers to see what it is that their students will need, their pupils will need long term coming into university, so they can raise their aspirations and hopefully get them to achieve.
Narrator: Universities like Salford have industry relevant expertise and equipment as well as good links within the IT sector. Manchester is one of several consortia currently developing connections with Salford University to create short course days for practitioners.
Chris Perry, Head of ICT, Newhall Green High School: The nice thing about the Salford University courses is that they are really cutting edge. They’ve got the pioneers in digital technology right on our doorstep and they’re going to give us stuff that’s going to help us develop all our skills.
Clive Gee, 14-19 Strategy Lead, Manchester City Council: If you have people who understand the sector, it's going to be a lot easier to help facilitate the learning - if you understand where they’re going. To have the knowledge, the contacts, know where to go to find out when somebody's struggling, help them with it. One of the best ways of getting that knowledge is first hand by actually spending time within those sectors. And it's also a very cost-effective way of training teachers as well, so you don’t have to spend lots of money on trainers, the main cost really is about cover and supply while they are not in the classroom, because things move on, and particularly in IT. Things move on at a rapid rate of knots. So to be able to keep up to date with that and keep up to date with where the industries and the sectors are going is absolutely crucial.
Narrator: Members of South Holland Consortium visited an employer to see how IT is used in the sector.
Pam Brown, IT Lecturer, New College Stamford: We went down to Hemel Hempstead, to Dixon Group international headquarters, and the way that I've certainly been telling youngsters that stuff happens out in the workplace – it does. And that was good to reinforce that view that actually what I’m saying is right and I haven't got it totally wrong, and it's not just a complete rouse and when they get out there they'll find that it's completely different.
Narrator: Visiting employers can also provide materials and inspiration for classroom-based activities.
Nigel Akers, IT Diploma Co-ordinator, Nottingham City: The Diploma training days are great because one of those days is held at an employer and you get to see the environment, the work environment, you talk to some of the people there from a range of different jobs. In terms of work placement and the relationship we have with some of the work placement activities, for example I have worked with Capital One and picked up a lot of tips there about how they prepare a launch of a new advertising campaign and so I've taken some of the ideas, some of the paperwork that they produced as part of the interview process, and I've incorporated that into some of my lessons. Not only for the Diploma, but for some of my other IT lessons, because this is how industry operates, and the kids picked it up very quickly and it just made sense to them. It was a wonderful example of how I could learn as an IT teacher from just spending an afternoon with the company sorting out work experience and seeing some of the processes that they go through. It's great.
END
