Teachers and trainers are dual-professionals - they are required to have up-to-date industry skills and also skills in teaching and learning. The issue of professional identity, and the promotion of maintaining and building pedagogic expertise in relation to their vocational work, is therefore an extremely important one. This book argues that quality teaching and learning is very much dependent upon teachers and trainers undergoing continuing professional development (CPD), engaging actively in professional learning activities, generating professional learning communities and building their level of professionalism to meet increasing teaching standards. Unfortunately, CPD is battling a context of intensification of work, pressure of time and economic restrictions. The completion of CPD under such conditions can often become tokenistic and hitherto there has been very little research or evidence base for determining what approaches to CPD are most effective and efficient.

1. What sort of Professionalism? Sue Crowley 2. Professional Identity. Trading Places: on becoming an FE professional Denis Gleeson 3. Professional Bodies and Continuing Professional Development: A Case Study Andy Boon and Toni Fazaeli 4. A professional view of professional learning: The trouble with CPD Jean Kelly and Sue Colquhoun 5. Evaluating the Impact of Professional Learning Vivienne Porritt 6. Leading and Learning in Challenging Circumstances Fiona Mackay and Paul Wakeling 7. Professional Learning and Vocational Pedagogy Sue Crowley Conclusion Maintaining the Challenge and the Learning Sue Crowley