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Attendance

Campus

Start

Duration

1 year

Start

September 2025

Delivery

In-person

Our PGCE (Further Education and Skills Sector) is a Level 7 nationally recognised qualification for teachers, trainers and tutors in the further education and skills sector which includes colleges, training providers and sixth forms.

Teaching is a rewarding profession where you’ll use your enthusiasm and talents to really make a difference to people’s lives.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) qualification will equip you to teach in the post-14 further education and skill sector, which includes:

Colleges
Sixth forms
Adult and community learning
The NHS
Offender learning
The Police service
Private sector training organisations.
Alternative provision in pupil referral units (PRU)

Throughout the course you’ll learn about teaching and learning strategies, with a focus on developing your practical and academic skills through reflective practice. An essential part of the programme is your teaching placement. You will work closely with your subject specialist mentor and your course tutor. They will observe you teaching and help you to develop your practice and skills.

You will benefit from the exciting opportunity to study at one of a range of our partner colleges across the North West region

This qualification enables you to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to achieve the Learning and Skills Teacher Occupational Standard in order to teach and be employable in the further education and skills sector.

Why study with us

Opportunities to study and train to be a teacher at one our UCLan partner colleges across the North West.
A wide range of teaching roles, with opportunities for progression and promotion, are available across the further education and skills sector.
Our course is well established and enjoys an excellent reputation in the further education and skills sector.

Interested?

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What you'll do

Train to be a teacher in the further education and skills sector, studying at one of our North West partner colleges of your choice.
Undertake your own project work on topics within teaching that have interest and relevance to your specialist subject and future career.
Apply the latest thinking on teaching to equip yourself with the knowledge and skills required to work in the exciting and dynamic further education and skills sector.

Modules

The aim of the module is to develop your professional skills and behaviours as reflective subject-specialist practitioners in the Further Education and Skills (FES) Sector. The module will develop your confidence and independence in meeting the changing demands of teaching, learning and assessment and explore and develop an evidence-based approach to the teaching of your subject.

Module code: TS2001

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information. However, our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may cause alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or revisions to subject benchmarks statements. As well as to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Alternative initial teacher education courses

If you find that the PGCE isn’t for you, you might want to consider one of our other Initial Teacher Education courses:

Award: PGCE
Delivery: Partner College
Study mode: Full time or Part-time
Duration: 1 year (full-time) or 2 years (part-time)
Start date: September
Campus: Partner College(s)

Full time and part time

Blackburn College
Hugh Baird College
Wigan & Leigh College

Part time only

Preston College
Furness College
Lakes College West Cumbria
Myerscough College
St Helens College

Future careers

The PGCE (Further Education and Skills Sector) opens up a wide range of teaching opportunities across the sector. There are also opportunities to progress to higher levels of study, including master’s degrees and doctorates.

Teaching opportunities exist in various organisations including further education colleges, alternative provision, sixth forms, adult and community learning, the National Health Service, the prison service, the Police service and private sector training organisations.

Our PGCE course is for those wishing to teach in the further education and skills sector. This is not a specific school teaching qualification. However, there are now employment opportunities in some schools, particularly for teachers of vocational subjects holding Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status.

On successful completion of the course you can apply for QTLS status through the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) which will enhance your opportunities to gain employment as a qualified teacher in a secondary school, academy or free school.

If you would like to progress to a higher level course after completing your PGCE you may wish to consider:

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image overlay — The Library (Preston Campus)

