Rosa Wells, Executive Director Employment and Skills and IoT at Solihull College & University Centre has been awarded a Technical Teaching Fellowship from the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) in partnership with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.
Fellowships are awarded to outstanding practitioners who are recognised for their high impact teaching practice and the delivery of effective outcomes for learners. Rosa was one of three individuals awarded the fellowship. The three new Technical Teaching Fellows are all expected to share their learning and expertise across the sector as part of the award.
The ETF and the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 launched the Technical Teaching Fellowship programme in June 2018 with the aim to celebrate, develop and disseminate exceptional practice in technical teaching. This is to support and empower the industrial and technical expertise of individuals, who support the progression of learners to higher levels of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) study and employment.
David Russell, Chief Executive Officer at the Education and Training Foundation, said: “The high priority afforded to technical education and training has been underlined by the recently-published FE White Paper. The three individuals being awarded Technical Teaching Fellowships today will play an important role in its advancement, benefitting the sector and its learners and society more widely.
“Everyone at the Education and Training Foundation would like to congratulate these expert teachers on being chosen. We look forward to seeing the work they will do developing opportunities, sharing best practice and encouraging collaboration between industry and FE and Training providers.”
Cerian Ayres, National Head of Technical Education at the Education and Training Foundation, said: “Congratulations to the Technical Teaching Fellowship awardees. Their applications and supporting statements were testament to the quality of the technical teaching and learning that each of them facilitate. The new Fellows all showcased fantastic support to diverse groups of learners and colleagues as well as strong collaborative partnerships with employers and key stakeholders.
“I look forward to supporting the Technical Teaching Fellows to share their knowledge, skills, and insights widely with FE sector colleagues maximising reach, engagement and impact.”
Nigel Williams, Secretary of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, said: “Education and training in science, technology and engineering are vital to building the skilled workforce needed to tackle the very real challenges of today and the future. These fellowships will help raise standards of teaching in Further Education and thus inspire the next generation of British innovators who will develop the emerging technologies that are transforming the world economy.”
Rebecca Gater, Vice Principal Quality & Curriculum at Solihull College & University Centre, said: “Solihull College & University Centre is delighted that the quality of our technical teaching and learning has been recognised by the Education and Training Foundation in partnership with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. The College works closely with our local employers and stakeholders to ensure we provide a responsive curriculum with effective outcomes for learners and we fully support the aims of the Technical Teaching Fellowship to celebrate, develop and disseminate exceptional practice in technical teaching.”
The Technical Teaching Fellowship is a prestigious award only granted to applicants who have met the high standards required by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 selection panel.
As a new Technical Teaching Fellow, Rosa Wells will:
• receive an award of £5,000 – £15,000 to support knowledge transfer activity and to ensure remission time is guaranteed
• develop “Pathways to Impact”- knowledge transfer activity action plans, to maximise the benefit of their Fellowships
• attend two one-day developmental workshops over the academic year 2021/2022
• be allocated a programme mentor to support them for the duration of the programme
• be expected to disseminate their work at national conferences throughout 2021/22
• contribute to the delivery of a final report, written to engage and motivate technical education in their area of practice.
The Fellowships will commence in the 2021/22 academic year. The awardees will also be made Fellows of the Society for Education and Training and will be awarded a year’s free membership during their participation in the programme.
To find out more about the programme visit the Education and Training Foundation website.
