When a provider publishes a course, they can list all the schools where a candidate can gain experience.
Previously, once a course was published, it was ‘Open’ for applications. This meant there were vacancies at some or all of the schools listed.
We provided a way for users to state whether each school had vacancies.
If the provider stated there were no vacancies for all schools on the list, the course is ‘Closed’. ‘Closed’ courses can still be found on Find postgraduate teacher training (Find), but a candidate cannot apply.
We have removed the link between the ‘Open’ and ‘Closed’ course statuses and vacancies. Users can simply state whether the course is open or closed.
What we changed
We have:
- removed the vacancies section
- removed the vacancies column from the courses list
- added closing a course
- added opening a course
- updated withdrawing a course
We removed the ability for users to manage vacancies in Publish teacher training courses (Publish) because:
- candidates do not apply to a vacancy at a school
- providers often do not know the number of vacancies at their partner schools until late in the recruitment cycle
- the number of vacancies can change during the recruitment cycle for reasons outside the recruitment process
- we are providing false hope that candidates will be placed at certain schools
- providers do not always consider a candidate’s school placement preference on the application, and some don’t know about the preference
- the accuracy of vacancy information depends on providers frequently updating their courses
- Apply for teacher training (Apply) is going to remove the preference for placement schools
How it works
When a course is first published, it is ‘Open’ on Find.
In the ‘Open’ state, Publish users can:
- close the course
- view the course on Find
- withdraw the course
Close course
A provider should close a course where no placements are available.
When a provider closes a course, it is still available on Find, but candidates cannot apply.
When a user selects to close a course, we show a page confirming the change.
Open course
During the recruitment cycle, the provider might need to close a course and, at a later date, reopen it.
When a user selects to open a course, we show a page confirming the change.
Once a course has been opened, candidates can apply for it.
Withdraw course
When a user selects to withdraw a course, we show a page confirming the change. We also show a link to closing the course, which may be the more appropriate option.
We do not show the close link if the course is already closed.