In-Service Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE L7), Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE L6) & Certificate in Education

Course Overview

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Professional Graduate Certificate in Education and the Certificate in Education are awards of the University of Huddersfield.

This course is for teachers and trainers who are working with young people or adults in the Post-Compulsory Education and Training sector.

It is a part-time, in-service course, designed for those who are already employed in this area. The course is taught at Calderdale College.

Teachers of vocational courses to 14-19 year olds in schools may also be eligible, as are those with an established training function in a business/commercial organisation. Voluntary teaching/training hours may be acceptable. Our trainees develop a deep interest in the academic and pastoral well-being of their students.

You are expected to have a good understanding of your chosen subject: a degree if you are applying for the Professional Graduate or Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), or a subject specialist qualification at a minimum of Level 3 for the Certificate in Education.

The course does not give the status of Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS). However, you can gain QTLS if you are appropriately employed in the sector, through a process of professional formation which is separate from the course and administered by the Society for Education and Training (SET).

The course encourages you to be reflective and critical in relation to your teaching. It combines a focus on practical strategies around topics such as classroom management and assessment with knowledge of the underpinning theory involved.

One of the distinctive features of the course is that the teaching and learning strategies used by the tutors are part of the content of the course as well as its delivery. Discussion of what methods tutors use and how well they work is designed to encourage you to make reflective judgments about what will work with your learners.

You will encounter a wide range of teaching and learning activities as you work through the course.

You will work in small groups and on your own, attend lectures and seminars as well as presenting your own work. Work-based learning will be an important feature of your studies, not just in relation to practical teaching but also to develop your wider professional role.

A similar variety of assessment strategies will also be encountered, ranging from essays and projects to teaching observations and peer assessment.