We have an excellent reputation for our education courses in the region and have been training highly skilled, inspirational teachers for over 75 years. At Worcester you’ll learn to motivate, challenge and inspire a range of different students.
in the UK for Quality Education
Training bursary available for SEND further education
The SEND bursary is £15,000 and there is an English bursary of £10,000. English bursaries are limited to 100 over the year.
This course is mapped to the National Occupational Standard for Learning and Skills Teacher. The standard is currently the responsibility of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical education (IfATE) – soon to be transferred to Skills England.
First for jobs
The University of Worcester is first in the UK for sustained employment, further study or both, five years after graduation (excluding specialist institutions) - Longitudinal Educational Outcomes Survey 2024. Read more.
Overview
Our postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) will prepare you to become a further education teacher.
You’ll gain experience through placement in a further education setting, whilst receiving tailored tutor support. When not on placement, you’ll be taught through a mixture of lectures, workshops and interactive lesson simulations.
When you successfully complete this course, you will be eligible to apply for QTLS (Qualified Teacher Training and Skills) with the Society for Education and Training. This is an additional qualification that is undertaken after the PGCE. It is equivalent to QTS, the schools sector professional status, and is intended to further support teachers who teach in further education.
Subject Specialisms
Beyond the classroom, we’ll enrich your subject knowledge based on your chosen specialist subject. You will receive at least seven days of subject specialist training and connect with others who have chosen your route.
You can specialise your PGCE Further Education course with one of the following options:
- Sports PE
- Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
- Art and Design
- English and ESOL
- Performing Arts
- Health and Social Care
* Please note that to apply for QTLS, you would need a recognised Level 3 or above qualification in the subject area you are teaching.
Placements
You’ll complete a minimum of 18 hours a week on placement, teaching in a further education setting, so you experience a variety of classroom situations. You may attend placement in a college, work-based learning environment or adult and community setting, with support from university tutors and on-site mentors.
Course details
Gaining experience is a substantial and integral part of the course, and you will complete an average of three days a week on placement.
Indicative themes explored through the course content are outlined below, although regular updates mean that exact modules may differ.
Careers
This course will support you to teach in various further education settings across the UK. Most of our students quickly find jobs after graduation, thanks to the confidence they’ve gained on the course, the connections they make on placement and our excellent reputation we have in the Midlands region.
Our graduates also pursue leadership roles, as special educational needs coordinators, curriculum leaders and college directors.
The PGCE is an internationally recognised teaching qualification and can widen your opportunities for a career overseas. You’ll be able to seek work in countries such as America, Australia, and Canada.
Course highlights
Teaching and assessment
Teaching is a mix of interactive seminars, classroom simulations and one-to-one tutorials – alongside this you’ll be supported by university staff and mentors when out on placement. Your assessments will prepare you for a career as a teacher, and include creating a scheme of work, delivering a presentation, and writing reflective essays.
Teaching and assessment contents
The majority of teaching sessions will be face to face. 6 days will be dedicated as multimodal learning or synchronous online learning. Typically contact hours for the centre-based training will be structured around:
- Interactive small group seminars on campus
- Practical skills sessions on campus
- Scheduled online lecture/discussions
In addition, you will be expected to engage in tutorials, online research, completing learning activities and accessing learning materials each week. This includes independent study preparing for assessments.
Meetings with Personal Academic Tutors (subject tutors) are scheduled usually once every month. Tutors also visit you in your settings to quality assure the process and offer tutorial support.
Meet the team
You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course.
You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.
Jane Sisk
Jane is a Senior Lecturer in Education with a focus on Post Compulsory Education. Most recently she has worked in a large FE college in the role of Teaching and Learning Coordinator with a focus on the development and delivery of the new Diploma in Education and Training (DET) qualifications, delivering CPD and coaching programmes and coordinating the Colleges VLE development.
Jane Sisk
Jane is a Senior Lecturer in Education with a focus on Post Compulsory Education. Most recently she has worked in a large FE college in the role of Teaching and Learning Coordinator with a focus on the development and delivery of the new Diploma in Education and Training (DET) qualifications, delivering CPD and coaching programmes and coordinating the Colleges VLE development.
Jane Sisk
Jane is a Senior Lecturer in Education with a focus on Post Compulsory Education. Most recently she has worked in a large FE college in the role of Teaching and Learning Coordinator with a focus on the development and delivery of the new Diploma in Education and Training (DET) qualifications, delivering CPD and coaching programmes and coordinating the Colleges VLE development.
Case studies
Devan Crawford
Devan has a degree in Outdoor Education and Leadership. Devan applied for the course so that he could progress in his ambition to embed outdoor education approaches in SEND.
The course provided a supportive and safe space for Devan to develop teaching skills and to further develop outdoor education philosophy and practice in SEND.
Devan has secured a learning support tutor post at a local Specialist Sports College which has SEND provision.
Lucie Clewer
“The course works well because there are strong links between theory and practice – I was able to apply class-based learning on placement. The subject specialism sessions gave me a good grounding in Sport curriculum, practice, and research. The biggest impact of the course has been the confidence I have gained.”
