The Malinauskas Labor Government will today launch South Australia’s first Specialist Teacher Workforce Strategy, delivering on a key election commitment.
The new initiative to increase the number of specialist teachers in key subject areas will go towards supporting the teaching workforce, as well as help South Australia meet the growing workforce demands for skilled workers in coming years.
The commitment to boost the number of specialist teachers will focus on increasing specialist Maths, English, Languages, the Arts, Science, and Design and Technology teachers in schools.
Under the plan, the skills of the existing workforce are being identified and recognised, while also improving the pathways for upskilling and the recruitment of new specialist teachers.
It comes following a pilot of the Education Department that saw the retraining of staff in design and technology. The department identified a shortage of design and technology teachers and ran a program to retrain 40 existing teachers in this specialisation. The program included staff training in school workshops. Staff will also complete the ‘safe use of machinery’ course through TAFE SA as part of their training.
The new strategy, alongside a $6.6m investment, will drive significant reductions in the number of students being taught by teachers outside their specialist areas.
Boosting the number of specialist teachers is a critical step in ensuring South Australia has the skilled workforce to meet the demands of the AUKUS project, hydrogen industry and other growth industries, like construction, and the health sector.
The Specialist Teacher Workforce Plan will:
- Formally identify and recognise the professional standing of hundreds of existing specialist teachers
- Offer support for over 400 existing teachers to access curriculum upskilling
- Strengthen the specialist pipeline for in-demand subject areas and support graduate teachers to continue to grow their expertise and confidence as a specialist throughout their career.
As put by Blair Boyer
The Malinauskas Labor Government is driven by an ambition to ensure every student has access to a great education – having specialist teachers teaching specialist subjects is essential to achieving this.
Specialist teachers help drive better student results and bring a passion to their subject area to inspire our next generation of scientists, mathematicians or technicians.
STEM subjects in particular are a priority area with the AUKUS submarine deal expected to generate up to 11,000 jobs in South Australia over the next 30 years – and we need to make sure our students are ready to take up these opportunities.
The Specialist Teacher Workforce Plan will play an important role in recognising the expertise that our teaching workforce already has, while increasing the supply of teachers with specialist skills, capabilities and qualifications.
As put by Para Hills High School Principal Alina Page
In 2023 we identified that we needed additional specialist teachers in Design and Technology and through specialist training we have been able to support and strengthen the skills of our staff members.
The specialist training program has been of great benefit to not only our students and Para Hills High School as a whole, but importantly to our teachers who now have additional skills and a specialist knowledge base.
As put by Para Hills High School Design and Technology teacher Ibrahim Dad
The opportunity for me to gain specialised training in the field of Design and Technology means I can now teach across different year levels and curriculum areas.
It’s an area I’m really interested in and will provide me with greater opportunities in my teaching career.
As put by SA Secondary Principals Association Chief Executive Jayne Heath
It’s important that students are taught by teachers with the knowledge, capabilities and expertise in the subject area they are teaching.
Teachers who are teaching outside of their field of expertise need support to upskill and pathways to develop specialisation.
Specialist knowledge and skills are continually developed throughout a teachers’ career and it’s important that teachers are supported to maintain currency in their subject area.
