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The last 30 years have witnessed ongoing calls for the reform of post-14 education, to make it more responsive to the needs of employers and the economy, and overcome the academic-vocational divide. This article maps out recent proposals and changes in 14-19 education to remind us that they are rooted in a complex past, and while they might appear to be a solution to current problems, they often give rise to other issues. The publication of the most recent White Paper 14-19 Education and Skills marks no more than another episode in the development of this crucial phase and the failure to address wholesale reform simply adds to the complexities of the inherent incrementalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on findings from a three-year longitudinal study in England called the Teacher Study which aimed to provide an analytical description of who Skills for Life (SfL) teachers are and what they do in their working lives. The main focus of the paper is teachers' career pathways and the possibilities of making a career in basic-skills education in the post-16 learning and skills sector between 2004 and 2007, and it highlights the connection between career progression and the lack of availability of full-time posts. The research found that the ability to make a career is contingent on the organisation or sector the teacher works in. Although many teachers enjoy working part-time on shorter term contracts, over a quarter of teachers were dissatisfied with their career prospects, and a sizeable proportion of them, particularly younger teachers, felt constrained in their future career plans by the lack of full-time posts, a scarcity of permanent contracts, low numbers of available teaching hours and a lack of managerial opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the beginnings of courses of teacher training for teachers in technical and further education in England. First the development of the technical education sector and its distinctive part-time nature is traced, alongside the activities of the three associations representing the colleges and their staffs. The views of these on the proposals of the Board of Education to introduce an experiment in technical teacher training in the late 1930s are considered. The wartime planning of technical teacher training as part of the emergency teacher training scheme is discussed, and the setting-up of three centres for teacher training in technical colleges and their work up to 1950 are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares and contrasts the policy context of Vocational Education Teacher Training (VETT) in Scotland and England by setting this within its wider socio-economic context, one emphasising lifelong learning and competitiveness. This facilitates a comparison of the two nations and enables an analysis of VETT responses to globalisation and lifelong learning. It allows an exploration of policy continuities and breaks across Scotland and England, leading to a consideration of the limits and possibilities of the different 'solutions' adopted. In these nations VETT is somewhat marginal having only recently become mandatory, unlike many other European responses. The article's policy analysis is complemented by a small scale illuminative case study of VETT educators in Scotland and England, which explores the way policy is lived and mediated at the site of practice. The research suggests that whilst both systems are compromised, VETT educators seek to work on the 'good' side of the system in which they are placed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the development of teacher training for teachers in technical and further education in England through the memories of the staff of Bolton Technical Teachers College, one of the first national centres set up for this purpose. After a brief account of the origins and the development of the college up to its merger with the Bolton Institute in 1982, the article summarises data obtained through interviews with former staff. These sections consider the staff's perceptions of their work; the organisation and content of teacher training; and the culture of the institution. The article then considers these data in the light of the changing context of teacher training and of the work of further education colleges in England during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant policy change in the field of teacher training and development in England has affected teachers in all phases of education over the last decade. Increased government requirements for accountability and scrutiny have resulted in, for example, the introduction of professional standards for teachers in schools, colleges and universities. However, the content of these changes has varied and there are clear differences in their impact on each group of teachers. This article critically reviews the main changes affecting the teaching profession in each sector and clarifies the agencies involved, their roles and origins. The authors conclude that the government's piecemeal approach to teacher training and development has created some serious anomalies. These are illustrated by the current position of the further education teacher, in particular, whose work may overlap with the work of teachers in both of the other sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]