Support for providers of Initial Teacher Education (ITE)
Help your trainees to prepare for professional life beyond their studies by sharing the importance of ongoing continued professional development to support their career progression.
The Ofsted Inspection handbook for ITE providers (2022) states: “When trainees complete their training, they are aware of their professional strengths and areas for improvement. FES trainees understand that they have the option to achieve QTLS through the professional formation process.”
The information on this page is designed to help support ITEs looking to encourage their students to become SET members. It focuses on:
- The benefits of joining the Society for Education and Training, the professional body for teachers and trainers in the FE and training sector
- The career advantages of undertaking professional formation leading to Qualified Teaching Learning and Skills (QTLS) status
- The relevance and importance of the Education and Training Foundation’s (ETF) Professional Standards during ITE and beyond
SET Membership for Trainee Teachers (Students)
To support trainee teachers throughout their ITE and beyond to QTLS, SET offers your trainees a student membership, which is free throughout the duration of their studies. On successful completion of the ITE at level 5, students can upgrade to full membership with the post-nominal MSET. Full membership is required before individuals can embark on QTLS (further eligibility criteria apply).
We have a range of benefits and services aimed at supporting trainee teachers including:
- Access to inTuition, the quarterly members-only publication, which includes features and articles, news, updates and key insights from the sector
- A monthly newsletter specifically for students – Spotlight, which includes a curation of student-specific content
- SET Mentor Me – our mentoring platform which links mentors with mentees. This platform is a great resource for students looking to be supported during their studies and beyond
- Areas of special interest: we have 14 topics, including Health and Wellbeing, Improving Your Practice, EdTech and Digital Skills, and Learner Motivations and Behaviour
A member of the SET team would be delighted to meet with your students at the beginning of the ITE programme (in person or online) to discuss the rationale for joining SET as their career partner for life. We can also supply you with some hard-copy collateral for distribution, including back issues of inTuition magazine. Please contact us at membership@etfoundation.co.uk to discuss your requirements further.
Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills Status (QTLS)
SET can also support ITE providers to raise awareness of the Professional Formation programme and the process of gaining professional recognition through QTLS. Please contact us at membership@etfoundation.co.uk to enquire about booking a speaker to meet your trainees (either in person or online) or book directly with a member of the Professional Status team.
We also have the following resources available to share with your trainees:
- QTLS flyer
- QTLS information slide deck (downloads as PowerPoint presentation)
View the full QTLS eligibility criteria.
Professional Standards
From Sept 2024 onwards, Further Education ITE courses are planned to change. These new courses will be mapped to and assessed against a new FES Occupational Standard published by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, like the already available Learning Skills Teacher apprenticeship. The Framework for the new Diploma in Teaching [FE & Skills] positions the ETF’s Professional Standards in stating that they “are important in supporting a teacher’s post qualification career development especially their CPD”. It is therefore important that trainees are made aware of them as early as possible in their career journey.
The grid below gives details on which Standards ITE institutions should be using:
(If this grid fails to display fully - you can view the same information on the Education and Training Foundation page on the professional standards.)
| ITE Provision | Standards Referenced Against | Implications |
|---|---|---|
| Trainees who started an ITE course before Sept 2022 | 2014 Professional Standards | No change to the Standards trainees are asked to evidence. Courses continue with the Standards they started with. |
| Trainees starting a new ITE course from Sept 2022 | Updated 2022 Professional Standards | The revisions are still closely linked to the original 2014 versions, so we do not anticipate ITE providers having to significantly rework their courses. |
| Trainees starting a new ITE course from Sept 2024 | New Occupational Standard | ITE courses will be mapped to and assessed against the new Occupational Standard. From Sept 2023, the Professional Standards will be aimed at supporting teachers and trainers who have gained their ITE qualification to support their ongoing CPD. |
The Professional Standards
Introducing trainees to the Professional Standards during the programme will prepare them for working in the FE and training sector.
Organisation summary report
If you have (30+) trainee teachers self-assess against the Professional Standards, you can request an organisation summary report, which can be used to inform future programme delivery and career guidance.
The Professional Standards Self-Assessment tool
Students can self-assess where they currently are against the standards using our Self-Assessment tool. The tool is freely available to all teachers/trainers.
Further support
The ETF has designed a pack of Professional Standards activity cards to enable and facilitate conversations between teachers and trainers about the Professional Standards. These activity cards will help open discussions with your trainees about professional development and how they excel in their teaching practice.