IfL supporting teachers

Stella and I are writing to you in our roles as patron and chief executive of IfL. We hope that you had a break over the summer and I am sure, like us, that you and colleagues are focused on the challenges ahead. We know it is a tough economic climate, which means that young people and adults will depend even more on the expertise of teachers and trainers in gaining excellent outcomes this year. IfL is part of helping you and your colleagues in your commitment to excellence in teaching.

You may have heard last week that John Hayes, minister of state for further education, skills and lifelong learning, announced his proposal to commission an independent review of professionalism in the further education and skills sector.

IfL welcomes the opportunity set out in the review for the sector to take stock and reflect on the current regulatory framework created by the sector with government, and our collective achievements on professionalising our sector's workforce. The review will also consider IfL and future changes in the FE and Skills sector, and how the sector wishes to support teachers and trainers in the future, alongside other professions and professional bodies.

Toni meets with principals on a regular basis, and we have produced a summary of a few of the ideas put forward recently by five principals on how IfL can support teachers at their colleges:

• Bill Fearon (K College)

• Dave Linnell (Cornwall College)

• Andy Wilson, Westminster Kingsway College

• Stella Mbubaegbu (Highbury College)

• Jim Aleander (South Leicestershire College)

IfL membership currently is over 75,000 and hundreds more teachers are joining every day. Over this summer, IfL members declared their continuing professional development (CPD) for 2010/11 demonstrating their commitment to their own professionalism and the sector's aspirations for a professional teaching and training workforce. IfL will publish our annual CPD report later this autumn and share with members and the sector. You may also be interested in IfL’s Impact Review for 2009/10

For 2010/11, our members have asked IfL to focus our work to support their practice by:

• Supporting continuing professional development (CPD) through resources, subject online communities, the monthly CPD enewsletter On the Agenda and policy enewsletter Informed, and IfL's quarterly professional journal, InTuition

• Conferring the professional status of Qualified Teaching Learning and Skills (QTLS) and Associate Teaching Learning and Skills (ATLS), which over 4,000 teachers and trainers have achieved so far

• Sharing of evidence-based research on vocational pedagogy that highlights the distinctive features of effective teaching and training

• Working with members, employers and partners to promote the professional status of members in the FE and skills sector.

As patron and chief executive, we would welcome any questions or feedback about IfL, as well as our part in the independent review. Please get in touch at toni.fazaeli@ifl.ac.uk

Yours sincerely

Stella Mbubaegbu - patron

Toni Fazaeli - chief executive