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Entry requirements

UK honours degree (normally 2:2 or above) or equivalent related to your specialist area
A minimum of a Level 3 qualification in all the specialist subjects they will be teaching (if different to degree subject)
GCSE English at grade C/4 or above (or OfQual approved equivalent)
GCSE Mathematics at grade C/4 or above (or OfQual approved equivalent)
Where English is not your first language: the ability to communicate fluently, accurately and effectively in professional spoken English (IELTS 7.5 with no element lower than 7.0 (or equivalent)
A teaching contract or a voluntary placement across two institutions, that includes: A minimum of 150 hours of teaching practice (including 20 hours online synchronous teaching); A minimum of 100 hours of non-teaching practice; A named subject specialist mentor in the primary placement location; A named pastoral mentor in the primary placement location.
Completion of a satisfactory course interview
Completion of a satisfactory subject interview
Provide confirmation of an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
Pre-service applicants wishing to teach in a school, or sixth form attached to a school will also be checked against the prohibition list

This course will involve you working with vulnerable groups of individuals, this may include children. In order to ensure that the University offers places on their programmes to suitable candidates you will be required to obtain a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service clearance (formerly termed CRB).

We will be able to guide you through this process once you have been offered a conditional place of study at the University of Central Lancashire.

It is important to note that should your Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prove to be unsatisfactory for the purpose of the course you have applied to, your offer of a place for that course may be withdrawn. If you have already enrolled on a course and your DBS check subsequently discloses a criminal conviction, you may be required to withdraw from the course even if you have already started. If you are aware that your DBS check will disclose a previous conviction, please contact the course leader for advice as not all convictions may preclude you from continuing with the course.

If you're pre-service and want to teach in a school, or sixth form attached to a school, you'll also be checked against the prohibition list.

If you want to teach English or mathematics (without a mathematics A Level or degree) you'll need to successfully complete an additional entry assessment to demonstrate your content knowledge and skills. This may impact on finding you a suitable teaching practice placement and so additional time must be factored in for this.

Specialist subject: where your specialist subject is Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), you will need to have a Level 3 SEND qualification. 

Equivalent qualifications must be named by the Society for Education and Training (SET) as suitable for entry to Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status. You can check for approved maths and English qualifications on the SET website.

If you need an International English Language Training System (IELTS) certificate, the date must be within two years of the point of application.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities, and in particular those that are currently under-represented in our Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses. We specifically encourage applications from ethnic minority groups at this time.

Fees and funding

Please contact your chosen college(s) for fees information as partner colleges have their own fees structure.

The course is eligible for applications to Student Finance England for a student loan to cover the full costs of your tuition fees. In addition, you may be eligible for a maintenance loan depending on your household income.

Additional costs

As part of your course, there may be additional costs to consider that are not included in your tuition fees. Most of these will be optional, but some courses have essential additional costs. Find out more about additional costs.

This PGCE recognises the diversity of student learning needs and experiences. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies have all been designed to meet these differing needs. Guest speakers from different areas of the further education and skills sector may also be included as part of the course where applicable.

Your teaching placement is a central feature of the course. You are required to teach for a minimum of 150 hours of teaching over the period of the course together with a minimum of 100 non-teaching hours over two placements. This is a national requirement.

You can expect a wide range of assessments on the course, which are undertaken both individually as well as in groups. Examples of methods of assessment used include reports, case studies, reflective writing pieces, presentations, academic posters, observations of your own and others’ teaching practice, and assignments.

If you find that the PGCE is not for you, you might want to consider one of our other Initial Teacher Education courses including:

This PGCE will not confer Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). However, there are opportunities to work in secondary schools, including academies and free schools after completing this PGCE, especially so if you complete professional formation and gain Qualified Teacher, Learning and Skills (QTLS) status.

This qualification is suitable for those who are already teaching (in-service) as well as those who are new to teaching. Your partner college will assist you to find a placement, but this is not always guaranteed.

Interested?

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This course is delivered by the School of Psychology and Humanities

For information on possible changes to course information, see our essential and important course information

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at the University of Central Lancashire on our student contract page

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Education & Training

Why study with us

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Future careers

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Education & Training

Why study with us

What you'll do

Modules

Modules studied

Alternative initial teacher education courses

Future careers

View the course facilities

Entry requirements

Important information about entry requirements

Fees and funding

Additional costs

Learning and assessment

Pathway opportunities

Further information