Professional Certificate in Education
Key Details
- Available at:Bangor, Rhos-on-Sea, Dolgellau
- Study Mode:Part-time
- Course Length:
2 years (1 day OR a half-day and evening per week)
- Rhos: Monday 11:30am-5pm
- Bangor: Monday 12-5pm
- Dolgellau: Monday 2:30-6:30pm
Professional Certificate in EducationDegrees (Higher Education)
Part Time
If you are applying to study part-time you can apply directly to the campus of your choice.
Course Description
Unlock Your Teaching Potential
The Programme Aims To:
- Equip you with a solid grasp of effective teaching, learning, and assessment principles in the post-compulsory education sector.
- Foster the application of sound teaching principles in alignment with professional standards and sector-specific values.
- Cultivate critical reflection skills and a profound sense of responsibility towards learners.
- Nurture creativity and innovation in teaching through the use of technology and diverse tools for an enhanced learning experience.
Would you like to start a rewarding career teaching young people and adults? Or are you already teaching, but looking for a recognised qualification?
In addition to this formal requirement, evidence from past years shows that completion of the course enhances the career and employment potential of course members.
Whether you are a new or an experienced teacher, this part-time course helps you to develop your career in post-compulsory education. It gives you the skills, knowledge and qualification to begin or continue teaching in further education, adult and community education, prisons or work-based learning contexts.
The course is suitable for those who aspire to be, or who are college lecturers, adult and community education providers, military and public service trainers, training officers and others who have a teaching or training role.
This course is not intended for those wishing to teach in Primary or Secondary schools.
Additional information
More detailed information on Modules is to be found in the ‘Additional Campus/Course Information’ section.
Fees
Visit our course fees page for information on full and part-time degree course fees.
Financial Support
Visit our financial support page for information on the range of support available.
More detailed information on other costs associated with your course and work placements/work experience (if applicable) will be outlined in the programme validation document and explained to you at your interview.
Start date
September
Entry Criteria
- A minimum of a Level 3 qualification relevant to the subject specialism you wish to teach
- Vocational tutors should have significant experience (at least five years in the field)
- Enhanced DBS check
- Any degrees, diplomas or certs should have been taught and assessed in Welsh/English.
You must have a minimum of 100 hours teaching practice over the duration of the course, and you must complete 40 hours of observing experienced practitioners.
When you arrange your own teaching practice, your teaching must take place in an approved environment (e.g. FE, adult education, voluntary sector or publicly funded training provider) and references from your employer will be requested.
Language Requirements
- Good proficiency in English or Welsh, with equivalent GCSE grade C/4 or above
- For overseas applicants: proficiency in English Language at IELTS level 7 or equivalent.
- GCSE in Welsh or English as first language, grade C/4 or above.
- Any degrees, diplomas or certs should have been taught and assessed in Welsh/English.
- For overseas applicants, for entry onto Level 4: English fluency to IELTS 5.5 or higher (with no element less than 5.0)
- For overseas applicants, for entry onto Levels 5: English fluency to IELTS 6.0 or higher (with no element less than 5.5)
- GCSE Maths desirable
All places are subject to satisfactory interview.
If your qualifications do not meet the entry requirements listed above, we would still encourage you to apply for the course you're interested in, as many of our courses will consider learners based on their previous work and skills experience rather than their qualifications.
If your qualifications do not meet the entry requirements listed above, we would still encourage you to apply for the course you're interested in, as many of our courses will consider learners based on their previous work and skills experience rather than their qualifications.
Delivery
n our dynamic educational environment, we embrace a holistic approach to learning that incorporates various elements to enrich our academic journey. Group work forms a cornerstone of our curriculum, fostering collaboration and teamwork among trainee teachers which may then be replicated in the trainees own classroom. Classroom-based learning provides a structured foundation, allowing for engaging discussions and interactive sessions that promote a deeper understanding of teaching in a variety of settings. Complementing this, tutorial support ensures that individual learning needs are addressed, offering personalised guidance to enhance comprehension. MOODLE and Google Classroom platforms serve as a robust virtual learning environment, offering resources, assignments, and a platform for ongoing communication. Moreover, our commitment to a comprehensive learning experience is reflected in the diverse perspectives brought by guest speakers, who share their expertise and real-world experiences, further enriching our educational landscape.
As well as directly taught aspects of the course, you will be expected to undertake a significant amount of personal study, some of which will be supported through an online learning management system. The learning and teaching strategy for the course is designed to meet the learning outcomes.
In general terms, the course is a combination of:
- lectures
- workshops
- discussion and other interactive tasks
- collaborative activities; directed reading/study linked with specific topics
- independent study, according to individual need
- practical application in micro-teach activities
- authentic teaching experience through work placement based experience.
