How training and education is supporting the RSGB’s Strategy

| August 24, 2018

The RSGB Training and Education Committee (TEC) is not a committee in the usual sense but is made up of several working groups that undertake projects. The work of these TEC members supports the RSGB Strategy 2022, particularly in the key priority areas of Growth, Participation and Membership.

During this year TEC members have carried out several major projects:

  • The TEC Syllabus Review Working Group (SRWG) has recently come to the end of a long period of important work. Its role has been in an advisory capacity to the Examination Group, who ‘own’ the syllabus, but SRWG has had particular responsibility for ensuring the new syllabus is HAREC compliant, a vital Ofcom requirement. The TEC team also critiqued the proposals from a training perspective, offering suggestions based on their experience in delivering the current syllabus.
  • TEC Schools Link has undertaken two major outreach projects in co-operation with RSGB Youth Committee members this year. In April they attended the Newcastle Maker Faire, which was billed as the largest exhibition of Makers and Maker Projects in the UK. Several hundred visitors to the RSGB stand had the chance to learn about amateur radio and make a practical project they could take away – one of these was the ‘Snail’ Morse key, developed by a volunteer at the RSGB National Radio Centre. In July the same team ran workshops and demonstrations about amateur radio at the MakerNoise conference at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk. This event brought together teachers and Makers interested in technology and its application in the classroom. Feedback from teachers at these events has been very positive and the Schools Link team is continuing to work towards providing materials that can be used to bring amateur radio alive in the classroom, linking with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) curriculum. You can read more about these events in the feature on p 76 of the September 2018 RadCom.
  • RSGB Train the Trainers continues to provide practical one-day courses for RSGB tutors taught by radio amateurs who are also professional teachers. Courses are run at venues hosted by clubs around the UK. The course focuses not on the syllabus content, but instead on learning and teaching techniques and ideas. During 2018 the team delivered courses at St Helens in Merseyside and Barry in South Wales. A further two more courses are planned this year for Wolverhampton in September and Wimborne (Dorset) in November. Applications from clubs interested in hosting an event in 2019 are welcome – see the website for details.
  • The Disabilities Working Group (DWG) is working with the Examinations Standards Committee to find ways to make the online examinations system more user-friendly for candidates with a visual impairment or who use a reader. The DWG talked about its work earlier this year to RSGB Regional Managers.
  • The RSGB Morse Competency Scheme introduced the option of online tests earlier this year, which are running very successfully. Provided a reliable internet connection is available, tests can be taken online at 10, 12, 15, 20, 25 and 30 wpm. The application process has been simplified and a competency test, either face-to-face or online, can now be requested from the RSGB website. Successful candidates receive a certificate of competency.
  • A Loan Tool Kit, made possible by Legacy Funding, enables RSGB Affiliated Clubs and Groups to run their own kit building workshops or Buildathons. The tool kit has been used at YOTA, the GQRP Convention and the Scottish Amateur Radio Convention. It comprises 12 sets of soldering irons, multi-meters snips, pliers, screwdrivers, wire strippers, etc. A web page is being planned to enable easier applications for its use.
  • In the near future TEC members will be involved in the development of resources to support tutors in delivering the new exams syllabus.

…continuing to work towards providing materials that can be used to bring amateur radio alive

As TEC continues to lead a variety of projects that help to “promote and enhance the use, understanding and enjoyment of wireless communication” it is always looking for Members with skills and expertise to share. If you’d like to be part of these, or other projects, please contact the TEC Chair Paul Whatton, G4DCV via email to tec.chair@rsgb.org.uk

Paul Whatton, G4DCV
Training and Education Committee Chair

Category: RSGB Strategy 2022