Vacancy -- Appointment of 6 Members - Education Workforce Council
Vacancy details
Members will not be paid for their services but will be reimbursed for travelling, subsistence and other expenses related to their membership of the EWC.
The EWC will make its own decision on reimbursement of costs incurred for employers of Council members engaged in Council business. Typically, an employer may claim the daily supply cover rate, depending on the member’s employment.
In the case of a self-employed member, the Council may reimburse any loss of earnings incurred whilst on Council business, capped at the equivalent supply cover daily rate. Evidence of employment status – and of the actual loss incurred - will need to be provided to support any claim. The rate paid for such reimbursement will be set by the Council. Any such amounts will be paid via the Council’s payroll system, and will be net of any statutory deductions.
Function of body
The Education Workforce Council (EWC) is the independent regulator in Wales for teachers and support staff in maintained schools and Further Education settings, as well as youth and youth support workers and people involved in work-based learning.
Under the Education (Wales) Act 2014, the principal aims and functions of the Council are to:
- contribute to improving the standards of teaching and the quality of learning in Wales;
- maintain and improve standards of professional conduct amongst teachers and others who support teaching and learning in Wales;
- safeguard the interests of learners, parents and the public and maintain public trust and confidence in the education workforce.
The Council is responsible for:
- establishing and maintaining a Register of Education Practitioners;
- maintaining a Code of Professional Conduct and Practice for the education workforce;
- investigating and hearing allegations of unacceptable professional conduct, serious professional incompetence or relevant criminal offences that might call into question a registered practitioner's fitness to practise;
- accrediting programmes of initial teacher education and monitoring their compliance with national criteria;
- providing advice to the Welsh Government and others on matters related to the education workforce and teaching and learning;
- monitoring Induction and hearing Induction appeals (where applicable) for teachers;
- promoting careers in the education workforce;
- undertaking specific work in relation to teaching and learning at the request of the Welsh Government.
The EWC is funded by practitioner registration fees, but receives grant funding from the Welsh Government for the following activities undertaken on its behalf:
- administering the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS);
- administering funding, tracking and recording arrangements for Induction, the Masters in Educational Practice (MEP), and Early Professional Development (EPD);
- developing and hosting the Professional Learning Passport;
- hearing Induction appeals and the issuing of Induction certificates; and
- accrediting programmes of initial teacher education.
Members
The Education Workforce Council has 14 members. Seven members are directly appointed through the Welsh Government public appointments system and seven members are appointed following nomination from a range of stakeholders listed in the Schedule of the Education Workforce Council (Appointments and Membership) (Wales) Regulations 2014 (as amended). Council members are appointed for a period of four years. The Council sets the strategic direction for the EWC, and is responsible for its governance.
The EWC will elect a Chair from its membership.
Secretariat
Secretariat support for the Board is provided by the EWC itself.
The Council will have a number of standing committees that will comprise Council members. The name of each committee will be decided by the Council.
Further information on the ‘Education Workforce Council’ work can be obtained by emailing ewc.enquires@gov.wales or by visiting www.ewc.wales.
Role description
Members of the EWC will be expected to:
- ensure that high standards of administration and decision making are observed at all times;
- establish the overall strategic direction of the EWC by means of oversight of the production of the Strategic Plan;
- oversee the delivery of planned results by monitoring performance against agreed strategic objectives and targets;
- ensure that the EWC does not exceed its powers or functions, whether defined in statute or otherwise, or through any limitations on incurring expenditure set out in any Welsh Government financial terms and conditions. Members are normally advised on these matters by the Council's Chief Executive and its legal advisers;
- respect the collective decisions and policies of EWC in the public arena. Members espouse the principle of collegiality and recognise that decisions with which they disagree have been made by a majority of the EWC.
- posess an understanding of the principles of good governance.
To ensure your application is processed correctly, please state on your personal statement if you're applying for a nominated position. If so, please include the following information:
Details of Nominating Body/Organisation (if not nominated, please ignore)
Nominating Body/Organisation:
Name of Person Making the Nomination:
Address of Nominating Body/Organisation:
Welsh language skills
Person specification
The successful candidate will:
1. have a clear understanding of matters relating to Welsh education and to the objectives of the EWC;
2. have an understanding of the importance and benefits of the professional registration and regulation of the wider education workforce;
3. demonstrate a clear understanding of the functions and strategic objectives of the EWC, and the priorities of its stakeholders;
4. regularly attend, prepare fully for and participate actively in meetings;
5. read, digest and analyse complex documents and contribute to discussions at a strategic level;
6. communicate effectively, display the ability to listen, influence and challenge constructively;
7. contribute to decision making by exercising sound judgement;
8. build effective relationships and work effectively as part of a team;
9. demonstrate a clear understanding of and commitment to equality issues and challenge discriminatory practices;
10. demonstrate a commitment to EWC’s Welsh Language Standards;
11. demonstrate a commitment to Nolan’s ‘Seven Principles of Public Life’ and the additional three principles outlined in “The Conduct of Members” (Principles) (Wales) Order 2001; (set out under paragraph 4);
12. comply with the EWC’s Code of Conduct & Best Practice for Members;
13. as specified in 3(5) Schedule 1 of the Education (Wales) Act 2014, act as an individual and not as a representative of any organisation or body to which they belong, nor any person, organisation or body that nominated them.
14. An understanding of the principles of good governance.
All candidates should be persons who conduct themselves at all times in a manner that will maintain public confidence.
In particular, candidates are required to declare whether they are aware of anything in their private or professional life that would be an embarrassment to themselves or to the Welsh Government if it became known in the event of appointment.
Interview dates
Closing date
Additional information
Contacts:
For further information regarding the role of the Education Workforce Council and the role of Members, please contact Nick Srdic on:
Tel: 03000 253973
Email: Nick.Srdic@gov.wales
If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Public Appointments Unit on publicappointments@gov.wales.
For further information about Public Appointments in Wales, please visit www.gov.wales/publicappointments.
How to apply
To apply for this role, click on the ‘Apply’ button below. The first time you apply for a post, you will need to complete a registration form for the Welsh Government’s online application system. You will only need to register once, and you will be able to keep yourself updated on the progress of your application, and any other applications you make, via your registered account.
Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to access the application form. To apply you will need to submit two supporting documents. The first, a document outlining how your knowledge, skills and experiences meet the criteria for the role as outlined in the information for candidates. This document should be no more than 2 sides of A4. Your application may be rejected if you exceed this limit. The second document is a full, up to date CV. The two documents should be uploaded to the ‘Reasons for applying’ section of the online application form.
In your application, you will also be asked to provide details of any activities which have helped you to develop skills that would be useful in a public appointment role, and list the organisations for which you undertook these activities. We also need to know about any political activity that you’ve undertaken over the last 5 years.
It is recommended that you register for an account and access the application form as soon as possible so that you see how the application form is structured, before starting to prepare your evidence. You don’t have to complete the application form all in one go. You can save your responses, and log in and out as required, until you’re ready to submit – just follow the guidance in the application form.
If you’d like to apply for this opportunity in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.
If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Welsh Government’s Public Appointments Unit on 03000 616095 or PublicAppointments@gov.wales.
This vacancy is closed to applications.