Students undertaking this part-time award are expected to be available for one day per week to attend the taught elements of the programme. In addition, there is an expectation that evidence of teaching practice will be accrued at a rate of at least 50 hours per year.
Contact:
For specific course enquiries, please contact:
Lesley Surguy-Price (Programme Leader - Coleg Llandrillo): surguy1l@gllm.ac.uk
Christian Davies (Programme Leader - Coleg Menai): davies10c@gllm.ac.uk
Simon Evans (Programme Leader - Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor): simon.evans@gllm.ac.uk
Lisa Nobbs (Administration): nobbs1l@gllm.ac.uk
For general enquiries about our degrees, please contact: degrees@gllm.ac.uk
Assessment
Over the duration of the course, you will:
- undertake microteaching sessions and be observed teaching to groups of students
- provide lesson plans and schemes of learning with rationales for the teaching strategies used
- complete a teaching practice file covering at least 100 hours of teaching practice
- provide written reports covering a range of work including case studies of learning and teaching strategies, presentations, participation in group activities, and develop curriculum documents
- develop your personal literacy and numeracy skills
- complete reflective journals, and create personal development plans
Progression
The qualification enables you to teach in the post-compulsory sector.
Progression routes include Degree programmes in Education or in the applicant's own professional area.
Campus Information Bangor
Course description
Our part-time Certificate in Education course qualifies you to work in the post-compulsory sector (e.g. further education, adult and community education, prisons or work-based learning). The courses have been recently revised to meet the Lifelong Learning UK National Standards. The qualification gives you the chance to gain the skills required for teaching learners above the ages of 14 (more commonly 16) based on a sound understanding of theories of learning as applied to your own subject specialism.
Unit information
In the first year, you will study with a group of developing teachers. You will deepen your understanding of teaching and learning approaches. This will include knowledge of key questions, theories and concepts, as well as the development of your own personal skills. You will extend your repertoire of learning and teaching methods and strategies and develop understanding of the diverse needs of learners. You will consider how the theories of learning and assessment can be applied to the teaching of your subject. You will be encouraged to analyse and critique policies and practices relating to the teaching of your subject, and to develop your own considered approach to teaching your subject.
In the second year of the course, you will look at broader issues in post-compulsory education, learning and teaching from your perspective as a subject specialist, and you will work on projects with course participants from your own and other subject areas.
Campus Information Dolgellau
Course description
Our part-time Certificate in Education course qualifies you to work in the post-compulsory sector (e.g. further education, adult and community education, prisons or work-based learning). The courses have been recently revised to meet the Lifelong Learning UK National Standards. The qualification gives you the chance to gain the skills required for teaching learners above the ages of 14 (more commonly 16) based on a sound understanding of theories of learning as applied to your own subject specialism.
Unit information
In the first year, you will study with a group of developing teachers. You will deepen your understanding of teaching and learning approaches. This will include knowledge of key questions, theories and concepts, as well as the development of your own personal skills. You will extend your repertoire of learning and teaching methods and strategies and develop understanding of the diverse needs of learners. You will consider how the theories of learning and assessment can be applied to the teaching of your subject. You will be encouraged to analyse and critique policies and practices relating to the teaching of your subject, and to develop your own considered approach to teaching your subject.
In the second year of the course, you will look at broader issues in post-compulsory education, learning and teaching from your perspective as a subject specialist, and you will work on projects with course participants from your own and other subject areas.
Campus Information Rhos-on-Sea
Course description
Our part-time Professional Certificate in Education course qualifies you to work in the post-compulsory sector (e.g. further education, adult and community education, prisons or work-based learning). The qualification gives you the chance to gain the skills required for teaching learners above the ages of 14 (more commonly 16) based on a sound understanding of theories of learning as applied to your own subject specialism.
Unit information
In the first year, you will study with a group of developing teachers. You will deepen your understanding of teaching and learning approaches. This will include knowledge of key questions, theories and concepts, as well as the development of your own personal skills. You will extend your repertoire of learning and teaching methods and strategies and develop understanding of the diverse needs of learners. You will consider how the theories of learning and assessment can be applied to the teaching of your subject. You will be encouraged to analyse and critique policies and practices relating to the teaching of your subject, and to develop your own considered approach to teaching your subject.
In the second year of the course, you will look at broader issues in post-compulsory education, learning and teaching from your perspective as a subject specialist, and you will work on projects with course participants from your own and other subject areas.
Other details
Course type: Degrees (Higher Education)
Level:
4-6
Awarding Body: Bangor University
Bilingual:
This programme is available bilingually at the following campus(es):
- Dolgellau