Preparing to Teach in the Life Long Learning Sector (PTLLS) Levels 3 & 4

Who is the course Suitable for?

1. The course is compulsory for all those who are new to teaching, training or tutoring in publicly funded provision.

2. It is also suitable for teachers who need to be professionally up-to- date with contemporary trends in teaching or those teachers who need to update their existing knowledge and teaching or training skills.

3. It is also a requirement for trainers, trained tutors.

4. The course is also suitable for all those aspiring to enter the teaching/training profession.

Job Prospects

After the course, candidates would have achieved the following:

1. A nationally recognized certificate as a trainer or trainee teacher in further education colleges.

2. Membership of the Institute for Learning (IFL). You will be qualified as an affiliate member of the institute and awarded a membership number.

3. Part-qualified/trainee Assessor status as the course provides credit transfer for one unit for the A1 assessor course and makes it very easy for you to progress and become a fully qualified assessor.

4. You will be fully qualified to work as trainer, adult education teacher, qualified teacher in private further education colleges and unqualified teacher in the public colleges.

5. A threshold licence to teach in the UK lifelong learning sector.

Course Structure: What the course entails?

Basically, the new PTLLS course is made up of four units of 12 credits value under the national qualification and curriculum framework. The units are as follows:

1st Unit: Roles, responsibilities and relationships in lifelong learning

2nd Unit: Understanding inclusive learning and teaching in lifelong learning

3rd Unit: Using inclusive learning and teaching approaches in lifelong learning

4th Unit: Principles of assessment in lifelong learning

After successfully completing the four units, candidates will then be required to deliver the practical micro teach session.

Learning Outcomes

The course has five major learning outcomes as follows:

Teaching role,

Teaching and learning approaches,

Session planning,

Delivering inclusive sessions and assessment.

Practical teaching: a minimum of 15 minutes micro-teach session. You will also need to observe others students conducting teaching session for 45 minutes.

It is optional for candidates who do not want to observe others to do a one hour micro teaching session in lieu of this, and this will have to be done in their work place.

How the Distance Learning Works

As soon as you sign up for the course, you will be allocated a personal tutor whom you can be interacting with on a one-to-one basis. It is possible to be meeting your tutor live-online using skype or video conferencing facilities. Your personal tutor will contact you within 48 hours of enrolment to introduce himself to you and send you the reading pack for the first Unit. The reading pack will contain necessary reading materials as well as your portfolio assignment for the module.

You are free to contact your personal tutor several times while studying your materials to ask questions or seek clarifications on the units.

When you are done with your assignments for the first unit, forward it to your personal tutor who will assess it and make sure they are up to the standard of the awarding body. If they are not, you will be advised on what to do until your work is of required standard. You will then be sent the reading pack for the 2nd unit. This process continues until you complete all the four units.

On completion of the four units, you will then agree with your personal tutor and arrange for the delivery of the micro teach session. Again, this can be done live-online using skype or video conferencing facilities or through recorded video but you will need to agree with your personal tutor on this as he will be able to advise you better on this. After this, you will then put all your work together for your final portfolio which will then be internally and externally moderated before obtaining your certificate of award.

Course Duration

Although, the distance learning is flexible but you are advised not to spend more than six weeks to complete a unit. The time to complete your entire course is up to you. In theory, we say minimum of six weeks and maximum of one year.

Course Fee

Two hundred and forty Pounds (£249). This price also covers the awarding body registration and certification fees.

Eligibility Requirements

There are no formal eligibility qualification criteria for this course. However, candidate must have at least level 3 qualifications in their chosen subject areas and must be older than 19 years.

How do I enroll?

1. Visit the school website at www.londonscm.co.uk and hit the ‘Apply online’ link at the right hand side top corner. Alternatively, you can download the application form online and forward to the school through post, fax or email. You can also request an application form through email from : admissions@londonscm.co.uk

2. Your application will be picked by a member of the admission team who will get back to you within 3 working days with our decision. You may be contacted on telephone or email for a brief admission interview before reaching a decision on your application.

3. If you are successful, you will be issued an offer letter detailing your course and how to pay. Please do not pay your tuition fee until you receive this letter.