Move aims to encourage more to become teachers

Steps are being taken to encourage more people to train locally as secondary teachers and help plug a shortfall in applicants.

A partnership has been struck between Shetland Islands Council and Shetland College UHI, which will see a new one-year Secondary Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) being offered in three subjects.

The course starts in August this year, and the council hopes it will attract people interested in teaching business studies, home economics and craft, design and technology (technical) subjects.

The course will enable successful applicants to develop their teaching skills and prepare for a career in secondary teaching.

It consists of 18 weeks’ study at Shetland College UHI, plus distance learning within the UHI college network, and 19 weeks on placement in professional practice in local secondary schools.

Following successful completion of the PGDE programme, students are guaranteed a probationary place in Shetland the following year, where they can work towards full General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) registration.

We hope that this programme will help us attract new people into the teaching profession who will positively influence the lives of young people in Shetland. ROBIN CALDER

Quality improvement officer at Children’s Services, Robin Calder, said: “This is a really exciting new teacher education opportunity in Shetland. The primary PGDE programme that has been offered in recent years has been very successful and we are now looking forward to moving into the secondary sector.

“The three subject areas identified – business studies, home economics and technical – are where we have had some recent recruitment challenges, principally around a lack of applicants for posts.

“We hope that this programme will help us attract new people into the teaching profession who will positively influence the lives of young people in Shetland.”

There is no set closing date for applications, but applications are encouraged through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) by the end of March 2017.