The VTCT Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training will provide you with the knowledge, understanding and skills to teach and develop a range of personal qualities and attributes required for teaching, assessing and supporting learners. You will learn about wider professional practice, theories, principles and models in education as well as teaching, learning and assessment in education. During your course you will also have the opportunity to choose from a range of optional units including action research, inclusive practice, teaching in a specialist area and preparing for the personal tutoring role. This qualification is nationally recognised qualification for those individuals who aspire to or hold a teaching role with an extensive range of teaching or training responsibilities.

For those who wish to become fully qualified as further education teachers, with the possibility of gaining the professional status of Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS), the Level 5 Diploma (or its university equivalent) offers the optimal opportunity for substantial career development. Colleges of further education and many other sector employers are likely to require this level of qualification or at least a commitment to gain this upon employment.

The qualification comprises a combination of mandatory and optional units and has to comply with guidance offered in this document.

Course Entry Requirements

Applicants for the VTCT Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training need to be qualified and/or experienced in the subject which they intend to teach. Those intending to teach academic subjects would usually be expected to have a degree in their subject specialism. Those intending to teach in professional or vocational areas would usually be expected to have a professional or industry qualification and experience of working in their respective sector. There is a general expectation in the sector that a teacher should be qualified to at least one level above that at which they intend to teach. In some vocational areas this may be problematic but a reasonable expectation is that they hold the highest level trade qualification available, unless they have particularly substantial professional experience.

There are no firm rules regarding prior qualifications in maths or English although it is expected that trainee teachers gain qualifications at Level 2 prior to completion of their initial teaching qualification. Some providers will require formal qualifications before admission to an initial teacher training course for the sector. Others may administer pre admission tests in these areas. It is important to note that the successful completion of the full teacher qualification is academically demanding and applicants need to have, or be able to develop and demonstrate, high level personal skills to complete the academic and other requirements for the programme. Those in the full teacher role are required to be effective communicators in oral and written modes and to be able to handle, generate, and analyse statistical data. They will also need to be able to support learners’ English and mathematical needs at the appropriate levels whilst delivering their subject specialism.

Applicants need to demonstrate the potential to study at minimum academic Level 5 – the same level of study as the second year of a degree course. Some university equivalent Diploma in Education and Training qualifications are at Level 6 and some offer opportunities for graduates to obtain credits towards a Masters (Level 7).

Guided Learning Hours

Guided learning hours (GLH) refers to the indicative number of hours of supervised study that is recommended to complete an accredited unit or a qualification. This does not include unsupervised study, preparation or time taken for assessment. Guided learning hours are linked to the credit that learners receive for qualifications.

The indicative number of guided learning hours for the VTCT Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training is 360. On a one year programme, usually in a Higher Education Institution (HEI), this equates to between 10 – 12 hours per week. On a 2 year programme in a further education college the commitment would be about 5 hours per week and this may be arranged over more than one session. Independent (private) training providers may offer more flexible timetabling including more intensive provision and may incorporate distance, online or blended learning opportunities.

Teaching Practice Requirement

Teaching practice, together with observation and assessment of that practice, is a vital component of high-quality initial training. There is a requirement for a minimum of 100 hours of practice for the VTCT Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training which ideally will include teaching a variety of learners at more than one level in different learning environments. HEI courses may require more than the minimum 100 teaching practice hours.

The term 'teaching practice' refers to the teaching and learning sessions that are planned for specific learners and that take place in a learning environment. These sessions will include aspects of planning, delivery and assessment, including differentiation, and other factors that contribute to successful teaching and learning. Contact hours where teachers are supervising students for other purposes cannot be included as part of the required teaching practice hours.

Teaching practice group sizes may vary, ideally with a minimum of 12 learners, but the majority of the teaching practice must be to groups of 5 or more learners. It would not be possible to acquire, develop and demonstrate the full range of teaching skills through individual or small group teaching. Teachers need to be able to manage larger groups of learners and to deploy a variety of teaching techniques and facilitate a wide spectrum of learning activities.

Through their teaching placement/workplace mentoring, trainee teachers should have the opportunity to develop further subject specialist knowledge. Course applicants are advised to discuss teaching practice arrangements in some detail with the course provider when enquiring about joining a course. If the trainee teacher is responsible for arranging their own teaching practice placement, as they are on most part-time teacher training courses, the details of location, context, type of learners and subject level(s) will have to be agreed with the course provider.

There may be additional teaching practice requirements for some of the optional units.

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