Wall and Floor Tiling

Paul ensures his students receive a full review and reflection process. In a training environment we can identify materials that enable learners to make mistakes in the workshop. As a finish trade the work has to be correct and finished to the required standard so learners need to be able to make mistakes when training but equally as important is understanding where those mistakes were made and rectifying them accordingly. Chris asked Paul about using competitions as a tool to raising standards of learners and Paul says there is a direct link to this as competitions ensure learners are required to develop all of those technical and soft skills / attributes that are required for industry.

Paul says that employers are aware of the competency levels of his learners as they are all trained towards the WorldSkills standard and this has generated an excellent relationship between the educator and employer.

In Denmark, Industry is a key driver in their TVET system which means their curriculum remains current.  Danish students are assessed by industry professionals and not just their lecturers.  Students are held back until they are able to complete their work to the required standard. In Switzerland they use a university model where they have a vocational education centre with a halls of residence attached where they can train constantly and similar to Denmark, it is industry representatives who come in and assess the students work.

The UK needs more industry members involved in the end point assessment stage and not just lecturers. If we could have trade associations, educators and industry working more closely together we would be a lot better off.  Trends are changing, materials are changing, but we are still working with an outdated curriculum.  The WorldSkills Occupational standards are reviewed every two years which means international competitors are always training towards the current needs of a tiler.

In Columbia, TVET works hand in hand with industry, it participates in the description of the competences that are part of the vocational training programme, therefore enabling a well-rounded and appropriate qualification for students.

If we look at the WSOS for Wall & Floor it goes further than any current qualification as it incorporates more advanced technical and keys skills that can be applied and are evaluated in skill competitions which, in turn, corresponds to producing higher quality tilers who are ready for industry.