JTL Blog


The power of having effective tutors to help our learners succeed

Tutor teaching classes

This is the value of the teacher, who looks at a face and says there’s something behind that and I want to reach that person, I want to influence that person, I want to encourage that person, I want to enrich, I want to call out that person who is behind that face, behind that colour, behind that language, behind that tradition, behind that culture. I believe you can do it. I know what was done for me.

—Maya Angelou (1928-2014), an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist.

Top quality teaching by expert tutors

When it comes to learning, the importance of great teachers, or tutors as we call them at JTL, can’t be underestimated as they have such a powerful impact on a learner’s achievement. JTL tutors teach to a high standard as evidenced by our consistently high achievement rates and Ofsted ‘Good’ provider ratings.

We have over 50 tutors in our nine dedicated training centres across England who are skilled and experienced in their field of electrical or plumbing and heating. Our tutors are responsible for delivering the required theory and practical skills to learners in the first two years of their apprenticeship programmes. We also employ several Functional Skills tutors to support learners in achieving their Functional Skills tests, as well as employability tutors who teach work preparation skills to young people on JTL’s Traineeship programmes.

We invest heavily in the training of our staff as they are effectively our business. We often recruit electricians and plumbers from the sector who have no formal training in education or assessment, so we support them in obtaining professional teaching qualifications. Our tutors are then kept up to date with regular training sessions and on-going support from our in-house team of curriculum managers and employee development team.

Our tutors also regularly attend awarding organisation webinars and manufacturers’ talks on new technologies. Additionally, JTL is a member of a number of trade associations that also offer Continued Professional Development as well as the renewal of accredited upskilling courses such as 18th Edition Wiring Regulations, renewable technologies and gas qualifications.

Tutors change lives

At JTL, we don’t believe it to be an exaggeration to say that a great teacher can change a learner’s life. As some of the most influential role models for developing the next generation of trade professionals, our tutors are committed to their learners’ well-being both inside and outside the classroom. By building strong relationships, our tutors have the ability to affect nearly every aspect of their leaners’ lives, teaching them the important life lessons that will help them succeed beyond their apprenticeship.

There are so many brilliant stories at JTL that demonstrate the benefits of a strong relationship between a tutor and a learner. We spoke to some of our amazing tutors to find out what being a tutor at JTL means to them.

Joel Dalhouse, tutor manager at JTL, said: “There is no job more satisfying than teaching; helping an apprentice to develop their skills, instilling pride in the quality of work they produce and really pushing them to reach their full potential. My intention when teaching is to develop electricians and fire and security engineers who will not just be good enough for the industry but also as future leaders in the sector too.

“However, the biggest challenge is ensuring every apprentice is supported to enable them to reach their full potential. Work is only one aspect of an apprentice’s life and it is hugely important that we can support an apprentice through any personal challenges they may face too.”

Damian Hutchings, senior electrical tutor at JTL’s Oxfordshire Centre, said: “To be an effective tutor I believe you need real empathy and understanding with the learners. I remember what it was like to be an apprentice and to not understand a subject or to get a practical task wrong. However, it is not just about the apprenticeship. I believe the biggest impact on an individual’s ability to learn is their personal life. If you can show empathy for that person, regardless of their age, who is trying to make their way through life, you’ll find they’ll be much more open to learning from you.

Interested in hearing more from our tutors? Follow this link here.

Thinking about becoming a tutor?

Damian Hutchings said: “The advice I would give to anyone who’s thinking of becoming a tutor at JTL is to embrace your job role. You may be a qualified electrician or plumber, but that is no longer your profession. You’re now a professional tutor and this comes with completely different skill sets and requirements. The more you embrace that, the more successful you will be.”

If you want to know more about working at JTL, visit our jobs page here.

Or if you want to learn more about a JTL apprenticeship or how you can train with us, click here.

Other posts

Former apprentice, Amy Lister, gives inspiring advice for females considering a career in the electrical industry
Former apprentice, Amy Lister, gives inspiring advice for females considering a career in the electrical industry
Read post
Why raising the apprenticeship minimum wage is good for the economy
Why raising the apprenticeship minimum wage is good for the economy
Read post
Season’s Greetings from JTL
Season’s Greetings from JTL
Read post