Professional development placements
Professional development placements offer opportunities for teachers to undertake placements with the aim of gaining practical experience of business and an understanding of employer needs. Teachers are the key to adding an effective work related dimension to the curriculum and increasingly recognise the value of working with business. Business experience needs to start early in a teacher's career and to continue as part of their professional development and that of the curriculum. Links should be integrated into school and personal development plans.
Benefits
Placements enable teachers to update their specific subject knowledge, to bring the real world of work to the curriculum, and to offer enhanced careers education and guidance. They should be regarded as part of a teacher's continuing professional development and can also help schools and their teachers develop their management skills.
Management
Quality placements should have clear objectives agreed with the individual teacher, the school's senior managers and the placement provider. They should be properly planned and designed to meet teacher's development needs and linked to their school development plan, which should feed into the LEA Education Department Plan. Placements should be fully reviewed afterwards by the teacher's line manager and the education business link consortia.
Funding
At present £1.8 million is currently spend on PDPs from the total sum available from the DfES to the Learning and Skills Councils and Education Business Link Consortia in support of education business links. Working with business is a very cost effective development opportunity. Placements are free and are recognised within INSET arrangements.
