You might not have heard of 'pracademia', but here is why it matters in FE

By Rachel Whitton, Curriculum Manager: Professional Studies & Education at Warrington & Vale Royal College and Research Further Scholar

While the origin of the term "pracademic" is unclear and contested, I think we can all agree that it's a fabulous word.

The consensus generally seems to be that the term explains a blend of practitioner and academic. For me, the definition I most identify with is the one developed by Jill Dickinson and others in 2022. They believe that pracademics are practitioners who occupy a space between professional practice and academia, and that their practitioner experience enriches teaching, employability, employer engagement and curriculum development. 

It's been a particularly helpful way of making sense of my own professional identity. 

26 years ago, I began my career as a work-based learning practitioner. Since then, I have challenged myself to progress through an honours degree, teacher training at Level 5 and 7, and a masters. I am now in the midst of writing my doctoral thesis. It has been a long, hard and often difficult journey, navigating my way through various university-level programmes and learning to find my place within them. 

When I reflect on my “accidental academic” journey (Wilkinson, 2020), I know my experiences won't be unique. I wonder how many others working and researching within the FE sector will recognise themselves in this story, balancing practice and academia, and slowly shaping a professional identity that sits somewhere between the two. 

It is something that comes with time and experience, but I think it's worth discussing with trainee teachers as they enter the FE profession. So many come from industry backgrounds, and therefore quickly discover that they are not just learning how to teach, but learning who they are now. One minute they are confidently rooted in their vocational identity, and the next they are juggling pedagogical language, and the expectation to engage in Level 5 teacher training and action research projects. It must feel like being asked to keep one boot firmly in industry while stepping into an academic world wearing a completely different pair of shoes. For some, this shift into multiple professional identities is exciting; however, for others it can be most unsettling, as they navigate the move from experienced professional to trainee teacher and researcher, all at the same time. If the transition is not carefully supported we can lose great potential in our new trainee teachers. 

FE colleges are often brilliant employers when it comes to creating a sense a belonging, for both students and staff. This can be strengthened through professional and academic achievement, but sometimes these accomplishments do not entirely banish the quiet imposter syndrome feelings (Clance and Imes 1978). Achievement can help support legitimacy, but the notion of belonging is still fluid rather than a fixed state.

So how can we help them? In my experience, many trainee teachers are often clear about the value they bring into FE with them. Their vocational backgrounds were seen as a vital source of credibility, allowing them to offer students a ‘lived experience’ and an authenticity rooted in bringing practice based knowledge, skills, and behaviours into teaching. Yet, alongside this confidence sits the realisation that entering the FE profession means embracing a new identity, not only as a teacher, but as a learner and emerging researcher. For some, the expectation to engage in Level 5 study and action research comes as a surprise, adding another layer to an already complex transition from vocational expert to educator. But ensuring they focus on theory that can be bought into their vocational skill set, and using theory to understand and improve on what they are actually doing in the classrooms and workshops can make this process far more meaningful and memorable. In time, they'll become a pracademic. 

FE teachers do not become pracademics by gaining PhDs or moving into HE. This happens when they stay close to their own practice, questioning their teaching, engaging with research, and generating knowledge from within their own classrooms. The theory can only become meaningful when trainee teachers can connect with it and help make sense of their own practice. This work is not a stepping‑stone beyond FE; it is scholarship born from it.

I am often asked what I will do next, once the thesis is finally complete, usually with the unspoken assumption that the natural progression is a move into a HE role. For me, the answer is very simple. I will stay exactly where I belong, at the heart of teacher education in FE. This journey was never about moving up into a sector that is too often perceived as hierarchically superior to FE; it was about challenging myself, discovering my own capabilities, and proving that scholarly endeavour and academic rigour belong just as firmly in FE.