Workforce Support and Initiatives for Schools

Supporting early-career teachers – retention – career development

The department is delivering a range of supports to provide teachers with the best start to their career, and to support them to grow and to help our leaders find the balance they need to excel.

I have a first-year teacher who could do with more support

Career Start – transforming the first years of the teaching career

Career Start is a structured program for graduate teachers which aims to improve the experience of graduate teachers as they are inducted into the profession. Career Start provides time release, mentoring, professional development opportunities and a range of additional supports to graduate teachers and their mentors to accelerate the development of graduate teachers’ professional practice and support their wellbeing. Following a successful 3-year pilot program which took place in primary and special schools in 3 areas from 2021 to 2023, Career Start will expand to support more graduate teachers in more areas over the next 2 years.

For further information, refer to Career Start: transforming the first years of the teaching career.

Graduate Teacher Conferences and Webinars – supporting graduate teachers in their first 2 years of teaching

Resources for graduate teachers to strengthen their professional practice are located at Graduate teacher induction resources.

The Graduate Teacher Conferences (GTCs) support teachers at Victorian government schools in their first years of teaching, or who are returning to the classroom after a period of leave.

For further information, refer to Graduate Teacher Conferences and Webinars.

VIT mentor programs – enhancing the mentoring knowledge and skills of experienced teachers

The Effective Mentoring Program (EMP) is designed to enhance the mentoring knowledge and skills of experienced teachers who hold full registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching so they can support graduate and returning teachers to progress from provisional to full registration with the VIT, and act as the VIT-trained mentor on workplace recommendations panels.

The program is delivered as a partnership between the Department of Education and the VIT.

For further information, refer to Effective Mentoring Program.

I have a teacher who could do with more professional opportunities/recognition

Subsidised programs to develop STEM teachers – encourage teachers to participate in subsidised programs to develop their STEM teaching specialisms

Targeted initiatives in STEM for teacher training include:

• the Secondary Sciences, Technologies and Mathematics (SSTM) Initiative which increases the number of in-field mathematics and science teachers in Victoria, and in participating schools, by providing a fully-funded postgraduate qualification (through Deakin University) at no cost to out-of-field teachers or their schools
• the Primary Mathematics and Science Specialist Initiative (PMSS) is a 2-year program designed to drive whole school change through upskilling primary teachers in government schools to become specialists in either science or mathematics – contact: PMSS@education.vic.gov.au
• 2 new postgraduate qualifications (Graduate Certificates) in Secondary Digital Technologies and Secondary Design and Technologies, with a total of 100 out- of-field teaching participants (50 for each course) – contact: technologies.graduate.certificates@education.vic.gov.au

Establish Leading Teachers and Learning Specialist roles – provide career pathways to your teachers and build your leadership profile and provide greater support to your classroom teachers

Leading teacher and learning specialist positions are tenured for up to 5 years with the tenure specified in the position advertisement. The successful applicant will be ongoing with tenure in the leadership position.

These promotion opportunities provide a career path for teachers and focus on building teaching practice within your schools.

For more information about Leading Teacher and Learning Specialist roles refer to Leading Teachers and Learning Specialists.

Flexible Work Arrangements for School Leaders – we are supporting flexible work for principals and school leaders in 2024, by funding 200 grants to support job-share and part time arrangements

Flexible Work Arrangements for School Leaders is a pilot initiative that supports leaders at Department of Education schools, including principals, assistant principals, learning specialists and leading teachers, to try out part-time and job-share arrangements. The funding will allow participating school leaders to have a cross-over day with their job-share partner or will support a new or increased part-time arrangement within a school’s leadership team. This initiative aims to reduce administrative burden on school leaders by providing additional leadership support and promoting work-life balance. Funding is available for up to 12 months and any schools that wish to continue flexible work arrangements for leaders after this time will need to fund this from their existing budget and may require school council approval.

For more information refer to Flexible Work for Principals.

For any questions please contact workplace.relations@education.vic.gov.au

Victorian Academy of Teaching and Learning – support engagement in professional learning programs at the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership

Support your teachers to build their professional skills and explore the professional learning opportunities available to providing the training and support your teacher needs to lead change and improve student outcomes.

For more information refer to Professional Learning.