Technical Teaching Fellowship programme

The Technical Teaching Fellowship programme recognises, rewards, promotes and increases excellence of practice in industrial and technical education partnerships.

The initiative is funded by a partnership between the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), which has a charitable objective to develop the technical education workforce, and the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. 

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851’s mission is to “increase the means of industrial education and extend the influence of science and art upon productive industry” through postgraduate Fellowships and Scholarships for advanced study and research in science, engineering, and a small number of Special Awards. Many of these are focused on raising awareness of career paths and opportunities presented by science and engineering to young people.

The Technical Teaching Fellowship Programme celebrates, develops and disseminates exceptional practice in technical teaching, to support and empower the industrial and technical expertise of the next generation. Funded fellowships enable successful applicants to develop and promote a model of professional excellence in their delivery of technical education, and for effective practice to be disseminated widely to improve the quality of technical teaching and training.

At the heart of the programme is the understanding that to grow industrial capacity, we need to recognise, reward and promote high quality collaborations between industry and education in the Further Education and Training sector.

Technical Teaching Fellowship programme details

The programme encourages institutions with an excellent track record in technical and vocational education to propose Technical Teaching Fellows.

Successful applicants will:

  • receive an award of £5,000 – £15,000 to support activity and to ensure remission time is guaranteed
  • develop “Pathways to Impact” knowledge transfer activity plans, to maximise the benefit of their Fellowships
  • attend two one-day developmental workshops over the academic year
  • be allocated a programme mentor to support them for the duration of the programme
  • be expected to disseminate their work at national conferences
    contribute to the delivery of a final report, written to engage and motivate technical education in their area of practice
  • be made Fellows of the Society for Education and Training and be awarded a year’s free membership during their participation in the programme.

Who are we looking for?

We welcome applications from any region of England, any type of ESFA funded provider who is recognised for its excellence in the delivery of technical education and training and any practitioner who is an considered to be an outstanding practitioner, facilitating high quality learning experiences and excellent outcomes for learners. Joint applications from two individuals wishing to work together will be considered, both from one organisation or as a partnership between two providers. Ideal candidates are likely to be teachers and trainers fully engaged in employer-facing education and vocational delivery. They would be teaching on work or college-based learning programmes that are designed to provide training for skilled occupations where there is a substantial requirement for technical knowledge and practical skills to develop occupational competency.

Applications should propose knowledge transfer activities that share effective practice in technical education and training and drive improvement. Full support will be given to assess the potential of the Fellowship to drive innovation, increase productivity and to contribute towards the maintenance of a sustainable local economy.

Fellowship awardees:

You can listen to the Technical Teaching Fellows:

Cerian Ayres, the ETF’s National Head of Technical Education, wrote about why technical teachers should consider applying in a recently published FE News article- Raising the bar: A double celebration of excellence in STEM.

You may also be interested in reading some a previous article: Fellows raising the profile of FE technical teaching and training through technical teaching fellowships

Applications

Download the 2023-24 Technical Teaching Fellowship Awards application form here

Cerian Ayres, the ETF’s National Head of Technical Education, discussed why technical teachers should consider applying in her blog, In technical teaching, Fellows are leaders.

For further information about the programme, please contact Cerian.