The status of the lecturer could be eroded in Scottish colleges if institutions replace them with lower-paid teaching staff, the country’s largest teaching union has warned.
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), which represents FE teaching staff in Scotland, fears college lecturers could be removed from the delivery of vocational education in area such as hairdressing, care, construction and practical engineering, while college recruit instructor-assessors to replace them.
These do not have the same status as lecturers in the Scottish further education sector, and therefore could be employed on lower salaries and with different terms and conditions. Following the re-introduction of national bargaining a few years ago and subsequent pay deals, lecturers are now placed on a pay scale that will soon see all of them earning over £40k – significantly more than lecturers at colleges elsewhere in the UK.
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Cutting costs
According to the EIS, Forth Valley College now plans to cut costs by making up to 30 lecturing jobs redundant and introducing instructor-assessor roles. The EIS said it will work to ensure that members’ rights are protected and the learning experience for students is maintained. It added it would continue to engage in negotiations with Forth Valley College and would urge it to re-consider these damaging proposals.
Pam Currie, EIS-FELA president, said these lecturers were skilled not only in their own trades but as professionals who are trained in the planning, delivery and assessment of education to a diverse student population. “These plans represent an attack not only on the teaching staff at Forth Valley College but on the quality of the educational provision for learners in the Falkirk and Clackmannanshire communities.”
She added: “The stated remit of instructor-assessor is almost indistinguishable from that of a lecturer but these new posts will be paid well below the standard rate and will be exempt from requirements to undertake a teaching qualification within two years of starting in post. Crucially, there will no requirement for postholders to comply with the professional standards in place for college lecturers.
“With increased levels of class contact time, there will be little or no time in the working week for preparation, marking and the array of quality assurance and professional development tasks that lecturers undertake. This will have a disastrous impact on the learning experience and the provision of vocational and skills-based education.”
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “This is a distressing time for all staff affected by these proposals. Staff want to know that their jobs are secure and that they can continue to deliver a high-quality education to their students – whether vocational or academic. Further Education lecturers play a vital role in preparing students for the world of work and in ensuring that the skills taught meet industry requirements. If these proposals are implemented, we could see vocational education being de-skilled with the role of lecturers being removed. This can only damage the quality of educational standards across Scotland’s colleges and may lead to employers considering whether to take their business elsewhere.”
In developing a workforce of the future, it is essential that we reform, reshape and rebuild our current delivery model so we are able to deliver a wider range of innovative and progressive services.
A Forth Valley College spokesperson said: "Within curriculum and commercial delivery, we already have a range of roles which have been developed over a number of years including work-based assessors, VQ assessors, STEM instructors, commercial trainers, lecturers, front of house trainers and chef trainers.
"Recognising one size does not fit all, the proposal to introduce instructor assessors builds on that portfolio of roles to support our growth and to maintain our competitive edge. As part of national bargaining, roles will be independently job evaluated in line with their peers, a system recognised as one of the fairest and most equitable ways of allocating pay. In addition to creating posts that will secure jobs going forward, we are conserving salaries to manage the change."
The spokesperson said the instructor assessor role will be a learner-facing role which will enable us to provide a more effective learning and teaching delivery model. It will also aim to enhance learners’ industry related experience and promote creative learning within our programmes through the introduction of appropriately skilled, qualified and experienced post holders. "This role will not only allow us to better meet the needs of employers and key stakeholders, we believe it will also ensure we have the most effective workforce offering the highest quality learning in a college that is financially stable for the future," said the spokesperson.
“We recognise that any change can be challenging. However we are committed to managing this process in consultation with staff whilst also delivering on our strategy and purpose to introduce targeted, dynamic, delivery opportunities to drive growth going forward. Our approach with our staff from the beginning has been one of open honest dialogue with clear rationale and two way feedback, and we are committed to continuing this and ensuring staff are given fact based information.
