People working in education require continued professional development, and this means they need courses that will give them further education and training throughout their careers. There are always new developments in education, from early year’s right through to our universities and post-docs students. 

However, nowhere are the changes greater than in the primary school sector, where teachers embrace constant change in methods, in thinking and in resources. If these improvements are to really help the children in school, those in education must have that further education and corporate training to fully capitalize on fresh thinking. 

There have been changes in techniques by which young children learn to read, for example, and it is the duty of any education establishment to ensure that these methods are conveyed to the young student in the best possible way with the greatest chance of success. 

There have also been new initiatives relating to learning outdoors with spaces and outdoor classrooms being developed in school grounds.  How children can best benefit from this initiative, and derive the most learning and enjoyment from the outdoor environment, requires at least one teacher in the school to undergo training in order to deliver this curriculum fully. 

Teachers aren’t the only people involved in education, of course.  Governors play an increasingly important role in the welfare of pupils and the running of a school.  They too need significant good quality and relevant further education and training to fulfill the exacting roles expected of them.  From the starter course through to more specific skills relating to finance and curriculum, today’s school governor has to put in a lot of learning. 

Those in education are always eager for training to gain further skills and understanding, thinking of the children and young people who will benefit now and into the future.

As well an understanding of the processes required for the manufacture of double glazing, students will need to have a thorough education in its benefits if they are to engage in and benefit fully from manufacturing courses. So not only will they learn specifics about manufacture, such as the way sizing and surfaces are calculated and named – surface 1 (outward-facing pane), surface 2 (inside of outside pane), surface 3 (outside of inside pane) and surface 4 (inside surface of inside pane) – they will also have an understanding about the insulating gas between panes and the advantages of any solar gain for a property.

There have been many recent improvements to double glazed units, such as the use of non-metal materials for the spacers between panes to minimize heat loss, airflow and condensation – but one of the main changes has been in the public awareness of the benefits of efficient windows. These days glass doesn’t just let in light; it is likely to comprise the most efficient vertical area on the face of any property. Manufacturing courses in double glazing should certainly emphasize these aspects in order to disseminate information more broadly across the population. The double-glazing manufacturer has a significant message to promote and one that’s welcomed by the consumer.

During manufacture, glass panes are washed to be optically clear, and this is another important point to be stressed in any manufacturing course: this clarity is essential for efficiency – even though property owners may not be so exacting when their windows are in place! The manufacturing course should give the student a real interest in double glazing as a beneficial product for tackling climate change by cutting the requirements for energy use within a property. The student should be encouraged to take an interest in thermal performance – for example, most sealed units achieve maximum insulating values using a gas space of 16–19mm, and not many people know that!

With so many benefits available from studying abroad, the number of scholars taking up the chance is rising; 10 303 scholars studied abroad in 2007 / 08 compared to 7,235 in 2006 / 07. And with excellent reason, announces Aaron Porter NUS Vice President (further education).

Experience for work Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity for scholars and a great experience that’s increasingly being recognized by future companies. We’d encourage more scholars to study abroad and for institution’s to do more to push these possibilities.

Travel agreements

Spending time abroad is becoming more accessible for scholars and one of the best paths to do it is thru Erasmus, Western European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of School Scholars.

The Erasmus program enables further education students in Great Britain to study or do a work placement for three to twelve months in one of thirty other Western European nations as a part of a degree course. You do not have to be studying a language degree either; many Western European varsities run their courses in English.

Why take part?

The Erasmus experience will reinforce your private development, your work openings, your confidence and your delight in life. Learning how to manage your life inside another culture brings maturity, confidence and self dependence – great life abilities. By proving you have lived, studied and worked in another environment, using another language, assists you to compete better in the EU job market. You can stick out from the group and bosses will spot you.

What does it cost?

Suitable scholars receive an Erasmus grant which contributes towards the additional costs arising from studying abroad. Erasmus grants are paid as well as the standard grants or loans to which you are titled. You don’t pay any university costs to the uni you are visiting and, usually, if you go for a full educational year, you don’t pay any UK tuition costs for that year either.

As with making a decision on the course, there are a number of elements that must be considered before selecting the Varsity that you need to attend.

Supporting Materials / Facilities

When thinking about which University, it is vital that you consider things like:

• Are you ready to study away from home and also how far are you ready to travel to University
• Two 6 month placements one in the second year and one in the 3rd year.
• Is the course you would like to pursue generally available or does it cover a spot area.
• Are there precise facilities that you need, for example gymnasium, automobile parking etc, technical resources.
• What are your predicted grades for your A-Levels, Advanced GNVQs and so on.
• How small or large is the University and how many scholars study there’s.
• Is the University School found in a big town or in a rustic area.

These are examples of the aspects that must be thought about. Every individual student will have different needs of their potential School and so it’s vital to spend a while on the decision.