Lucie is starting a full-time permanent post at her placement college in September. Her goal is to teach and continue to develop her leadership experience.
Gemma Wilkes
Gemma applied to Worcester because it offers SEND as a subject specialism. Gemma was able to develop both teaching and academic knowledge and skills whilst on the course, “My biggest achievement was teaching my learners online – it was essential to keep learners engaged and active and I developed some great strategies to support this.”
Gemma is starting a tutoring role with a Birmingham FE College with a focus on working with the engagement of young learners.
Sian Hutchings
Sian has a strong academic background in Art and Design to Master’s level and a passion for sharing her subject with communities, young learners, and undergraduate students.
“The collaborative learning opportunities have been great – with peers, placement colleagues, and course tutors; my mentor was a fantastic support and went the extra mile to support me.”
Sian is starting a part-time teaching role in her placement college in September and has a goal to develop a career teaching in FE.
Devan Crawford
Devan has a degree in Outdoor Education and Leadership. Devan applied for the course so that he could progress in his ambition to embed outdoor education approaches in SEND.
The course provided a supportive and safe space for Devan to develop teaching skills and to further develop outdoor education philosophy and practice in SEND.
Devan has secured a learning support tutor post at a local Specialist Sports College which has SEND provision.
Lucie Clewer
“The course works well because there are strong links between theory and practice – I was able to apply class-based learning on placement. The subject specialism sessions gave me a good grounding in Sport curriculum, practice, and research. The biggest impact of the course has been the confidence I have gained.”
Lucie is starting a full-time permanent post at her placement college in September. Her goal is to teach and continue to develop her leadership experience.
Entry requirements
Honours degree, normally 2:2 or higher from a United Kingdom higher education institution or equivalent qualification, in a relevant subject area. Applicants with a 3rd class degree will be considered on an individual basis.
As a postgraduate course, a first degree is required. However, you can apply to teach a subject if you have a Level 3 qualification in the subject you wish to teach, for example, if you have a Level 3 qualification in English (A level) and an Honours degree in Sociology and apply to teach English.
GCSE grade C/4 in English Language or English Literature and Mathematics, or equivalent qualifications. We do offer an equivalency test if you don’t have the required GCSE grade to apply for our courses.
Trainees who begin courses before providing evidence of the required GCSE standard (or equivalent) will not be eligible for financial incentives, such as bursaries or grants until they achieve the required standard.
Additional entry requirements
You'll also be required to demonstrate that you have the health and character sufficient to teach. This includes a satisfactory Enhanced DBS, a check against the Prohibition List and other safeguarding reviews. You'll also have an online occupational health assessment, to certify that you have the required physical and mental fitness to be a teacher, as set by the Department of Education.
If you have lived, studied or worked overseas for three months or more in the last five years a Certificate of Good Conduct from the country of residence will be required. Further information and guidance associated with additional costs are available from the Home Office.
Further Education experience is desirable but not essential.
International students
If English is not your first language you will need to show that you have language skills at IELTS level 6.5 or equivalent.
For country specific information see our international student pages.
Interview information
You will be interviewed to gain a place on this course. You will be contacted directly with more details.
To help you prepare, you can expect questions covering the following:
- subject knowledge for teaching the subject curriculum in an further education setting
- your ability to critically reflect on prior experiences in relation to professional development
- your understanding of the nature of the further education sector in the UK and the role of a teacher
- examples of how you have overcome challenges and shown resilience
- how you plan to meet the demands of the course/teaching
In addition, we are looking for enthusiasm, commitment and potential. Clear communication skills are integral to this which you will have an opportunity to demonstrate throughout the interview.
Fees
Fees contents
UK
The Government has announced that it will increase tuition fees and maintenance loans by 3.1% from the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 the standard tuition fee for full-time UK students on a PGCE will be £9,535 per year*.
For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.
International and EU students
The standard tuition fee for full-time international and EU students enrolling on a PGCE in the academic year 2025/26 will be £17,900 per year*.
*Please note that for EU students who are not in receipt of a UK government bursary/scholarship package, the fee is £9,535 per year (subject to approval of the government's fee increase).
For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.
How to apply
How to apply contents
Applications for PGCE courses, should be made online through the government's Find Postgraduate Teacher Training website. The course code for Further Education is WR38.
Visit the Get Into Teaching website for detailed information on how to apply for a PGCE.
Start your application
Apply PGCE Further EducationContact
If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.
Jane Sisk
Senior Lecturer in Post Compulsory Education and Course coordinator of the ITE FE Partnership
j.sisk@worc.ac.ukAdmissions Office
admissions@worc.ac.uk01905 855111More to explore
Open Days
Visiting us is the best way to get a feel for student life at the University of Worcester.
The City of Worcester
Worcester is a welcoming university city with great transport links and plenty of student parking.
Accommodation
Benefit from our accommodation guarantee. We have rooms on campus to suit every budget including en-suite options.
