In this article, Christine reflects on how curriculum quality is often described through frameworks, inspection expectations and strategic plans, but in practice, it lives in the everyday actions of people; the thinking, the confidence, the clarity and the professional identity that educators carry into their work.
At the centre of this sits dual professionalism in FE: the blend of pedagogical expertise and current industry knowledge that enables educators to create learning that is relevant, inclusive and genuinely life-changing.
This is not a technical construct. It is a cultural one. It is about purpose, identity and the conditions leaders create for people to thrive.
In a sector facing rising expectations and continual change, dual professionalism is becoming one of the most important foundations for curriculum quality and organisational wellbeing.
Why Dual Professionalism in FE Matters Now
The landscape in FE and Skills has shifted. Inspection, policy and employer expectations have intensified, not to catch providers out, but because learners deserve programmes that prepare them for a rapidly changing world.
The 2025 Ofsted FE & Skills Inspection Toolkit places strong emphasis on:
- leadership behaviours
- purposeful CPD
- curriculum relevance
- adaptive teaching
- inclusion, confidence and progression.
Alongside this, the Post-16 Skills White Paper sets out a strengthened national approach to workforce development, including:
- a National CPD Pathway
- improved ITE models
- Industry Exchange opportunities
- Technical Education Collaboration through the TEC network.
All of this lands in a context where providers are navigating the realities of:
- recruitment and retention challenges
- variable occupational currency
- digital and AI confidence gaps
- the need for stronger Maths, English and Digital Skills integration
- rising workload and professional uncertainty.
Dual professionalism sits right at the centre of this. It is the bridge between expectation and experience, between intent and practice.
Purpose, People and Practice: A Framework for Coherent Quality
When curriculum quality feels fragile, the issue is rarely talent. It is usually misalignment.
Leaders can bring coherence by aligning three interconnected elements:
Purpose: Clarity That Anchors Quality
Purpose is where strategy meets values. It includes:
- curriculum intent shaped around learner, employer and community needs
- a culture that prioritises inclusion, belonging and confidence
- alignment with local and national priorities
- a CPD strategy that supports dual professionalism in FE.
Purpose gives people something to hold onto when the system feels complex.
People: Where Professional Identity Lives
People are the embodiment of curriculum quality. This includes:
- pedagogical confidence
- up-to-date industry expertise
- professional agency
- the critical role of middle leaders as connectors
- the ETF Professional Standards as a shared developmental language.
This is where dual professionalism becomes visible, in the assurance and capability educators bring into the room.
Practice: Where Learners Experience Quality
Practice is the real test of alignment. It includes:
- curriculum design and sequencing
- relevance to industry
- applied Maths, English and Digital Skills
- adaptive pedagogy that meets diverse needs
- authentic employer involvement
- growing focus on sustainability and green skills.
Purpose anchors it.
People animate it.
Practice evidences it.
When these three levels work together, quality becomes sustainable and lived, not just described.
Dual Professionalism as a Cultural Commitment
Dual professionalism has been shaped by many thoughtful contributors across the FE and Skills landscape. Among them, the SET/ETF webinars delivered by Barbara Van der Eecken offered a particularly clear articulation of how pedagogical and occupational expertise interact. The templates and tools she developed gave the sector a practical way to map that relationship, grounding what can easily become an abstract idea.
Her work adds shape to a wider understanding: dual professionalism is not simply a model.
It is a cultural commitment that honours both the craft of teaching and the value of current industry knowledge and recognises the confidence that grows when both are nurtured.
This understanding matters because dual professionalism does more than strengthen curriculum. It strengthens people.
When educators have security in their teaching practice and confidence in their industry expertise, something shifts. Content feels more alive. Assessment feels more authentic. Learners recognise themselves in the work. Employers recognise their world in the classroom. Staff feel more grounded and more connected to their purpose.
Dual professionalism creates capability but it also creates calm.
What Happens When Dual Professionalism in FE Isn’t Supported?
Across the sector, we see the consequences when dual professionalism is not systematically nurtured.
At curriculum level:
- content begins to drift away from industry needs
- sequencing becomes less purposeful
- employer involvement feels tokenistic
- Maths, English and Digital Skills integration becomes inconsistent.
For learners:
- confidence declines
- progression becomes uneven
- learning feels disconnected from real work and real life.
For staff:
- workload increases
- professional identity weakens
- retention becomes harder.
For organisations:
- quality indicators become fragile
- inspection pressure rises
- trust with employers becomes strained.
None of these outcomes stem from a lack of passion or effort. They stem from a lack of aligned conditions, the space, time and structure that enable dual professionalism to flourish.
What Leaders Can Do: Practical Levers That Strengthen Quality
Leadership influence in this space is far greater than it often feels. Some of the most powerful levers are deceptively simple.
Invest in CPD that supports both pedagogical and occupational expertise
Using the ETF Professional Standards or self-assessment tools provides a shared language for development.
Create professional communities, not just CPD events
Communities of practice build agency, confidence and shared purpose.
Support industry engagement as part of normal practice
Even small amounts of shadowing or exchange can transform curriculum currency.
Protect time for planning and professional thinking
Time signals trust — and trust strengthens quality culture.
Invite employers into curriculum conversations early
This enriches sequencing, embeds authentic assessment and reinforces programme relevance.
These actions are not about doing more. They are about doing what matters and doing it together.
Measuring Impact: Beyond Performance Indicators
Strengthening dual professionalism in FE requires measuring the conditions that support it, not just the outcomes that follow.
Learner insights:
- confidence
- sense of belonging
- progression
- destinations.
Practitioner insights:
- teaching confidence
- evidence of occupational currency
- engagement in reflective practice.
Partner insights:
- employer satisfaction
- alignment with industry need
- authenticity of work-based learning.
Organisatons insights:
- QIP and SAR coherence
- staff retention
- distributed leadership
- indicators of quality culture.
This moves the organisation from compliance to confidence — from monitoring performance to understanding professional growth.
Conclusion: People Create Quality — Not Paperwork
Dual professionalism in FE is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen curriculum, culture and confidence in a sector under pressure.
It brings clarity to purpose.
It gives people the professional grounding they deserve.
It turns practice into something meaningful and relevant.
Quality is not built in documents.
It is built in people.
It is built in the conditions leaders create for purpose, professionalism and practice to come together.
If you’re exploring how to strengthen dual professionalism in your organisation, you may find these linked resources useful:
- The Expert Learner – on confidence, agency and mindset.
- AI in Education: For Inclusion or Exclusion? – on digital confidence and equity.
- Core Skills for Life – practical strategies for embedding maths, English and digital skills.
For consultancy, CPD or collaborative work around workforce development, feel free to get in touch.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks