Preliminary results from tertiary admission centres are showing a 7 per cent increase in applications and a 14 per cent increase in offers compared to figures from last year.

The uptick follows a concerted effort to address the teacher shortage crisis impacting schools across the country, with the Federal Government working with state and territory governments to deliver the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.

The Plan has five priority areas, including improving teacher supply, 'strengthening' initial teacher education, and 'keeping the teachers we have'. 

Delivering his well-worn line in response to the news, Clare reiterated that “being a teacher is the most important job in the world, and we don't have enough of them”.

“The Liberals ripped the guts out of public school funding and under them, the teacher shortage crisis got worse. 

“We’re now starting to see this turn around.”

Clare added that he wanted to see more young people leave school who were keen to pursue a career in teaching, rather than become a lawyer or banker.

“That’s why we are tackling the teacher workforce shortage with teaching scholarships, reforms to teacher training and paid prac for teaching students,” he noted.

A range of initiatives tackling teacher workload and pay have been implemented in many states and territories over the past two years, the Government noted.   

Teaching scholarships worth up to $40,000 each were also re-introduced in a bid to lure more people into teacher training courses.

Changes to practical placements are also on the cards, with the Federal Government set to introduce financial support for those undertaking placements in schools whilst studying to complete their degree.  

In 2023, the Strong Beginnings report called for ‘a more structured whole-of-system approach’ to the delivery of practical placements, noting there was clear inconsistency – or ‘a spectrum of experiences’ – in preservice teachers’ accounts of their time in schools.

A survey of ITE students commissioned by the panel found that while many experienced high-quality placements, many “did not feel that the expectations of their performance were clearly communicated or that they had mechanisms in place to resolve grievances”.

Many ITE students also reported incurring ‘significant’ financial costs when undertaking their placements.

The Strong Beginnings panel flagged that we know from the evidence that high-quality practical experience means ITE students are more likely to complete their course, make a successful transition to teaching and stay in the profession for the long-term.

“Sadly, too many fail to complete their studies or stay in the profession long enough to flourish,” their report warned.

“Nearly four in 10 ITE students leave their course within six years of commencing their degree and around one in five beginning teachers leaves within the first three years of entering the teaching profession.”