This reflects the equal importance of both pathways within an education system that is equipped to create the skilled, innovative, and adaptable workforce that Wales needs. High quality Post-16 Education and Training that is diverse, agile, collaborative and delivers for learners, employers, and communities across Wales is central to this vision.
Whether by providing compelling options for 14 to 19-year-olds, supporting learners to re-engage with learning in our communities, or by providing continuing opportunities for those in employment, we aspire to provide learning of the very highest quality. Within this context it is essential that our practitioners are given the right tools and support to facilitate excellence in their professional practice.
The Professional Standards set out here aim to provide an aspirational framework for the sector to work towards, with professional learning and collaboration at its core. We have worked in partnership with the sector to develop these standards, to ensure they enhance individual professional learning in a structured and cohesive way. We are confident that these standards will further engage and motivate practitioners and their employers in their pursuit for excellence and improved outcomes for all.
These standards are not the Welsh Government’s standards. They belong to the post-16 workforce - written by the sector, driven by the sector, and owned by the sector.
Jeremy Miles
Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Between February and July 2017, the Welsh Government worked in partnership with a working group made up of a range of FE and WBL practitioners and others with specialist expertise in these areas to develop a set of professional standard for FE teachers and WBL practitioners in Wales. In May 2017, draft professional standards were published for wider engagement and comment from the sector. As a result of the engagement process, these revised standards and their accompanying guidance were strengthened by many helpful suggestions from the field. The Professional standards for further education teachers and work-based learning practitioners in Wales were published in November 2017.
In April 2022 the Welsh Government commissioned the Education Workforce Council (EWC) to develop professional standards for support staff and leaders in FE and WBL, and for adult learning practitioners.
Between September 2022 and March 2023, the EWC, on behalf of the Welsh Government, worked in partnership with FE, WBL and adult learning practitioners to co-construct two additional sets of standards (for support staff and leaders in FE and WBL) and to incorporate adult learning into the existing standards.
The suite of professional standards are an important aspect of supporting all practitioners to actively engage in professional learning, with the purpose of developing individual and collective expertise to make a collaborative, coherent, innovative and sustainable research-led impact on all learners.
We are also encouraging employers to consider how they can use these professional standards to support and embed professional learning within their current professional development systems and processes.
Although the professional standards are not statutory, they do provide an important element for the sector to be considered alongside registration with the Education Workforce Council and access to the Professional Learning Passport (PLP).
Purpose of the professional standards
The professional standards aim to promote the professionalism of support staff in FE and WBL, provide a framework for continuing professional learning, promoting improved practice through self-reflection and collaboration, and so ensure high-quality support for learners. Their primary purpose is to support individuals in making the most of their personal professional learning and as a basis to inform professional learning needs analysis.
Who are these standards for?
For the purposes of these standards, ‘support staff’ is defined as ‘student-facing staff who support student learning and welfare and the teaching and learning of students’. This covers a wide range of roles, including (but not limited to) instructors, assessors, technicians, learning coaches and specialist support assistants for additional learning needs (ALN) or behaviour.
It is envisaged that they will be used by practitioners within all of the following groups:
- further education support staff and institutions
- work-based learning support staff and providers
- voluntary and community sector organisations
- commercial organisations and independent training providers
- adult and community learning providers
- employers
- other public sector organisations.
How can the professional standards be used?
Like any statement of quality, the standards can be used in a range of ways, for example: to stimulate debate
- as a focus for research and enquiry
- as an inspiration for specific training inputs
- as a framework for progression
- as an agenda for coaches, mentors and trainers
- as a benchmarking tool for training provision within institutions
- as a strategy tool for developing institutional strategies to improve teaching and learning
- as a guide for induction processes
- to inform the construction of job descriptions and person specifications
- as an indicator of personal and professional performance and learning
- as a means to establish a common language and expectation
- to inform curriculum development
- for organisational development and as core principles for setting up and running services.
The professional standards have been written to support and inspire practitioners and not as a means of assessing competence. We see high-quality, well-informed dialogue between practitioners and their managers as the best way of improving standards and thereby improving outcomes for all learners.
The key principles which informed the creation of the professional standards are as follows.
