If you are interested in studying for a PhD in this research subject area click here

For more details about the research topics, expertise and interests of this academic, click on the fingerprint icon

15 from 762 citations

Last updated 23rd March 2023

I am Professor of Work and Learning and Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) at the University of Huddersfield where I have worked since 2006. Prior to joining the University I taught in Further Education (FE) colleges for sixteen years, mainly on ESOL and teacher education provision. My research focuses on FE and vocational education and training (VET). In 2018 I completed a three-year national research project on initial teacher education for science, engineering and technology teachers working in colleges. This major project was funded by the Gatsby Foundation.

My first degree was in History and French from the University of Manchester and I later went on to study for a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education and the Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults. I completed an MA by research at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2005, which examined the impact of policy on FE teaching practice. In November 2009 I was awarded a PhD for my thesis entitled College Cultures and Pre-Service Trainee Teachers: a study in the creation and transmission of ideas about teaching. In 2015 I completed an MSc in Social Research Methods and Statistics at the Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research at the University of Manchester.

In 2014 the Higher Education Academy awarded me with a National Teaching Fellowship for my work around vocational education.