ABSTRACT
The use of the term technical education has become increasingly prevalent in policy documents in England since 2015. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has widened the term by referring to Professional and Technical Education, whilst commenting on its relative absence in England beyond upper secondary education. In both cases, the new terminology appears to supplant the use of the word vocational, but in neither case is technical education clearly defined. This chapter seeks to identify key differentiating characteristics of technical education that might better inform curriculum planning, pedagogy and assessment. It also considers the ‘fit’ of technical education as a possible defining role for further education colleges. Further Education has been characterised as being the adaptive layer of education, but whilst it can be a strength in terms of flexibility and local responsiveness, it can result in the provision made by further education colleges being seen as unduly complex and difficult to describe and the institutions being seen as seeking to be all things to all people. Making the distinction between core and contingent roles, it concludes that technical education could be such a defining role for many, but not all, further education colleges.
