Graduates laid off from jobs in industry are being offered the chance to retrain as maths and science teachers as part of the government's Pounds 130 million bid to tackle the slump in teaching recruitment.
Plans, unveiled this week, would include a Pounds 5,000 "golden hello" to graduates who start training for a Post Graduate Certificate of Education in September next year and who intend going on to teach maths or science. This one-off incentive would be paid in two instalments, half when the person starts their PGCE and the remainder when they get a teaching job. The government has promised that there will be no claw-back of the money even if a recruit quits teaching shortly after starting.
Graduates who are made redundant will also have their tuition fees waived, as will all those taking PGCEs, and be paid Pounds 11,000 a year while training to be a teacher.
The recruitment drive is designed as a short-term measure only. It is set against figures showing massive under-recruitment in key subjects such as maths, science, technology and modern languages. Last year the targets for maths teachers were short by 1,100. The target for science teachers was short by 900, technology by more than 1,000 and in modern languages by 300.
Anthea Millett, chief executive of the Teacher Training Agency, welcomed the package. But critics, including the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said that the one-off golden hello and financial package were unlikely to cure the teacher training crisis. Both the ATL and Liberal Democrats said that part of the solution lay in improving teacher pay.