This prestigious award, made jointly by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) and Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, has been awarded to only seven individuals this year. The Fellowship recognises her excellence in technical education.
Sophie’s Fellowship will focus on the integration of economic, social and environmental sustainability into curriculum design in technical pathways. Her initial plans are to:
- Develop a series of teaching and assessment resources adapted for different cohorts across a number of curriculum areas within technical Further Education (FE). Additionally, Sophie will work with employers of placement students to explore sustainable practices in the workplace and how this can translate into the classroom.
- Co-design CPD materials with employers and stakeholders to support curricula that ‘struggle’ with embedding sustainability. Practitioners will become advocates of Education in Sustainable Development (ESD), sharing their resources, success stories and experiences so that reach is amplified within the FE community.
- Host a dissemination event to share findings and develop a bank of ESD resources. All participants will be invited to increase geographical reach.
- Produce a case study, including contextualised conclusions and recommendations, to influence the FE sector.
Sophie said of her award:
“I’m really excited to be starting this Fellowship and thankful to the ETF and the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 for this opportunity to explore innovative ways we can naturally promote the wider sustainability topic within curriculum design.”
The Fellowship will be used to inspire others, and influence the planning of professional development opportunities to impact on the pedagogy and professional practice of other teachers.
The Fellowships will be formally presented at an event being held at the Royal Society in London on Friday 1 March and will also see Fellows from previous years describing their Fellowship activity and its impact.
John Lavery, Secretary of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, said:
“The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 congratulates all the new Technical Teaching Fellows and is thrilled to welcome them to the 1851 community.
“The work they will undertake within the Further Education environment is hugely important and the awards recognise the incredibly high teaching standards and example that they demand, and deliver, of themselves.
“The Royal Commission is thrilled that the 1851 Technical Teaching programme has proved so successful and is delighted to work in collaboration with the Education and Training Foundation to deliver this newly expanded initiative.”
Dr Katerina Kolyva, CEO of the Education and Training Foundation, said:
“Our congratulations go to the recipients of the 2024/25 Technical Teaching Fellowships.
“These awards recognise leading lights in technical education and support them to effectively share and extend the reach of their practice.
“We look forward to seeing them follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, developing the capability of technical teaching across the UK.
“In doing so, they will help to foster the skills required to address the profound technical, economic and sustainability changes society faces.”
