The Victorian Government has announced the formation of a new $1.8 million teacher training pilot program, aimed increasing teacher training, putting greater emphasis on practical experience.

 

The School Centres for Teaching Excellence project will fund seven individual centres across the state, involving six of the nine universities in Victoria.

 

The seven School Centres for Teaching Excellence, funded for two years through the Smarter Schools National Partnership on Improving Teacher Quality, will involve:

  • Victoria University (in both the northern and western areas of Melbourne)
  • La Trobe University (in the Bendigo area)
  • University of Melbourne (in eastern Melbourne)
  • Deakin University (in the Barwon South West area)
  • Monash University (in the Gippsland region), and the
  • Country Education Project (in the Hume and Grampians regions, involving Ballarat University, the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University)

Last year, more than 5,200 students were in their final year of a university teaching course.

Each year almost half that number is employed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.