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Lifelong Learning Cert Ed pre-service

2024-25 (also available for 2025-26)

It’s not too late to apply for September.
It’s not too late to apply for September.

Start date

16 September 2024

Duration

1 year full-time
2 years part-time

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. Excellent employment prospects: 95% of our undergraduate students go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months of graduating. (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2020/21).
  2. Develop your skills in teaching and gain practical hands-on experience through a teaching placement.
  3. You could progress to gain Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills professional status, to get your career off to a flying start.

If you’re hoping to go into teaching within sixth forms or further education colleges, or you see yourself taking up a career in adult education or informal education roles, then this course could be ideal. It’s focused on training to teach within the lifelong learning (post 14) sector comprising of offender learning, further education, adult education, training organisations and adult community learning to name just a few. You don’t need previous teaching experience, just an industry skill, an appropriate entry qualification and a passion for teaching and training others.

Why Lifelong Learning?

  • Upon successful completion of this course, you’ll be eligible to proceed to gain Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status, following a process of professional formation through the Society for Education and Training. Your QTLS is the full professional status for teachers in the Lifelong Learning sector.
  • During the course you’ll have the opportunity to develop the skills to play a full part in teaching and curriculum development. While you study you’ll focus on your particular subject specialist area, alongside general teaching in the lifelong learning sector.
  • We know there’s no substitute for the classroom environment, so we’ll give you the opportunity to go on placement with one of our partnership institutions. On your placement you’ll be able to observe experienced teachers, gain practical hands-on experience and benefit from one-to-one mentoring to help develop the skills you’ll need to become an outstanding and effective teacher.
  • During your time at Huddersfield you’ll be able to access our extensive professional and academic network, not to mention our excellent facilities and specialist equipment.

Please note: This course is available at the University of Huddersfield and through the Education and Training Consortium. If you hold a first degree or equivalent then please refer to our postgraduate level provision.

Course detail

Core modules:

Research Informed Teaching, Learning and Assessment

This module aims to develop your understanding of how people learn in the Lifelong Learning Sector and of the role of assessment in enabling learning and achievement. It introduces theories and principles of learning and assessment and develops your ability to apply research evidence in designing effective learning and assessment strategies and materials. It seeks to develop positive approaches to the management of group and individual behaviours and promotes an inclusive approach to teaching, learning and assessment. It introduces the role of key transferable skills and the ways in which people learn English, Maths and digital skills. The module is assessed by means of a practical micro-teaching assignment and the design of an intervention, strategy, activity or resource, underpinned by an understanding of key principles of teaching, learning and assessment.

Becoming a Subject Specialist Teacher

The module reviews your practice as a trainee teacher. It explores your teaching values, knowledge of your subject specialism, and your knowledge and understanding of how you're learning to teach. You'll have the opportunity to learn how to identify and respond to students’ needs, and how to use suitable teaching, learning and assessment strategies to develop inclusive teaching and learning environments. You'll have the chance to evaluate your teaching effectiveness and develop as a reflective practitioner as well as engage in personal and professional development planning, against the appropriate Professional Standards, to recognise and develop relevant subject specialist knowledge, behaviours and skills. This will include further development of English, Maths and digital skills for you and your students.

Being a Subject Specialist Teacher

This module builds on previous generic and subject specialist development in two ways. Firstly, it contributes to your development of more advanced strategies and methods for promoting learning and, secondly, it involves a focus on specific specialist areas and the critical analysis of subject specialist pedagogy. The module seeks to enhance your ability to reflect critically on, and to evaluate, teaching and learning; by recognising particular curriculum and professional challenges; and by developing your ability to respond to these concerns in sophisticated, innovative and creative ways. Key learning activities of the module are practical teaching experience and the engagement with other specialists through collaborative practice. The module is assessed through a Teaching Portfolio and a Conference Paper dealing with teaching and learning in the specialist subject.

Policy and Professional Issues

The module will develop your understanding of policy and issues relating to professionalism in Lifelong Learning. You'll have the opportunity to explore the impact of policy on professional practice and curriculum developments, drawing on appropriate evidence to evaluate professional practice and discuss possible improvements. You'll also discuss key issues of professionalism in Lifelong Learning, including debates on reflective practice and a discussion of your own educational values and the extent to which these promote social justice.

Entry requirements

No prior teaching experience is needed. The course is particularly suitable if you have work experience in industry, business and administration, hair and beauty, social work, health service, uniformed services or armed forces.

In addition to the University’s general minimum entry requirements you must also:

  • have either a HNC, CGLI Advanced, NVQ level 3/4 or recognised professional qualification
  • be able to demonstrate appropriate work experience in the area you wish to teach
  • have Level 2 Maths and English

In addition you must also:

  • provide an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and health clearances
  • provide two satisfactory references
  • complete a satisfactory interview

We also offer this course at professional graduate (honours) and postgraduate (masters) if you hold a degree (or recognised equivalent). If you already have a degree (2:2 or above), you may be eligible for our Lifelong Learning PGCE Pre-Service

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

Placements


As well as studying at the University, you’ll learn the practical skills of teaching through a placement in an appropriate educational institution. Previous trainees have been placed in a range of institutions including colleges, work-based learning providers and in offender and community learning settings. You’ll complete at least 100 hours of teaching in total on placement.

Your placements could be based in areas some distance from your point of study, so please be aware of potential associated travelling costs.

I've been working with students who have profound learning disabilities on my most recent placement. The whole experience has been really rewarding - every day is different and I love seeing the difference I can make.

Sarah Greaves

Sarah Greaves, Tameside College

Your career


We know you're coming to university to undertake your course, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition. 

So while you're here (and after you graduate) the Careers and Employability Service offer professional help, support and guidance. Find out more about the Service.

95% of our undergraduate students go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months of graduating.** 

 **HESA Graduate Outcomes 2020/21, including both UK and non-UK domiciled, other activities excluded. 

95% graduates employed*

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

A wide range of resources are also offered within the School of Education and Professional Development, which you would be a part of should you decide to study this course. The school provides you with support in a variety of areas, these include:

Student Support Office (iPoint): a one-stop-shop for students, studying within the School. Here you can get help and advice, including checking your timetable, finding a tutor, handing in assessments. We can also refer you to other departments within the University such as, student finance, student services etc.

Academic Skills Tutor: provides guidance about how you can develop your academic skills in order to improve your grades. We provide support with general academic skills including essay writing, time management, presentations and group work skills; information technology and numeracy; research skills, as well as personal development for example confidence building and assertiveness. 

Student Support Officer: provides confidential and impartial advice on welfare and course related issues.

Placements, Employability and Partnerships An enormous part of your learning takes place whilst on placement.  To help you get the best possible experience we operate an extensive professional network giving you the opportunity to access a wide range of high quality placement providers. Our professional network includes links with local authorities, schools, colleges, early years settings, voluntary organisations, youth services and youth offending teams to offer you real-life experience whilst you study. Our placements team offer you help to find your placement and support you through it.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

Changes to a course you have applied for

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

Termination of course

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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