Post Compulsory Education & Training (PCET) - PGCE/PCE

Pathways:

• Professional Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) PCET
• Professional Certificate of Education (PCE) PCET.​

The PGCE PCET is for graduates who want to teach their degree subject or any subject for which they have at least a level 3 qualification in. They should also be teaching or actively seeking teaching in the post-compulsory sector of education and training. Students do not need GCSE Maths or English to apply for this course.

The PCE PCET is for students with a Level 3 qualification (e.g. NVQ3, OCN 3, A Level equivalence) preferably in the subject they are teaching or want to teach. The programme is for students who have experience in their subject areas and who wish to further their experience by teaching in the PCET or lifelong learning and skills sector. Students do not need GCSE Maths or English to apply for this course.

The Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) Sector encompasses sixth form/further education, higher education, post-16 training academies, work-based learning, apprenticeships, private training organisations (for example within businesses) and any other teaching and training that does not fall within the Primary or Secondary Education sectors.

Graduate and non-graduate entrants will follow the same learning pattern but, in compliance with the requirements of QAA, be assessed at the differentiated levels for undergraduate study in Year 2.

Preparing to Teach in PCET

If you are not sure that the two year course is right for you there is a short course designed as an introduction to teaching in post 16 - Preparing to Teach in PCET.

The Preparing to teach 10 week course is a teaching toolkit aimed at students with a Level 3 qualification who are considering teaching or who are currently teaching or training in post compulsory education environments. This is a stand-alone module and career progression onto the PGCE or PCE PCET is available on successful completion of Preparing to Teach. For further information about Prepare to Teach, please click here.

Course Content

The PCET programmes have been devised to introduce students to teaching in the post compulsory education and training (PCET) sector including tertiary, further and higher education, adult and community education, vocational and 14- 19 education as well as training in the private sector or work-based learning environments. These two-year part time programmes will engage you in both academic and practical assignments.

The programmes are based upon participative student-centred learning which requires the student to engage with a number of teaching methods including practical and simulated exercises, class based discussions, role play and experiential learning tasks and blended learning approaches to maximise effective learning and offer an inclusive learning experience for all students throughout the programme.

The general aim of these programmes is to produce teachers or trainers who can demonstrate competence across the range of roles and tasks related to the design, delivery, management and evaluation of learning. Students will leave the programme equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge that underpin the performance of those tasks expected of the professional educator or trainer in the post-compulsory sector.

The programme aims to provide a high quality and professionally appropriate experience that offers the opportunity for students to develop their abilities to plan and undertake projects related to practice and to link their practice to theory in a critical and evaluative way. It aims to equip students with the skills to engage with the concept of reflective practice and to select areas of professional relevance for their study.

The Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) sector is an area of growing importance in a world of rapidly evolving economic and social change. As individuals face the need to upgrade their skills in order to meet the requirements of the world of work, educators in the Post 16 sector have a key role to play in helping them to achieve their learning goals.

The overall aim is to create 'reflective practitioners'.

Modules:

Year 1

• Level 4 Preparing to Teach
• Level 5 Planning for Teaching in PCET
• Level 5 Delivering Learning and Teaching in PCET
• Level 5 Assessment and Evaluation of Learning in PCET
• Level 5 Reflective Practice

Year 2

The following modules are delivered on both programmes - the PCE PCET are delivered at Level 5 and the PGCE PCET at Level 6

• The Context of PCET
• Employability and Professional Development in PCET
• Sustainable Teaching and Learning Strategies in PCET
• Inclusive Curriculum Planning and Design in PCET
• Subject Pedagogy and Reflective Practice

The Course Team reserves the right to amend the programme to ensure compliance with professional standards.​

Employability & Careers

The PGCE and PCE PCET will qualify you to teach in Further and Higher Education, youth, adult and community education, 14- 19 sector, work-based education, training in HM Forces, prison education, industry and commercial training departments.

Students who have completed this course have gone on to part or full-time teaching in the post compulsory sector of education and training, usually teaching their subject and other subject related areas. All graduates leaving the course are signposted to Cardiff County Council and Cardiff Met's Widening Access department as potential adult education tutors for outreach and summer school activities. Some students are offered teaching opportunities by their mentor once they have graduated and networking with peers can also be useful in terms of future teaching opportunities.

Progression Routes:

Non-graduates successfully completing the PCE (PCET) will gain 120 credits at levels 4 and 5. Students would be able to progress on to a degree programme in their specific subject discipline or other related CPD qualifications.

Graduates completing the PGCE (PCET) will gain 120 credits at levels 4, 5 and 6. Students can then progress onto Masters programmes within their particular subject area e.g MA CPD Framework at Cardiff Met.

Visit the Post Compulsory Education & Training (PCET) - PGCE/PCE page on the Cardiff Metropolitan University website for more details!