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You are viewing entry year 2024/25.

Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (Further Education & Skills) (NESCOT) (QA)

If you hold a degree and wish to teach students 14 years+, then study at Nescot for the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (ProfGCE).

At Nescot, we offer teacher training programmes that equip you to teach within the further education (FE) & skills sector. This will enable you to teach students who range from 14 years to adults in different contexts, such as school sixth forms, sixth form colleges, FE colleges, SEND provisions, offender education, adult & community education.

We support you in your placement, in conjunction with a subject mentor, and provide opportunities for you to explore how best to teach your own subject specialism.  Our Teacher Training curriculum is rich in practical teaching skills development and pedagogy and we promote evidence-based research to underpin good teaching practice. This is an exciting sector to teach in and our programme, tutors, and placement mentors equip you with the skills, knowledge and professionalism to forge a career teaching your favoured subject.

We received Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. This recognises our outstanding performance in student experience and outcomes.

Duration

  • 1 years full-time
  • 2 years part-time

Start month

September

Home fees 2024/25

TBC

What you should know about this course

  • Our programmes offer expert staff, small class sizes & personalised support
  • The college provides excellent resources, services & study space
  • To support your needs, we offer part or full-time study and a programme designed to enable you to develop and flourish.

What you will study

Full Time:
  • Teaching & Learning Fundamentals (15 credits)
  • Classroom & Behaviour Management (15 credits)
  • Subject Specific Pedagogy (15 credits)
  • Professional Development 1 (15 credits)
  • Professional Development 2 (15 credits)
  • Developing Resources & Digital Skills (15 credits)
  • Reflective Practice & Professionalism (15 credits)
  • Exploring the Curriculum (15 credits)
Part Time:

Year 1

  • Teaching & Learning Fundamentals (15 credits)
  • Classroom & Behaviour Management (15 credits)
  • Subject Specific Pedagogy (15 credits)
  • Professional Development 1 (15 credits)

Year 2

  • Professional Development 2 (15 credits)
  • Developing Resources & Digital Skills (15 credits)
  • Reflective Practice & Professionalism (15 credits)
  • Exploring the Curriculum (15 credits)

About the course team

The programme team is highly qualified and experienced in delivering teacher training, offering knowledge and expertise from across different subjects and sectors: FE, secondary, SEND and HE. The team is accessible, supportive, inclusive and passionate about supporting your professional development as a new teacher. The team keeps abreast of current research and pedagogic practices, influencing the ongoing development of the programme, its delivery and your learning.

Entry requirements

Applicants requirements:

Applicants are required to hold a degree in the subject they wish to teach. A degree with significant related content would also be considered. If the degree is not in the subject you wish to teach, then you must additionally hold at least a L3 qualification in that subject. If teaching in a SEND setting, a L2 SEND related qualification and/or relevant experience will be considered.

You must also have English & Maths GCSE grade 4 or above, or equivalent.

Please note, functional Skills is not deemed equivalent to GCSE and therefore not accepted as an entry qualification.

If a GCSE in English and/or Maths is not offered then an equivalency test or A star equivalency test graded as a GCSE pass can be accepted. Also required is access to 150 hours of teaching practice over the duration of the programme.

For more information, use our contact form or call us on 020 8331 9000.

You can also read our admissions policy.

Further information about entry

All applicants will be invited to attend an interview to assess their suitability for teacher training. You will be asked to complete two tasks related to academic writing and lesson planning, as part of an initial assessment .

These will be set by the admissions’ tutor prior to, and discussed at, interview. You will need to have access to a suitable teaching placement (150 teaching hours) and provide ID as proof of residency. A reference will be requested and a valid enhanced DBS will need to be applied for if successful in securing a place on the programme.

If any qualifications have been achieved overseas, then equivalency to English qualifications (including Maths & English GCSE) may need to be sought, eg through ENIC.

Available to overseas students?

No

Can I use Prior Learning?

If you already hold a teaching or training qualification, please refer to the Tariff of Qualifications (ITT) Database for accreditation of prior learning and discuss with the admissions’ tutor at interview.

How you will learn

Teaching

Sessions are delivered in an active manner where teaching strategies and the use of resources are modelled. Amongst other practices, lessons include presentations, group work, class discussions, research and elearning (blended and remote).  You will have access to a personal tutor, placement mentor and tutorials offering support, feedback and guidance 1:1.

The ProfGCE incorporates a range of modules developed to meet the needs of the sector and the students within it. The modules are designed, structured and sequenced to develop and build ‘good teaching practice skills’ and provide the underpinning pedagogy to support the professional development and reflective capabilities of the teacher.

Class sizes

Students on a NESCOT higher education course are typically taught in class sizes of 16 or fewer.

Independent learning

You will be expected to undertake independent learning but will be supported by access to a well-being team, good resources, LRC services, research guidance and mentoring.  In addition, you will have  opportunites to develop your study, time management and critical thinking skills. You will also have time in your placement to engage in CPD, planning and other related activities.

Overall workload

For Full-Time:

Each week you will participate in 12 hours of taught sessions at Nescot (Thursday & Friday, 10m am start); approximately 9/10 hours of teaching practice in an approved setting (teaching and non-teaching activities); and approximately 3 hours of independent study each week. The assessment schedule for the course is provided in the Programme Handbook and on Google Classroom at Induction.

