Local residents in Western and South Western Sydney, Dubbo, Queanbeyan, and the Murray region will be encouraged to take up secondary careers in teaching under a new program targeting areas with high demand for teachers.

Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said the Grow Your Own: Local Teacher Pipeline (LTP) program would help to address the state’s teacher shortage by providing participants financial and other support to complete a secondary teaching qualification.

In return participants would teach at a local public high school for at least three years.

The new pipeline program expands on the existing Grow Your Own initiative, which supports non-teaching NSW public school staff to gain their professional qualifications as teachers.

Eligible schools will help identify local people with teaching potential for the LTP program, including potential career changers, school administration and support staff, high school leavers, and existing Initial Teacher Education students.

The team will work with interested schools to identify which areas are most in need locally, with participants’ studies starting from Term 1, 2024.

Up to 75 applicants will be offered a place in one of three paths to qualification:

•           The Undergraduate pathway, with a $30,000 training allowance over four years;

•           The Postgraduate pathway, with a $30,000 training allowance over two years;

•           The Industry Experience pathway, with a $30,000 training allowance over two years and a retention incentive of up to $30,000 paid over the first three years of teaching in a NSW public school in an agreed location.

Participants will work one day a week to benefit from in-school experience in a local NSW public high school while completing their studies.

Applications are now open until October 31 for participants to begin study in Term 1, 2024.

Those who wish to apply can do so via this link: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teach-nsw/get-paid-to-study/grow-your-own/grow-your-own-local-teacher-pipeline

Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren said:

“Providing support, not only for the teachers that we already have, but also for the teachers that we will have is an important step in restoring pride and stability to the education sector.”

“Campbelltown schools need teachers, and this program will help support local people to make the transition into schools.”

Quotes attributable to Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Prue Car:

“This program is tailor-made to help schools where the demand for teachers is particularly high, by tapping into existing local talent within these communities.

“Alongside our once-in-a-generation wage rise for teachers and moves to ease teacher workload, this is another step the Minns Labor Government is taking to restore teaching as a career of choice and lift student academic outcomes.”