COVID may have put a halt to many activities, but one thing that hasn’t stopped is the professional development of staff at NPTC Group of Colleges. From Mental Health First Aid courses to ‘Student Involvement’ training sessions, digital courses and lots more, teaching and support staff have kept up with the development of their skills despite all the challenges they are facing with the pandemic.
It’s keeping the staff development team busy and also producing some great results and some healthy competition. Already, this year, more than 450 staff have completed Additional Learning Needs Awareness e-learning training, and the Library Services team were the first to be awarded Autism Friendly status after achieving the required standard in the Autism Awareness training organised by the College. Other teams are expected to follow and it is hoped that in the coming weeks more and more teams will reach the same level of completion and be awarded the same status.
The resources were developed in partnership with people with autism, parents and carers, and professionals which are aimed at increasing the knowledge, skills, and understanding of autism for those working in further education and to also provide a practical handbook for students with autism.
College Staff Development Manager Samantha Owen said she was delighted with the uptake of the training opportunities being made available.
“It’s a great achievement by the Library Services team and I am sure everyone will join me in congratulating them. It is so inspiring that staff are using this difficult time to engage with professional learning and development. As well as learning new skills that are required in this new world they are also engaging with a range of training opportunities to increase their awareness and support colleagues and learners”.
