Employment-Based Degrees: Teach Today and Teach Tomorrow Programs

Overview

The Victorian Government is investing a further $33.5 million in employment-based teaching degrees, which will fast-track up to 1,200 student teachers into classrooms.

Teach Today programs

In these programs, participants are employed in schools as paraprofessionals or education support staff while completing a postgraduate teaching degree across 18-24 months. Participants are paid as paraprofessionals or education support staff (as applicable), and receive a department scholarship of $2,400 to support their intensive study period. The providers offering Teach Today programs in 2023 are:

• Deakin University
• La Trobe University
• Teach For Australia
• the University of Melbourne

Teach Tomorrow programs

In these 18-24 month programs, participants receive a department scholarship of $15,000 while they study for the first 6-12 months of the program and undertake placements in schools. Participants then undertake paid employment in schools as paraprofessionals or education support staff for the final 6-12 months of the program. The providers offering Teach Tomorrow programs in 2023 are:

• Australian Catholic University
• Federation University
• RMIT University
• Victoria University

To be eligible, aspiring teachers will need a bachelor’s degree and to be able to train and work in an area of workforce shortage in Victorian Government secondary or specialist schools.

Benefits for schools

Teach Today and Teach Tomorrow programs offer Victorian government secondary and specialist schools a valuable opportunity to address their short-term staffing needs and invest in their future workforce.

Victorian government secondary and specialist schools have the opportunity to employ Teach Today and Teach Tomorrow students as teaching paraprofessionals while they complete their teaching degrees. Teach Today and Teach Tomorrow programs focus on areas of need including schools with higher levels of disadvantage; priority subject areas such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), languages, specialist education and applied learning; and priority geographic areas including schools in outer-metropolitan, rural, and regional locations across the state.

All students of these programs are required to be formally matched with a host school for the duration of their secondary teaching degree. Students will be supported by a provider mentor and a school-based mentor from their host school.

For each program, resources for host schools and participants are available on the Resources tab. These resources provide information on each available innovative and employment-based ITE program.

Case study

View Teach the Future case study from Kurnai College.

Teach Today Teach Tomorrow programs information

Watch how we can help match a student teacher to your school to help you address staffing needs and invest in the future workforce.

Undergraduate employment-based degrees

As part of the 2023–24 State Budget Update, the Victorian Government has invested $13.9 million to introduce new employment-based teaching degree programs at the undergraduate level. La Trobe University and Federation University Australia will deliver these programs, commencing in 2025, which will provide the opportunity for people in targeted regional areas who have existing relationships with Victorian government secondary or specialist schools to study and qualify as teachers.

These programs will provide a supported pathway for existing Education Support staff and members of the school communities to upskill and obtain teaching qualifications.

More information on the development of new undergraduate-level employment-based teaching degrees will be made available as this initiative develops. Interested candidates currently employed as Education Support staff should approach their principal to discuss their interest in upskilling as teachers.

Related topics

• Careers and Recruitment
• Forms — Teaching Service and HR Administration
• Recruitment in Schools
• Roles and Responsibilities — Teaching Service
• Salary Rates

Relevant legislation

• Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)
• Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017 (Vic)
• Industrial Agreements
• Ministerial Orders — Employment

Contact information

Secondary and specialist schools that are or would be interested in participating in the programs by employing a student as a paraprofessional may contact the Teach Today and Teach Tomorrow team on:

Email: teach.today.teach.tomorrow@education.vic.gov.au

Tel: 1800 641 943

Prospective student teachers can contact the Teach Today and Teach Tomorrow team on the details above, or are encouraged to reach out to participating university providers directly for specific course enquiries.

Please visit the accelerated learning program webpage for more information and links to participating universities.

Policy and Guidelines

There is no further policy and guidelines for this topic. For more information, refer to the Resources tab.

Resources

Fact sheets for host schools and program participants

The fact sheets provide host schools with information on the relevant provider's program and the requirements of hosting a pre-service teacher:

• Australian Catholic University
• Deakin University
• Federation University
• University of Melbourne
• Teach for Australia
• La Trobe NEXUS (primary schools)
• La Trobe NEXUS (secondary schools)
• Victoria University
• RMIT

These fact sheets will be updated for all providers offering innovative and employment-based ITE programs in 2023.

Express your interest in becoming a host school

These instructions provide a step-by-step guide to submitting a non-advertised ITE employment-based job opening:

• Creating an ITE Employment-based Job Opening School Guide