Association of Colleges

Further education glossary

Please see below for a glossary of further education abbreviations, acronyms and key terms.

Projects in a specified area which try out new approaches and assess their impact through practical activities

Post-Compulsory Education and Training

PDC

Professional Development Centres. Basic skills centres approved by the learning and skills council. Normally, they are formed from existing colleges, and may supply training for basic skills tutors, or serve as advice and guidance points within their regions

PDF

Professional Development Forum.

Parent Empowerment through Family Literacy

Postgraduate Certificate in Education -a one-year postgraduate qualification needed to teach in English state schools

Programme for International Student Assessment - a collaborative study among 28 member countries of OECD and four others to assess the knowledge and skills of 15-year olds in literacy, numeracy and science

Practitioner Led Research Initiative(NRDC project)

Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties

Programme of study in individual subjects of the national curriculum taught during the four key stages

PT

Part-Time