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Technical and Vocational Professional Development Programme

On behalf of the Department for Education (DfE), the Association of Colleges (AoC) is delivering a national Technical and Vocational Subject Teaching Professional Development (TVPD) programme to support the effective implementation and successful delivery of technical and vocational qualifications across the further education sector.

The programme sits at the heart of post-16 education reform, supporting providers to deliver quality T Levels, V Levels and Level 2 pathways with confidence, and consistency. It is designed to strengthen teaching practice, develop subject expertise and ensure learners across the country benefit from high-quality technical education.

High-quality professional development (PD) is critical for driving continuous improvement across the sector. Within this programme, PD goes beyond traditional training. It is evidence-informed, collaborative and rooted in current industry practice, enabling teachers and leaders to continuously develop their subject knowledge, pedagogical expertise, innovation and understanding of employer expectations.

The programme is structured across four interconnected strands:

  • Objective one: subject-specific professional development, focused on building teaching capability, confidence and subject expertise across all pathways
  • Objective two: industry engagement, ensuring teaching practice reflects current employer practice and workforce needs
  • Objective three: collaboration and networks, supporting peer learning and sharing of best practice across the sector
  • Objective four: organisational and leadership support, strengthening planning, provider readiness and long-term capability.

These strands work together to create a coherent national approach to workforce development, while remaining responsive to regional skills priorities. 

An advisory board of sector experts and membership bodies will ensure that all provider types, employers and awarding organisations (AOs) are properly represented and included in the programme. To date, members of the board include the Association of School and College Leaders, the Confederation of School Trusts, Baker Dearing Trust, the Federation of Awarding Bodies, and the Skills Federation. 

Technical and Vocational Excellence (TVE) Hubs

Nine provider-led Technical and Vocational Excellence (TVE) Hubs will co-design and deliver PD, leading, influencing and driving engagement within each region. 

Supported by AoC and working in collaboration with AOs, industry, and sector specialists, TVE Hubs will be funded to design subject specific courses aligned to qualification roll out, ensuring full subject and qualification coverage. 

The hubs will recruit ‘learning leads’ from providers within their region, who complete an accredited ‘train the trainer’ course and are then able to cascade learning to teachers within their organisations. In-house delivery will be supplemented with regional workshops and online learning programmes, alongside collaborative, practitioner led, action research projects.  

Invitation to Tender (ITT) Launch TVPD Hub Webinar

This webinar will provide an overview of the ITT for organisations who are interested in delivering as part of the TVPD programme.

It will outline the programme context, scope of the opportunity, and expectations for delivery, and will also include a walkthrough of the ITT documentation, key requirements, and the application process, including timelines and submission arrangements. The webinar is intended to support prospective bidders in understanding the requirements of the ITT and preparing a compliant and competitive submission. There will be an opportunity to ask clarification questions during the session.

Click here to register to attend

We are now inviting applications for the hubs. The deadline is 10 July.

To receive an email with the application guidance and materials, please fill out the form below.