For Part-Time:

Each week you will participate in 3 hours of taught sessions at Nescot (Thursday 5.30-8.30 pm); approximately 4/5 hours of teaching practice in an approved setting (teaching and non-teaching activities); and approximately 3 hours of independent study each week. The assessment schedule for the course is provided in the Programme Handbook and on Google Classroom at Induction.

Assessment

All modules include formative assessments to aid the completion of the summative assessment and are detailed in the Module Handbooks. Assessment types include, presentations, essays, case studies, showcases, reports, reflections and evaluations. They are graded against rubrics (in the Programme Handbook and on GC), returned with constructive feedback and all must be passed. Ongoing mentor and tutor feedback on teaching practice supports the development of teaching skills, formally assessed by 10 lesson observations. The qualification is awarded with a pass (40%+), merit (60%+) or distinction (70%+) classification.

Feedback summary

All module assessments are percentage graded to indicate a pass, merit or distinction. In line with the University and College assessment policies, assessments are returned to you within 15 working days of submission.  They are supported by constructive feedback and feedforward and, to ensure accuracy and validity of the grades and feedback given, they are moderated within the team before their return.

Dates and timetables

The academic year is 30 weeks, running from early September to late May. A full calendar of each modules' start and end dates; assessment submission and return schedule; and holiday breaks is provided during induction in the Programme Handbook and is further detailed in each Module Handbooks.

Fees and funding

Your time at university should be enjoyable, rewarding, and free of unnecessary stress. Planning your finances before you come to university can help to reduce financial concerns. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.

Cohort Full time Part time Distance learning
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Funding your study

There is a range of financial support options available to support your studies, including the Aspire@Greenwich award for study resources that many full-time students will receive.

Discover more about grants, student loans, bursaries and scholarships. We also provide advice and support on budgeting, money management and financial hardship.

Financial support

Careers and placements

Will I have a work placement?

You are required to complete a 250-hour placement, of which 150 hours are teaching practice. We are extremely lucky to work with a wide range of partners across London, Surrey and neighboring areas and we work closely with trainees when deciding on placements to ensure they get the best training possible. Our strong partnerships ensure our trainees are well supported and have outstanding experiences whilst training with us. Nescot will provide teaching practice placements for full time applicants, however, placements are limited and distributed on a first-come first-served basis. In all cases, engagement in the placement is supported by a subject specific mentor and a tutor from the teaching team.

What sort of careers do graduates pursue?

This award will fully qualify you to teach post 14, in the FE and Skills Sector. Former students have gained promotion, taken up new teaching posts or moved from a voluntary to a permanently employed teaching position. If you wish to teach in a school setting post-qualification then support to gain QTLS status is provided.

Do you provide employability services?

Advice and guidance related to gaining QTLS status is given on the programme, as is interview practice and application support. Our Careers 360 team will support you every step of the way to help you progress in your chosen career and our Student Finance team can provide financial advice if considering further study. Our high achievement, progression and employment rates are evidence of how well-equipped our trainees are to become 'early careers teachers'.

Support and advice

Academic skills and study support

We want you to feel fully supported whilst you study with us, so we provide many opportunities for advice and guidance, both pastoral and academic. You can access study skills support through your tutor, information literacy sessions, Coursera modules (eg critical thinking, time management), PDP sessions, our librarians, and our HE Support Mentor. All assignments are returned with full and detailed feedback that identifies strengths and recommends how aspects can be improved.  Tutorials can also be used as a vehicle to discuss such feedback in greater detail.

Support from the department

Throughout your studies, we will endeavor to meet your learning needs and help you become a confident and independent adult learner.  Identifying these needs and measures to support them are discussed and acted upon from interview to the close of the programme. You will have access to tutorials with your personal tutor; self-directed or referred access to our HE Support Mentor for guidance to improve your academic writing; on-going support and guidance from your placement mentor to aid the development of your professional practice; regular feedback from your personal and module tutor on your academic progress; and peer support and feedback on microteaches and other in-class activities.  Your module tutor, placement mentor, yourself and your personal tutor will contribute to your progress reviews and target setting.

Not quite what you were looking for?

We've got plenty of other courses for you to choose from. Browse our postgraduate courses or check our related courses below.....

Teacher training at the University of Greenwich

We’ve over a century of experience training excellent teachers and strong links with schools and employers. Our courses are also rated good by Ofsted for our Early Years, Primary, Secondary, and Further Education and Training teaching (Ofsted, 2023).

Visit our teacher training degrees page.

Study education at the University of Greenwich


Senior teaching fellow Suzy Hails and primary education student Claudine Henney discuss our teaching programmes

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Apply now

If you are a UK student or have settled/pre-settled status (EU) and you want to study full-time then you apply through the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS).

If you are a UK student or have settled/pre-settled status (EU) and you want to study part-time then you can apply directly via our online application form.

If you are from outside the UK, you can apply via UCAS, directly via our online application form or via one of our in-country representatives. If you require a student visa, you cannot study part-time at undergraduate level.