The NSW Government will address a shortage of teachers on the Central Coast and throughout the state with a new campaign targeted at overseas and interstate STEM teachers.
The Government will spend $13.5M on a program to bring more than 500 qualified STEM teachers from other countries and states into NSW classrooms.
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, Sarah Mitchell, said the plan to recruit “standout” international and interstate teachers is part of a broader strategy to boost and sustain a high-quality teaching workforce.
“Our education system is amongst the largest in the world, and I am confident that by opening the door to more high-quality teachers from other jurisdictions, we will also become amongst the highest performing in the world,” Mitchell said.
The initiative builds upon the Government’s recently announced new employment-based pathways into teaching and is aligned with the Productivity Commission’s White Paper recommendation to leverage the status of NSW to entice teachers.
“NSW is an incredible place to live and work – attracting the best teachers from around the world will help turbocharge our recovery from the pandemic by ensuring our students have access to more high quality teachers,” Mitchell said.
“Our state has the biggest education system in the southern hemisphere and we should be using that position to attract the best teachers from around the country and the world to help our students get ahead.”
The overseas focus will be on countries whose teachers have high potential to succeed in the NSW public system such as Canada and the UK.
Four hundred and sixty teachers will be recruited between 2022-23, and 100 in 2023-24.
Working alongside other agencies, including the Commonwealth Government, the Department of Education will help successful recruits with relocation and other support including Australian border control measures, quarantine and visa requirements.
The initiative forms part of the NSW Government’s new Teacher Supply Strategy.
Source:
Media releases, Sep 27
NSW Education Department