Licence to skill? Electrician calls on others to turn to teaching while keeping their day jobs

  Posted by: electime      4th April 2022

Dave Love from Warrington is Assistant Director of Apprenticeships & STEM at Warrington and Vale Royal College. He started out as an electrician before switching to teaching—first part-time and now full time. Dave previously owned his own Electrical business for 7 years before turning to FE teaching.

He’s calling on others to help train the next generation of talent in the sector through part-time FE teaching alongside their current role.

Dave said: “I have decided to become a teacher because I worked with apprentices in the past and my wife is also a teacher. I’ve always enjoyed giving back. When I was working full time as an electrical engineer I ran my own business, I came to the college to keep on top of my studies. During my own studies I was ‘talent spotted’ and the course teacher asked me if I would consider FE teaching myself. I was previously an electrician for 7 years and ran my own company. I then was the lead electrician at Castle Construction.

“What engages the students the most is the stories of experiences in the sector, how much money you can make and client communication. It makes it much more real for the students if you have real-life experience. I think it’s that “penny drop” moment. When a student is struggling with the technical principles and does not believe they are that academic, the realisation of understanding it and then them passing their exam makes everything worthwhile.

“I believe that resilience, understanding, compassion and passion for what you do makes you a great FE teacher. If you have these qualities, no matter how the lesson goes, your passion will always come across.”

This comes as DfE is releasing new data from among 2,000 employed adults, which reveals that:

New research has revealed that half of employees would consider teaching in further education either full or part time alongside their current job, as more people felt the benefits of sharing their skills during the pandemic.

The findings, from the Department for Education, come as the Government is calling on more industry professionals to share their skills and teach in further education, alongside their current job.According to the new research among 2,000 employees, 70 per centof people took to sharing their skills during the pandemic and 30 per cent did so more often than they had done previously, with one in five (22 per cent) agreeing their appetite to do so increased in the period.

The most commonly shared types of skills included technical, communication and leadership skills as well as wider knowledge and understanding. Over a third (34%), turned to online content such as YouTube or podcasts to learn new skills and one in ten (10 per cent) stated they learnt from celebrities or influencers on social media.

And those that shared their skills clearly felt the benefit – with 65 per cent agreeing they enjoy helping people through passing on their knowledge, experience and skills. Over a third (34%) of people say they would like to pass on their skills to others in their field of work, and more than a quarter (29 per cent) of people want to help the next generation – both of which can be achieved through teaching in further education.

This research comes as the Department for Education recently launched a  national marketing campaign calling for more skilled workers to change lives without changing careers by teaching part-time in further education (FE), alongside their current role.  There are opportunities on offer for industry professionals to pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation of learners in their field, with a particular focus on key sectors including Construction, Engineering and Manufacturing, Legal, Finance and Accounting, Digital/IT, and Health and Social Care.

Minister for Skills, Alex Burghart said: “Further Education is transforming the lives of young people and adults across the country, offering innovative new courses and training to help open doors to good jobs and better opportunities.

“None of this would be possible without our world-class FE teachers. We want to see more talented industry experts join the profession, taking up the unique opportunity to share their skills, alongside their current job, and inspire the next generation.”

Jenny Garrett, Author, Leadership Trainer, and Speaker said: “We’ve all skilled up during the pandemic, whether that’s getting better at navigating the online world or training others without physically being in the same room.

These research findings reflect what I’ve found and what I hear from my clients – that sharing your skills is rewarding. Passing on my wisdom and experience means I get to see things through the eyes of others, interact with people whose thinking gives me new perspectives, and get that warm glow from helping others.

Teaching in FE is a rewarding way to share your knowledge. Industry professionals can use their real world experience to pass on their knowledge and bring theory to life. They can explain the day-to-day realities of life in the job and therefore best equip the next generation for a bright career.”

Industry professionals looking to share their skills with the next generation can teach their trade, skill or subject in further education teaching. The benefits of teaching in FE include:

• Your industry skills are transferable and real-world industry experience is highly valued for FE teaching roles.
• Part-time teaching jobs mean you can change lives without changing your career, you can teach in FE alongside your current job
• You can earn while you train. You can jump right into teaching in FE as prior teaching qualifications are not always needed
• If you want to teach an FE course that relates to your industry, you do not always need a degree
• You can train the next generation of workers in your sector, and pass on your knowledge and experience. As an FE teacher, you can help prepare your students for bright and fulfilling careers.

To share your skills and learn more about teaching in further education, visit: https://www.teach-in-further-education.campaign.gov.uk/