University League Tables

Before choosing a University, also consider the University rating in the Guardian Paper League Tables. These are handy making selections between schools because they explain how well that University is doing in comparison to others. Nevertheless please be aware that these don’t give info at course and office level. It’s also important to recollect that attending a University at the very top of the league table does not suggest that higher grades will be accomplished. This may be the responsibility of the scholar studying at the University.

A high placing does mean that often facilities and grades are above the average compared with other Universities. This may also be vital vis your career as some blue-chip corporations have a preference of scholars from some categorical Universities.

Careers Service Centre

Many Universities offer careers information centers, and though you may not think about this vital right now, they can be useful when you’re on the lookout for a work placement or when you have graduated.

Social Life

Social facets of University life are critical and elements like location, facilities and services play a major role in your time there. The range of social, sports and cultural activities offered by the University need to match you necessities particularly if you’re living away from home. Though you are at University to study, the best scholars know the way to balance their social life well, to be sure that they like their time too.

The cost of living (i.e. Hire, food, drink and socialising) can be larger in London and other big towns and this can impact your available budget seriously.

Mates

Though this factor may alter in seriousness to you, there are plenty of individuals that let their friend’s selection of University impact their call. This is often of benefit as it helps provide companionship and security, especially in the initial few months of beginning. Nonetheless you might find that in some examples this could make you averse to make new pals. This is undeniably a missed chance to begin to know new folk, particularly as you’ll be studying with them for at least 3 years. You will also find that friends studying a different course and most likely the same one have widely varying timetables which can affect what sort of time you have available to spend together.

Once you’ve made the choice that you want to do a graduate course, you have to make 2 key choices, which are:

• Selecting the course that you’d like to study
• The college that you want to attend

 These calls shouldn’t be treated lightly as they are going to affect your future.

Choosing a Course

Thanks to the enormous number of courses available to scholars there are numerous issues that have to be reviewed when selecting which course to study. These are debated below.

Course Content

When having a look at School prospectuses to choose on which course you want to study, you have to be careful the exact express detail of the course is considered. You want to read outside the course title and course outline as the module options and content can change seriously. It is critical to remember that though many universities offer courses with similar names, the precise content can change. The course may concentrate more on one area instead of another.

This is very crucial as many School courses include modules which can often be selected by you relying on what you wish to learn.

Teaching Style

The teaching style for the course is also significant, as you might find that one course consists more of module assignments and group work instead of exams. By considering this factor you can be certain the course that you finally decide on is the best. Especially if you’re aware from prior experience that you like or perform better with explicit teaching styles. As an example you want to think about things like:

• What proportion of the course is examination based?
• How much is founded on essays in comparison to course work?
• How does the marking system work?

Considering these elements will help make sure that the course that you’ve chosen is good for you, both re content and also teaching styles.

The general higher education and coaching that occurs in a university, college, or Institute of Technology generally includes important unproven and abstract elements together with applied aspects. Against this, the vocational further education and coaching that happens at vocational varsities and colleges typically focuses on practical applications, with little concept.

In addition, professional-level education is always included inside further education, and customarily in Graduate Faculties, since many postgraduate educational disciplines are both vocationally, professionally, and allegedly / research orientated, eg in medication, the law, dentistry, and vet medication. A basic obligation for entry into these graduate-level programs is just about always a BSc, and for plenty of the top-level medical colleges (e.g. Yale University), just about all the entering scholars already possess an advanced degree or a Ph.D. In a topical, supporting subject, for example chemistry, biology, physics, or chemical engineering. Prerequisites for entrance to such high-level graduate programs are intensely competitive, and admitted scholars are predicted to perform well.

 You can make an application for the further education Grants Scheme if you’re a student undertaking an authorised full time undergraduate course of more than two years in length or a fulltime postgraduate course. You have to meet a bunch of standards to be accepted for the grant including educational achievement and a means test.

For authorised undergraduate courses in Eire and other ECU member states upkeep grants are available but there aren’t any charge grants for courses in other EU member states. For authorized postgraduate courses in Eire and Northerly Eire grants are available for upkeep and costs.

Comprehensive details of the further education Grants Scheme are available on the site of the Dept of Education and Abilities.

There’s detailed info on the range of grants and funds for scholars in further and further education on the internet site studentfinance.ie.

Budget 2011 introduces a couple of changes to student support schemes:

Student grants are reduced by 4%. It is anticipated this reduction will have an application to all existing and new grant-holders from Jan 2011.

A new suitability class is added to the family revenue boundaries for freedom from half of the new Student Contribution.

The qualifying space between home and university for the non-adjacent rate of grant is increased from 24km to 45km

Mature scholars will not be instantly suitable for the non-adjacent rate of grant.

The scholar Support Bill 2008 ( pdf ) is presently going through the Oireachtas. It suggests a considerable number of changes including:

A new single unified grant scheme to be administered by the vocational education committees ( VECs )

New independent appeals board to get introduced

Residence obligation: one of the Bill’s changes is a new duty for the grant candidate to be resident in the State for three of the prior five years. Though the Bill hasn’t yet passed, this new residence need was brought into effect for grant applications from 2010 / 2011.