The University of Newcastle has welcomed a state government proposal to fast-track teacher education for suitable candidates.
A NSW Productivity Commission report released on Wednesday recommended reintroducing a one-year diploma, due to the economic impacts of rampant teacher shortages across the state.
The University of Newcastle's Pro Vice-Chancellor, Human and Social Futures, John Fischetti backed the proposal to get graduates in the classroom as soon as they complete the one-year postgraduate course.
The university presently offers a 16-month Master of Teaching, for those seeking to transition into teaching.
"We fully support what the minister is proposing regarding a one year option to get mid-career, mature aged candidates into schools quicker. In fact, our 16-month program is close to that one year anyway," Professor Fischetti said.
"We could easily adjust our offerings to provide both the diploma and the Master of Teaching, which would have more of a research focus and an extra placement."
He said the proposed diploma would be suited for those who already had experience engaging with young people as well as existing qualifications in the area they wanted to teach in.
"They would have to show that they understand the realities of working with young people today and bring the content expertise," Professor Fischetti said.
Meanwhile, the NSW Teachers Federation Hunter Region organiser Jack Galvin Waight said lowering standards and cutting qualifications was not the answer to teacher shortages.
"The answer is in addressing the fundamental problems which are turning people off teaching - unsustainable workloads, uncompetitive salaries and insecure work," he said.
"A Federal Initial Teacher Education (ITE) review found the number one thing that would get more high achievers into teaching is substantially higher salaries for beginning teachers and our most experienced teachers. It's a false economy to allow underqualified people to become teachers. The retention rates are far worse than for those who follow traditional paths to become teachers."
NSW Secondary Principals' Council president Craig Petersen said the change had been in the works for some time and attitudes within the industry varied.
"We've got to be very careful that at the time when we're saying we need to improve the status of teaching that we don't actually undermine it by reducing the rigour of the academic qualifications you need to actually be a teacher," he said.
"It's one thing to know all about maths for example, but you've got to then know how to teach that to a 12-year-old, to a 15-year old who's not interested, to a highly motivated student doing the HSC."
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