New Book Supports Teachers Preparing the Skilled Workforce of the Future
Wednesday, 30 September 2026
A new book co-authored by a Worcestershire higher education expert provides a practical framework for teachers delivering technical and vocational education.
Mike Tyler, Senior Lecturer in Further Education and Skills, has written Principles of Technical and Vocational Pedagogy alongside Dan Williams, Lecturer in Initial Teacher Training Education (Post-14) at the University of Derby.
It comes at a time when skills-based learning is becoming increasingly important across schools, colleges and training providers.
The book gives eight core principles designed to underpin and guide teaching in technical and vocational settings, helping practitioners adapt established educational approaches to workshops, laboratories, sports environments and other specialist learning spaces.
Mike said: “Technical and vocational education often requires a different approach from more traditional classroom-based subjects. Areas such as engineering, computing and hairdressing involve practical skills that need to be taught differently to traditional subjects in traditional classroom environments.”
He added: “Many people teaching in these subjects come from industry backgrounds and bring lots of professional expertise into their teaching. Others may have experience teaching in more traditional settings. This book provides the framework that helps translate good practices into technical and vocational environments.”
“We’ve not jettisoned what works well in classrooms,” said Mike. “We’re proud to have created a resource that educators can pick up and begin applying immediately as they develop their teaching practice in further education and skills.”
Dan Williams, Lecturer in Teacher Training Education (Post 14) at the University of Derby, said: “In the text, we’ve purposefully adopted a lens focussed on skill acquisition where we argue that expert performance can be unpackaged and repackaged to support novice learners develop towards fluent, authentic, workplace practices.”
Dan said the book makes use of real-life examples of strong practice: “Genuine case studies of great technical and vocational teaching from across the broad further education and skills sector exemplify the principals in action.”
He added: “Early feedback indicates that this text is having a positive impact on technical and vocational teaching practices, making it a must-have for anyone involved in this sector.”
Read more about Principles of Technical and Vocational Pedagogy on the eboru website.
For information on courses at University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk