A Coleg Ceredigion lecturer who called his students ‘d**kheads’, left learners unsupervised, played games on his phone and fell asleep at work has been struck off.

A Fitness to Practise Committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC), sitting remotely between 7 and 10 July found allegations of unacceptable professional conduct proved against further education teacher, Benjamin Dick.

Mr Dick was an automative engineering lecturer at Coleg Ceredigion in Cardigan.

The committee found that between 2023 2023 and February 2024, Mr Dick “referred to learners using foul, derogatory and inappropriate language in the presence of other staff, and made comments about learners to other learners or where learners could hear.”

The committee heard that Mr Dick called one student a “little s**t”, while calling learners “thick” and using the word “f**k”.

Most of the students were aged between 16 and 18.

On one occasion, Mr Dick said about a student that “they are a right c**t”, and called learners “d**kheads”.

He referred to the Level 1 group as “a f**king s**t group”, the committee heard, and told the Level 2 group that the Level 1 learners was getting on his nerves.

He also said that a learner was “f**king annoying”.

The committee also ruled that Mr Dick had, between September 2022 and February 2024, “behaved in an inappropriate or unprofessional manner in the presence of colleagues and/or learners” by shouting and swearing angrily, throwing one or more items, kicking a door, and referring to his partner in a derogatory way.

The committee heard that on one or more occasions Mr Dick left learners unsupervised and/or without adequate supervision within the workshop.

In January and February 2024, he allowed learners to work on a learner’s car without adequate supervision.

In December 2023, he allowed learners to work on his car without adequate supervision, without checking their work before driving the car and allowed the car to be driven without working headlights.

Between September 2022 and February 2024 Mr Dick was found asleep at work during working hour and the committee heard he played games on his mobile phone during workshop and theory lessons during working hours.

Mr Dick started working at the college in September 2019 but resigned in March 2024 after concerns were raised by fellow lecturer Antony Goellnitz and an investigation launched.

The committee heard that Mr Dick had no previous sanctions against him, but deemed his behaviour amounted to unacceptable professional conduct.

The Fitness to Practise Committee imposed a Prohibition Order, indefinitely removing Mr Dick from the Register of Education Practitioners in the categories of further education teacher and school learning support worker.

It also decided Mr Dick may not make an application for restoration to the Register of Education Practitioners before a period of two years has elapsed.

Should Mr Dick not make a successful application for eligibility for restoration to the Register after 10 July 2027, he will remain prohibited indefinitely.

Mr Dick has the right of appeal.