EB 09
National Assembly for Wales
Children and Young People Committee
Education (Wales) Bill : Stage 1
Response from : Aspect group of Prospect
The Aspect group of Prospect,
represents the education officers working in both LEAs and the
regional consortia. It was as a result of our regular
meetings with GTCW that we have become aware of some of the
proposed changes to the GTCW and its role as a regulatory
body.
Accordingly, it was decided
that we should seek to make some of our views known on some of the
proposals in the Bill.
- The title of the new
organisation “Education Workforce Council” is not a
very aspirational title for what is supposed to be an aspirational
profession. There is no reference of professional standards
or the value added of the inclusion of a wider group of staff to a
registration process.
- The title
“workforce” could be confused with reference to the
developments in the area of Workforce Partnerships, which WAG is so
keen to pursue. The whole emphasis of this initiative is to
engage the workforce in the decision making process in the public
sector organisations but this Bill seems to be moving to an
organisation more under the influence of the Minister and less of
an independent registration body. For example, the role of
the Minster in making appointments and the setting up of
committees; the role of the Minister in directing preparing the
first code; the dependent advisory role of the council going
forward; the lack of an autonomous role regarding professional
standards such as fitness to practice.
- Support workers will need
separate consideration, when it comes to the level of any
registration fees if the employer is not obliged to pay the fee,
because of their low pay rates.
- The work based learning staff
and youth workers are not mentioned in the Bill, and I am
interested to know whether there is going to be a need for the
Athrowan Bro staff or Education advisory staff to be registered
with new Council if they deliver practice lessons in
schools.
Don Martin Negotiations
Officer
Aspect Group of
Prospect