In September, a groundbreaking new employment pathway for teachers was launched in a bid to help tackle Australia’s education workforce shortages.
The $17m All Points to Teaching (APTT) program will help new teachers with more employment-based pathways as well as access to fully funded undergraduate and postgraduate teaching degrees.
The program, funded by an $11m grant from the Federal Government’s High Achieving Teacher Program together with a $5m donation from the ACU, will see scholarships given to hundreds students to help them complete their teaching degrees.
“As Australia’s largest trainer of teachers, we take our role in helping to counter national teacher shortages seriously,” Professor Mary Ryan, Executive Dean of Education and Arts at the Australian Catholic University (ACU), told The Educator. “This is why we have a range of teaching options for undergraduate and postgraduate students.”
Professor Ryan said APTT program adds “a unique and exciting” pathway to the mix.
“It will allow 285 students to study a Bachelor of Education [Secondary or Secondary and Special Education] or a Master of Teaching [Secondary] at no cost while they work in secondary schools across NSW and Queensland from the outset as paid teacher aides, school learning support officers, paraprofessionals, and, in their final year of studies, interns,” she said.
“We know from our associations with education stakeholders nationally that relationship-building is at the core of any successful partnership.”
Professor Ryan said that by having APTT students undertake these important classroom roles from the outset, they’ll have a chance to not only blend theory and practice, but to immerse themselves in their school environment and community before becoming fully qualified teachers.
“This rich bond, in addition to the fact we are recruiting aspiring teachers from areas including the locations of participating secondary schools and linking them with local supports, will help to encourage APTT students to stay on at their schools beyond graduation,” she said.
“For example, we regularly encourage ACU teaching students to complete placements in regional, rural, and remote communities across the country and this exposure often leads to long-lasting connections and employment opportunities.”
With the program targeting underrepresented groups, such as those from rural and remote areas, Professor Ryan said the APTT’s wraparound support model – especially the use of support hubs – will improve student success.
“We are proud to be targeting a diverse student cohort for the APTT program, including those from First Nations backgrounds, aspiring teachers from regional, rural, and remote communities, those who are the first in their family to study at university, and those with disabilities as we know the teaching profession is strengthened when it is reflective of society,” she said.
“The wraparound support model is designed to help APTT students to succeed with both their tertiary studies and their roles in schools by connecting them with evidence-based theory and practice, as well as hands-on, context-specific support from ACU, participating schools, New South Wales and Queensland government representatives, the expertise of several Catholic dioceses, and key community organisations.”
A ‘winning formula’ for teacher recruitment and retention
Professor Ryan said the APTT also plays an important role in attracting non-traditional entrants into the teaching profession, such as career changers and parent volunteers.
“We know that particularly at a time when cost of living pressure is biting, few aspiring teachers can give up an income to study teaching and change careers,” she said. “The APTT’s paid, employment-based pathway will make it easier than ever for students to pursue their dream of becoming a teacher without it hurting their hip pocket.”
Professor Ryan noted that for those who are parent volunteers, for example, the program will provide an income as a teacher aide, paraprofessional, school learning support officer or intern while they gain an exemplary qualification.
“Add the wraparound support each student will be provided with through local hubs staffed with ACU, government, diocesan, and community experts and you’ve got a winning formula to attract, prepare, and retain high-quality teachers in a system that desperately needs them.”
When asked how the APTT’s training in advanced classroom management, AI, and learner diversity can help to prepare future teachers to tackle the unique challenges facing today’s classrooms, Professor Ryan said ACU’s teaching programs are constantly evolving as evidence-based research and practices come to light.
“All ACU students are equipped to teach and lead 21st Century classrooms,” she said. “We also provide microcredential courses in a range of areas including phonics, maths, science, and advanced classroom management for existing educators to upskill.”
Professor Ryan said teachers need to be learners for life to be effective practitioners.
“Given the APTT students will be working in classrooms from the outset, they will receive fast-tracked support and professional learning in key areas to ensure they have the confidence, evidence-based theory and practices needed to make a positive difference in students’ lives right away.”