In a bid to have more teachers into classrooms, NSW is to introduce a new one-year teaching postgraduate course for aspiring educators.
Announcing the change the Minister for Education and Early Learning, Sarah Mitchell said the current two-year Masters degree requirement had been shown to act as a disincentive for aspiring teachers, particularly mid-career professionals, and didn’t have a clear enough impact on student outcomes.
“A major barrier for people who already have an undergraduate degree and want to become a teacher is the length of time required to retrain,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Providing a new one-year Masters pathway will enable more mid-career professionals with existing qualifications and experience to bring these to bear in our classrooms,” she said.
“This decision is backed by strong research which shows that the best way for teachers to hit the ground running is to spend more time in schools.”
Ms Mitchell said people with an undergraduate degree would be able to complete a one-year full time postgraduate degree in order to become a secondary school teacher from 2024, with streamlined postgraduate pathways for primary school teachers to be available by 2026.
She said the Government would continue to work with universities and the profession to ensure the new courses were high-quality and prepared trainee teachers for the classroom.
“Stakeholders across the sector, including many NSW universities, have expressed a desire to see more bespoke and skill-based Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degrees, especially for mid-career changers,” the Minister said.
“This means that trainee teachers can get in front of a classroom sooner and finish their formal education while employed at a school.”
