In this Education and Training Foundation National Technical Programme outstanding teaching, learning and assessment (OTLA) project Blackburn, Bolton, and Nelson and Colne colleges trialled an approach to employer engagement to boost the skills of digital teachers and align technical qualifications with the Post-16 Skills Plan and T-levels. The project supported teachers to bring real-world learning into the classroom; deliver an employer-led curriculum; become digital champions supporting fellow practitioners to enhance their digital skills through communities of practice and continuing professional development; take the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to outstanding (OTLA); and prepare learners for successful careers in the growing and fast-moving digital industry. Project sustainability is supported by embedding masterclasses in existing timetables and lessons learned from the project will help the colleges improve their employer engagement and widen the model across other curriculum areas as providers implement T-Levels.

Accessibility note: The resources file below for this project contains 5 documents: a case study; digital ambassador roles and responsibilities; a practitioner briefing template, Dragons Den students briefing; and Top Tips: Getting the most from your masterclass.  Unfortunately, all 5 documents are PDFs, and none is constructed to be accessible by blind or partially sighted people who use screen readers or voice over.