Teach For Australia (TFA) welcomes the Albanese Government’s Federal Budget 2022-23 investment to bring more talented people into teaching.
As part of the $68.3 million investment to expand the High Achieving Teachers Program, TFA will recruit, place and train more high-calibre graduates and career changers as teachers.
The new funding will make a difference for children across Australia by increasing the number of subject specialist teachers in classrooms where teacher shortages are most acute.
“At a time when schools need more new teachers than ever before, this funding is an encouraging boost to school workforce supply. It will enable TFA to add more skilled people to classrooms around Australia – helping to fill teaching vacancies predominantly in rural, regional and remote communities,” TFA Chief Executive Officer Melodie Potts Rosevear said.
“While there is no one silver bullet to the systemic teacher supply challenge facing school communities, supported work-study pathways like TFA can unlock doors for more aspiring teachers to enter the school workforce, including many who might otherwise have not considered the profession.
“TFA has worked in a non-partisan way with the Commonwealth since 2009, bringing more than 1200 additional teachers to the classroom during that time – 84% of whom remain in the education sector today. We are proud that independent evaluations have shown our model is high-quality and successful.
“We welcome this opportunity to support the Albanese Government’s commitment to address teacher shortages, by recruiting and developing more skilled people to teach in schools where workforce needs are highest.
“We look forward to working with the Minister for Education, Jason Clare, and the Department of Education to elevate the teaching profession, improve teacher supply and strengthen initial teacher education.”
Through its Leadership Development Program, TFA supports participants to complete a Master of Teaching while working at secondary schools in rural, regional and remote areas and low socioeconomic status (SES) metropolitan communities. With its academic partner, Australian Catholic University, TFA provides participants with intensive training before they step into the classroom and ongoing coaching and mentoring to accelerate their professional development.
In TFA’s 2022 national cohort, nearly 50% are qualified to teach in-demand STEM subjects and 68% are career changers who bring additional professional perspectives to their teaching.
“TFA’s work is grounded in the vision of all children receiving a quality education that provides choice and opportunity for their future – and evidence shows that teaching is the most significant in-school factor that can positively affect student achievement,” Ms Potts Rosevear said.
“Around Australia, TFA’s 300-plus partner schools value our program as a well-established ‘tried and tested’ pathway that brings high-performing, enthusiastic and dedicated teachers to their classrooms.”
The TFA Leadership Development Program is delivered as part of the High Achieving Teachers Program with the support of the Australian Government Department of Education. TFA also values its State and Territory Government partners and the generous philanthropic and community supporters who also enable our program growth, in service of the students.
