Yesterday, Education Ministers agreed on a National Teacher Workforce Action Plan (Action Plan) aimed at addressing the national issue of teacher workforce shortages.
The Action Plan includes actions across five priority areas. These priority areas address primary drivers of teacher shortages and include:
- Improving teacher supply – To increase the number of people choosing teaching as a career.
- Strengthening initial teacher education – To ensure initial teacher education supports teacher supply and delivers classroom ready graduates.
- Keeping the teachers we have – To improve retention by increasing support for teachers, enhancing career pathways, reducing unnecessary workload and freeing up teachers to focus on core teaching tasks and collaboration.
- Elevating the profession – To recognise the value teachers bring to students, communities and the economy.
- Better understanding future teacher workforce needs – To improve the information available for teacher workforce planning.
The Australian Government is investing $328 million to implement initiatives contained in the Action Plan. States and territories have agreed in-principle to contribute an additional $5 million to support a targeted national campaign to raise the status and value the role of the teaching profession. All jurisdictions will work collaboratively to implement the Action Plan.
The Action Plan can be downloaded from the Department of Education website here.