- Dual professionalism – respecting that many practitioners can be both subject and vocational specialists and leaders of, and experts in, teaching, learning and assessment.
- Ownership – developed by practitioners from the sector in Wales in collaboration with employers, trade unions and other stakeholders, as a concise and useful framework.
- A continuum of growth – inspiring for experienced staff and relevant to those starting out.
- Practitioners as critical thinkers and innovators – supporting the best teaching, learning and assessment methods according to the diverse needs of learners.
- A common language – an accessible framework to support individual and collaborative professional learning.
The DNA-like model below seeks to show the inter-relatedness of the values, knowledge and skills which make up professionalism and which, in turn, contribute to better outcomes for all learners.
In creating this model we have drawn on the OECD’s Education in 2030 Framework and are deliberately making connections between the education of young people and the professional development of adults. The framework appears on page 2 of Global Competency for an Inclusive World (OECD, 2016).
As the diagrams above and below suggest, we see values, knowledge and skills as being more often interlocking than separated into three discrete elements, as they tend to be in professional standards across the world.
Demonstrate commitment to learners, their learning, safety and well-being
- inspiring, supporting and stretching learners, taking account of their individual learning and support needs
- working with others to ensure learners are fully supported
- ensuring safe and inclusive learning environments
Value and promote diversity, equality of opportunity and inclusion
- embracing diversity and advocating inclusion
- challenging discrimination in all forms
Understand the importance of the Welsh culture and language as a bilingual nation
- taking opportunities to celebrate the diverse culture of Wales and its place in the world
- pursuing opportunities for my own Welsh language development and promoting its importance to others
Demonstrate dignity, courtesy and respect towards others
- listening to and respecting other peoples’ views, opinions and ideas
- acting as a role model for fair, courteous and respectful behaviours
- supporting the wellbeing of learners and colleagues, seeking support from others where necessary
Maintain and update required knowledge and how best to support learners
- keeping abreast of developments in my specific area of responsibility (which may include ALN, digital technologies to support learners or learner wellbeing)
- providing personalised support for learners, based on their individual needs
Know how to use evidence and research to improve my practice
- accessing and experimenting with research from a range of sources
- reflecting on the latest theories and research with colleagues and exploring their relevance to my context
Support effective learning, teaching and assessment
- supporting the preparation, delivery and assessment of learning programmes, where appropriate
- supporting learners to access effective learning, teaching and assessment
- using a range of media, including digital, effectively to support the learning process
Build positive and collaborative relationships
- working to build and maintain relationships with learners, colleagues, employers and others as appropriate
- participating in and contributing to professional learning networks
Enable learners to share responsibility for their own learning and assessment
- taking a person-centred approach when working with all learners to promote independence and encourage full participation in learning
- communicating effectively with all learners, colleagues, employers and others as appropriate
Critically reflect on own values, knowledge and skills to improve learning
- developing my own literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills along with other appropriate professional skills
- critically appraising my own practice and adapting it in the light of reflection and feedback, including feedback from learners
Demonstrate a commitment to sustainability
- inspiring and motivating learners and colleagues to make the changes needed to achieve net zero
- supporting learners to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development
The professional standards for Wales are expressed in the form of a series of personal commitments – In my practice and with others, I . . .
Demonstrate commitment to learners, their learning, safety and well-being
- inspiring, supporting and stretching learners, taking account of their individual learning and support needs
- working with others to ensure learners are fully supported
- ensuring safe and inclusive learning environments
For example, by:
- promoting positive attitudes to learning
- supporting learners to identify their learner needs and aims
- supporting learners to achieve their potential
- working collaboratively with others to reduce and remove barriers to learning
- ensuring learners are supported and taught in a safe learning environment, taking appropriate action where required using relevant policies and guidance
- .
Value and promote diversity, equality of opportunity and inclusion
- embracing diversity and advocating inclusion
- challenging discrimination in all forms
For example, by:
- promoting diversity and opportunity
- creating an environment in which leaners feel safe to challenge discrimination
- encouraging learners to understand the benefits of diversity
- treating all learners and stakeholders equally and fairly
- challenging unacceptable behaviour.
