PGCE Business Education

UCL (University College London)

The Business Education PGCE prepares students to teach across the 14–19 age range, helping them develop the professional skills and attitudes to teach business in schools and colleges, as part of both academic (A level and GCSE) and BTEC courses. Where student teachers wish to focus also upon teaching Economics, support will also be given both at university and also within placement schools. Students will understand how business/economics is taught in schools, how pupils learn and make sense of the evolving nature of business/economics. This is reflected in the range of business related courses that are now offered by schools, sixth forms and colleges, with the focus in some instances on entrepreneurship, work skills and new business technologies.

Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are working as teachers of business and economics education, while others have jobs as middle and senior managers in schools. Graduates in this area can also be found working as education officers, initial teacher educators, teachers in international schools and as entrepreneurs running businesses offering consultancy in schools.

Graduates of the Secondary PGCE programme are highly employable and sought after by schools and colleges in London and beyond. Almost all graduates secure their first teaching post by the time they finish the PGCE programme. Graduates of the programme also have good career prospects, with many becoming Head of Department or a Head of Year within 2-5 years, often acting, in their schools, as mentors to new PGCE student teachers. Many of our graduates become senior teachers (such as Assistant Headteachers or Head of a Faculty) in 5-8 years of graduating, and some are now Headteachers. Others have developed their careers as subject specialist teachers and educators, both becoming lead teachers in the classroom and researching, writing and advising other teachers themselves. The secondary PGCE aims to provide a springboard into a rewarding career as a skilled teacher and future educational leader.