The Education Workforce Council has begun work on a review of the Professional standards for further education teachers and work-based learning (WBL) practitioners.

Commissioned by the Welsh Government, the project is focused on developing new practical tools to help practitioners to engage with the standards. It will also involve a light-touch review of the standards themselves.

We'll be looking at best practice in FE and WBL in other countries as part of the review, and considering lessons from other sectors. We'll also be listening to our registrants, their employers and other stakeholders to find out how the standards are currently being used and how they could be improved.

We've already sent questionnaires to all registered FE teachers and WBL professionals to help us understand their needs. Their voice will be key in shaping the new resources and will inform our advice to the Welsh Government on refreshing the standards. We'll be holding face-to-face interviews and a series of focus groups later this year.

The Welsh Government first published the Professional standards for FE practitioners in 2007. They were then updated in 2017 to serve over 7,000 practitioners in FE and WBL in Wales.

We welcome the invitation to lead on this work, which is an important opportunity to help improve standards of teaching and the quality of learning in Wales.

Find out more about the review

Andy Borsden is the newly appointed development officer for the Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales.

He will play a vital role in evaluating and shaping the future of the award working with the wider youth work sector.

A former Principal Youth Officer and lead assessor for the Quality Mark, Andy joins the EWC with over 35 years’ experience as a youth worker.

Having run youth provision as a volunteer and led teams of youth workers working with the most vulnerable young people, Andy understands the importance of developing and maintaining a quality service.

The Welsh Government commissioned the EWC earlier this year to deliver and develop the Quality Mark alongside ETS Wales.

A review of the Quality Mark is underway to look at how it can be strengthened. The deadline for participating in the online questionnaire closes on 30 June 2020.

Find out more about the Quality Mark. 

For any enquiries, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We recognise that these are challenging times for our registrants. Many have asked us for advice about aspects of their practice. Read what your regulator has to say.

As a result of COVID-19, many of you have contacted us for guidance because you're being asked to educate learners in new and challenging ways using a range of social media applications. You're worried about staying safe online and ensuring professional boundaries are maintained.

You've also raised the challenges you face because the summer exams have been cancelled and you're expected to ‘calculate’ your learners’ likely achievement to feed into estimated and ‘fair’ grades. You don’t want to let them down and are concerned with how to get them back on track once you return to your work setting.

In discussing these issues with you, we've reminded you that the EWC Code of Professional Conduct and Practice is there to guide you, to help with judgements and decisions you might make. You should keep it as an important point of reference – think about the 5 key principles and expectations upon you. They will help you make the right decisions when faced with the challenges above.

To help further, we have published some good practice guides. Two of the five guides focus specifically on the two topics of social media and the challenges with examination and assessment. Plenty of practical guidance to support you.

If you find yourself in a situation that is causing you concern, seek advice and support as early as possible from your line manager, trade union or at the very least, someone you trust. That early intervention can often be invaluable.

And finally – we are also here for you. All of our staff are working from home and are can be contacted easily by e-mail if you have a query or concern.

The Education Workforce Council has today published its fifth good practice guide.

Aimed at registered education practitioners in Wales, the guide focuses on the key characteristics which contribute to positive working relationships. It provides useful advice for registrants practitioners on how to build and maintain those relationships successfully through:

• mutual respect
• open communication
• empathy
• trust
• interpersonal skills
• building rapport with staff or team members.

All of the EWC’s good practice guides are in line with the principles set out in its Code of Professional Conduct and Practice.

Download the good practice guide to positive working relationships.