The University of Newcastle has launched a new course allowing students to teach in high schools in one year as a strategy to fill widespread shortages in the industry.
The Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) has been "front-loaded", by condensing two practical experiences into the 12-month period, which provides conditional accreditation to teach in schools.
The student would then complete three more courses to receive a Master of Teaching.
The diploma is an online course with some on-campus sessions and is geared towards people who have a bachelor degree "aligned to an area of secondary teaching" and are looking to transition careers.
It comes as a NSW Auditor General report into regional, remote and rural education released on August 10 showed there were 922 permanent teacher vacancies in regional and remote schools in January.
"The current two-year Master of Teaching program requires that you step out of the role you're in - a job or other studies and come study two years full-time on campus," Pro Vice-Chancellor College of Human and Social Futures Professor John Fischetti said.
"That a big ask for working Australians who right now are under the pump to pay the electric bill, buy their food, get their kids uniforms.
"The NSW Productivity Commission indicated last year that were 9000 people who said 'I'd like that, I just can't step out and afford to do that'.
"In this case, in one year online with two practicum, which hopefully people can do while on leave or arrange with their bosses, people can accomplish enough of our program, basically three quarters of the previous master's degree and get conditionally accredited.
"You can get paid as a teacher then finish the last 25 per cent while you're in the classroom."
Despite being a fast-tracked program, Professor Fischetti said it would not lower the quality of learning or send people out in to schools too early.
"It provides more flexibility," he said. "By front loading the really important stuff we are still accomplishing all the same as what we currently do.
"So we really aren't giving it up, we're presenting the important part and giving permission to get that job after that first year. It's already permissible for people to do that, but it's really clunky because you have to ask for permission to be excused from the program and what we're doing is streamlining that."
The course begins in 2024, and Professor Fischetti said they were hoping for at least 100 students in the first year.
NSW Department of Education director of educational leadership Josie Bailey said the program was sorely needed to fill vacancies in the profession.
"At the moment it will be nothing for any high school to have 15, 20 teachers down that day," she said.
"So this will enable us to get more teachers out sooner without compromising on the quality, which is really important.
"I believe it will break down the barriers that are maybe stopping them from undertaking that post-degree work at the moment."
Ms Bailey said she believed COVID had stretched the capacity of teachers and is now contributing to the shortage.
"What is great with this course is they actually come into the classroom so they can see if teaching is for them.
"It's a profession that I believe we really need to boost the presence of in the community. They're incredibly hard working and I feel sometimes the we're not always understood."
The NSW Teachers Federation is supportive of the strategy, but said other initiatives were needed to bring more qualified teachers into schools.
"Research continues to show that the main cause of the teacher shortages are unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive pay," NSW Teachers Federation regional organiser Jack Galvin Waight said.
"While workloads of teachers have increased every year, their salaries have fallen in comparison with other professions."