Understand the importance of the Welsh culture and language as a bilingual nation
- taking opportunities to celebrate the diverse culture of Wales and its place in the world
- pursuing opportunities for my own Welsh language development and promoting its importance to others
For example, by:
- promoting the importance of Wales’ diverse culture
- encouraging and supporting Welsh speaking learners to undertake learning and assessment through the medium of Welsh
- promoting the benefits of developing Welsh language skills to learners, staff and employers, particularly in the context of the work place/sector and/or subject area
Demonstrate dignity, courtesy and respect towards others
- listening to and respecting other peoples’ views, opinions and ideas
- acting as a role model for fair, courteous and respectful behaviours
- supporting the wellbeing of learners and colleagues, seeking support from others where necessary
For example, by:
- treating all learners and colleagues equally and fairly, ensuring all have an equal opportunity to be heard
- listening to and responding positively to others’ views
- behaving professionally at all times
- reviewing own professional and personal attitudes and beliefs
Maintain and update required knowledge and how best to support learners
- keeping abreast of developments in my specific area of responsibility (which may include ALN, digital technologies to support learners or learner wellbeing)
- providing personalised support for learners, based on their individual needs
For example, by:
- actively participating in professional development activities
- keeping abreast of developments in my specific area of responsibility, ensuring learners benefit from the latest knowledge and skills
- maintaining an up-to-date Professional Learning Passport (PLP) or other system to include examples of reflective practice
- reflecting on latest research and developments collaboratively with colleagues to ensure continuous improvement.
Know how to use evidence and research to improve my practice
- accessing and experimenting with research from a range of sources
- reflecting on the latest theories and research with colleagues and exploring their relevance to my teaching and learning context
For example, by:
- working collaboratively with colleagues to share and debate ideas and innovations as a result of joint research
- actively engaging with networks of professional practice
- sharing best practice and research findings with colleagues to support continuous improvement
Support effective learning, teaching and assessment
- supporting the preparation, delivery and assessment of learning programmes, where appropriate
- supporting learners to access effective learning, teaching and assessment
- using a range of media, including digital, effectively to support the learning process
For example, by:
- making use of digital teaching and learning platforms to support learners and the learning process
- creating and supporting learning environments where learners are active participants as individuals and as members of collaborative groups
Build positive and collaborative relationships
- working to build and maintain relationships with learners, colleagues, employers and others as appropriate
- participating in and contributing to professional learning networks
For example, by:
- supporting learners to manage and lead their own learning
- working collaboratively with colleagues to review the impact of teaching, learning and assessment on learner outcomes and own performance
- working collaboratively with colleagues, learners and stakeholders to support and drive learner progress
- taking responsibility for own development and seeking opportunities to extend knowledge to the network
- willingly sharing experiences to promote excellent support of teaching, learning and assessment locally and nationally
- ensuring appropriate communication with all stakeholders
Enable learners to share responsibility for their own learning and assessment
- taking a person-centred approach when working with all learners to promote independence and encourage full participation in learning
- communicating effectively with all learners, colleagues, employers and others as appropriate
For example, by:
- supporting learners to identify their learner needs and aims
- supporting learners to achieve their potential by setting challenging work/tasks
- supporting learners to review their own progress
- using own experience and knowledge to engage, encourage and motivate learners
- using technology to communicate, share information and encouraging the use of online platforms to share experiences.
Critically reflect on own values, knowledge and skills to improve learning
- developing my own literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills along with other appropriate professional skills
- critically appraising my own practice and adapting it in the light of reflection and feedback, including feedback from learners.
For example, by:
- seeking and reviewing colleagues’ and learners’ views of own support
- creating and taking opportunities to discuss and peer assess own work with other colleagues and practitioners
- seeking to share things that work well and collaboratively sharing good practice with peers to support improved learning outcomes
- being aware of how technology can be used to support learners to learn
- keeping abreast of constantly changing technology where relevant, and the requirements of providing effective literacy and numeracy support
Demonstrate a commitment to sustainability
- inspiring and motivating learners and colleagues to make the changes needed to achieve net zero
- supporting learners to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development
For example, by:
- prompting colleagues and learners to review articles and literature on climate change
- being mindful of the resources we use day-to-day
reducing high carbon resources in favour of low carbon alternatives