‘I was a children’s key worker – now I pass on my skills through teaching in further education’ | The Sun

FURTHER EDUCATION (FE) encompasses all formal learning for those aged over 16 that isn’t part of an undergraduate or graduate degree, including students studying T Levels and adult learners looking to enhance their careers, do something different or pick up a new passion.

It covers a huge range of subjects, from healthcare and law to digital and construction, and FE teachers are invaluable at passing on real-world skills to the next generation.

Denise Harris, from Warrington, draws on her years of experience working in the care sector to teach in FE and is now curriculum leader for health and social care at Bolton College.

She received personal proof of the value of her teaching in the most surprising way…

Denise says: “A few years ago, I was in Warrington Hospital, scared and anxious, awaiting cancer surgery the next day. Then a nurse arrived at my bedside and I gasped: she was one of my former students.

“She was obviously surprised too, finding her teacher on her list of patients.

“But we chatted away and it was lovely – she was a brilliant, reassuring nurse, and through surgery and beyond she was such a comfort.

“I felt proud to have played a part in her training and she thanked me for preparing her so well for the real world of nursing.

“She said to me, ‘The day I put on the uniform, I realised why you’d pushed us to exceed our expectations of ourselves.’

“That, for me, is what FE teaching is all about: expanding students’ horizons.

“It’s personal for me as, until I studied at a further education college in my mid-twenties, I wasn’t interested in a career.

“I did OK at school but, disengaged, left as soon as I could and took an office job I wasn’t really suited to. It was only later, when I had my daughter Laura, now 25, that I decided to pursue a job that fulfilled me.

“As a single parent I wanted to be a positive role model for Laura and to show her what hard work can achieve.

“With that in mind, I popped along to an open day at my local FE college, St Helens.

“Everyone was warm and friendly and because I’d been good at art when I was at school, I signed up to a year-long art and design course.

“That wasn’t quite right for me but I had a revelation: I loved learning.

“Encouraged by a supportive teacher to continue my studies, I took a Level 3 Early Years course.

“That was a much better fit – with Laura now a toddler, I was really interested in child development and took the theory home to put into practice.

“Afterwards, I found a job as a key worker for children on the child protection register, striving to keep families together.

“It was full-on and often quite challenging but rewarding too. As part of my job, I developed community learning programmes for parents.”

To help with that, she studied for her Certificate of Education, during which she was assessed on giving parenting classes.

“‘You’d make a really good FE teacher, Denise,’ an assessor from the university said after she’d observed me teaching the parents one day.

“It’s something I’d never considered but the second she said it, it made sense. Look at what a further education college had done for me – given me a second chance at a career.

“Now it was my turn to share that gift with others.

“That was 15 years ago and I’ve never looked back. With my Certificate of Education complete, I took a job teaching Early Years at Riverside College in Widnes.

“The first time I stood in front of a class, my heart was thumping – all those people staring at me, yearning for the knowledge that would set their life’s course. Talk about pressure!

“But my colleagues were supportive and, over time, I found my feet. More than that, I really enjoyed teaching in FE.

“I’ve now climbed the professional ladder all the way to become curriculum leader for health and social care at Bolton College.

“Being a manager is challenging, of course, but there’s a real buzz in our department. We’ve recently had a replica state-of-the-art hospital ward built, for example.

“And I’m involved in designing the curriculum, including a new public health course which I teach – even though I’m a department head now, I couldn’t give up that day-to-day interaction with the students.

“In the public health course, I’m sharing the knowledge I acquired for my key worker role – around safeguarding children, for example.

“Of course, it’s all there in books and online but, by talking about how I applied safeguarding legislation in my job, I’m transporting students from the classroom into the real world. It’s all about inspiring them to envisage the sorts of careers their courses could lead to.

“My dream of inspiring my daughter certainly worked as Laura has an amazing career in human resources now.

“And I’m even inspiring my four-year-old granddaughter Sophie. ‘I want to be a teacher like you when I’m older,’ she tells me.

“That’s fantastic but, until Sophie can become a teacher in two decades’ time, if you work in health and social care, FE colleges across the country need your skills now.

“More than ever, students need great teachers to help them see a world beyond their current experience. Opening curious minds and making sure our health and social care services are in good hands for the future is a privilege.”

SHARE YOUR KNOWHOW

You don’t need prior teaching experience to share your skills in further education – you can study for your qualifications while on the job.

You just need real-world experience and a desire to pass on that knowledge to the next generation of workers in your field – you can teach in subjects such as health and social care, digital and IT, engineering, manufacturing or law.

You can even teach part-time or on an ad hoc basis while continuing in your existing career.

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