It is my first week back to teaching, and yes, ever since I got into teaching, I have loved every minute of it, and thanks to my former Professor, Tim Crook at Goldsmiths University of London, who after my graduation with my Master of Arts Degree in Radio, he introduced me to teaching by suggesting and recommending my name to the Community Service Volunteer (CSV) for the role of a Radio Trainer. By then I had already started working on a freelance basis for BBC World Service and London Spectrum Radio International 558 AM. But, in just two years after that, my whole career changed for the best, from working as a radio producer and journalist to a full-time lecturer in Colleges of Further & Higher Education, and it has been like that for 20 years and it is great!
Yes, there are huge challenges for us working in FE, for example, low pay and working conditions can be very demanding. It got worse in the last 10 years due to the government’s austerity. But kudos to the current new PM Boris Johnson who has thrown a lifeline to FE Colleges once again. At last, someone in the government has recognised the significant role that FE plays in helping the most disadvantaged in society. The £400 million of additional funding announced is definitely good news to FE Colleges.
So why am I hooked to teaching in FE Colleges?Well for any teacher whether in Schools, FE Colleges or University, the teaching profession has many rewarding benefits. These include changing someone’s life to be productive citizens, instilling good values, and of course the benefit of having the winter and spring breaks, not forgetting the long summer break that we often enjoy. All that is great, but to me personally, there has been one huge rewarding experience that has kept me hooked to teaching in FE Colleges.
In FE Colleges, we get so many top students who join us after having passed their GCSE and A Levels with flying colours. They enrol to study various courses such as Creative Media Production, Acting, Performing Arts, Music Performance & Technology, Apprenticeships, etc., but also, we do cater for students who have not been successful following their GCSE in Schools, and thanks to FE Colleges who have been at the forefront in providing such new chances and opportunities to students who leave schools with no or poor qualifications.
It is absolutely fascinating, rewarding and rich experience of seeing these students who join the College following their poor GCSE grades transform and change into top class students after a period of 5 years of learning their specialised crafts in FE Colleges!
Their 5-year journey at an FE College sees them through a Level 2 First Diploma course for example Creative Media Production which is equivalent of 4 GCSE and that takes one year, but also as part of their course, students have to re-take their GCSE Maths and English until they achieve at least a ‘C’ grade (old grading system), ‘4’ (new grading system).
After completion, students would then progress to do a Level 3 Extended Diploma which is equivalent of three A levels, and this takes them two more years. The students then have a choice to either go to a University for a 3-year degree course or stay in FE College to progress onto the Higher National Diploma which takes another 2 years and it is equivalent to two years of a degree course at University.
For students who opt to remain at an FE College to do the Higher National Diploma, it is fascinating to see the end results of these students who after having come into College with negative attitude to learning and bad behaviour and with no qualification, but then after 5 years, not only are they fully qualified and ready to go into employment, but they are matured and well behaved all round professionals. Many of these students go on to work and have proved to be very successful in their careers at various media industries. It is an amazing experience to see such transformation of an individual.
