Training Teachers for Further and Technical Education: Staff Perceptions of Changing Demands and Policies at Bolton from 1950 to 1988

Overview & Synopsis

This article examines the development of teacher training for teachers in technical and further education in England through the memories of the staff of Bolton Technical Teachers College, one of the first national centres set up for this purpose. After a brief account of the origins and the development of the college up to its merger with the Bolton Institute in 1982, the article summarises data obtained through interviews with former staff. These sections consider the staff's perceptions of their work; the organisation and content of teacher training; and the culture of the institution. The article then considers these data in the light of the changing context of teacher training and of the work of further education colleges in England during this period. (Contains 6 notes and 2 tables.)