As educators, we rarely have time to pause, reflect and truly hone our practice. But when we do get an opportunity, we often find innovative solutions to persistent challenges or gain perspective that takes us in a new direction.
My experience of T Level mentoring with the Education Training Foundation (ETF) provided space to reflect and move beyond the comfort zone in my teaching.
This gave me the confidence to invest further in my practice by applying for the Technical Teaching Fellowship programme, run by ETF and the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.
When I started my fellowship, I wanted to use my research project to investigate why my first cohort of management T Level learners had such mixed experiences with their industry placement.
Several learners weren’t happy with the placement, and one was unfortunately let go.
When I spoke to employers, they were honest about learners lacking the skills to succeed in the workplace. I wanted to understand the workplace-readiness skills gaps and how we could use digital technologies to address them.
My assumption that the main problem would be technical skills – use of Teams, Excel, Outlook – was soon challenged. It wasn’t these skills, but human skills such as communication, resilience, adaptability and confidence that both learners and employers felt most affected their ability to succeed.
Employers emphasised that while they were able to provide support with most technical skills on the job, it was these soft skills that were harder to teach but were invaluable to learners’ progress from day one.
Holding focus groups across my T Level cohorts, I explored which areas learners needed most support with. Together, we identified core professional habits and behaviours required for workplace success: punctuality, reliability, planning, confidence talking on the phone and conflict resolution (including taking constructive feedback).
The ability and confidence to plan routines, including finding their way to places, was a top concern for many learners. In class we looked at bus and train apps, and downloaded maps to plan routes. We explored being flexible and adaptable, considering alternative routes and transport options for unexpected scenarios.
For other behaviours, I drew on AI tools. To build confidence talking on the phone, I used an AI roleplay simulator to roleplay scenarios where learners could interact live through headsets.
While we trialled a paid tool for roleplay, free tools were also useful. These included the ‘coach function’ within Microsoft PowerPoint, which records learners delivering their presentation and provides feedback on pauses, pitch, and repetition.
Learners found this useful in preparing for the 20-minute presentation required as part of their employer set project.
Importantly, as well as supporting our learners with skills, I worked with employers on how to support learners’ understanding of expectations in the workplace.
This involved breaking down unfamiliar language, asking for clarity on terms such as ‘smart-casual’ dress code and establishing non-negotiables.
I also ensured that employers were equipped with the right information to support individuals. For SEND learners, I created a one-pager outlining their particular support needs in the workplace which we hope to roll out to colleagues.
It’s been fantastic to see my learners growing in confidence for their industry placements after focusing on developing their soft skills.
The next stage of my fellowship project involves sharing my learnings with the wider sector. I’m doing this by creating a digital handbook with tips and ideas for practitioners and through other activities, including organising an in-house conference.
My experience has prompted me to consider sector-wide issues and think about our changing policy landscape, which has also given me valuable perspective and context for my own practice.
I look forward to sharing specific learnings from my research, but my overarching takeaway remains this: grasping any opportunity to step back and reflect, in whatever form this may take, is one of the most valuable things we can do as educators, not just for our learners but for ourselves too.
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