Welcome reinforcements on their way with surge in teacher undergrad numbers

In WA, for example, more than 300 new teachers will qualify to lead classrooms in 2025, thanks to a one-year Graduate Diploma in Education program that’s been reintroduced to help counter crippling teacher shortages. 

Curtin University is providing graduates with a relevant Bachelor’s degree an intensive, fast-track pathway to meet the requirements to become a registered teacher.

In its first year, the course will produce 340 graduates qualified to teach in primary and secondary schools.

Head of Curtin’s School of Education, Professor Jeff Brooks, said the teacher shortage is having a major impact on WA schools and families.

“We heard our schools’ call for more teachers as soon as possible and have provided an agile response to help them address the challenges they’re facing,” Brooks said.

According to Brooks, preliminary enrolment numbers indicate the course will create even more qualified teachers over the next year.

In a further positive sign for the sector, enrolments in Australian Catholic University’s teaching courses have soared at its Brisbane campus.

While there’s been a 41 per cent increase in teaching enrolments for Semester 1, 2025, compared with the same time last year, there has also been a 46 per cent increase in enrolments of First Nations students in education courses, along with a 16 per cent increase in aspiring teachers from low SES communities.

Almost 60 per cent of the new ACU Brisbane-based teaching students also scored an ATAR of 75 or above, including 40 per cent who achieved 90 or more.

Admissions of men into teaching degrees at the campus has remained stable, with continued strong enrolments among students from non-metropolitan areas including regional and rural Queensland.

“Not only are we seeing more school leavers and career changers choose to study teaching, but more high-achieving and diverse students are seeing it as a viable and worthwhile profession,” ACU National School of Education Head, Professor Donna King, said.

In addition to streamlining entry processes for education degrees to remove barriers that won’t impact on the quality of graduates, King said ACU offers flexible learning options including employment-based pathways, accelerated courses, and fully funded scholarships.

Co-ordinator of ACU Brisbane’s Indigenous Higher Education Unit Weemala, Kate Mochrie, says the university is “thrilled to see more high-achieving Indigenous students choosing a career where they can make a real difference in the lives of young people and be role models for First Nations communities”.

ACU Queensland Head of the School of Education Associate Professor Tracey Sanders said Brisbane staff had worked hard to raise the profile of teaching courses statewide, including in regional and remote locations.

“We’ve built partnerships with schools, dioceses, and government and community education bodies in metropolitan and far-flung places to drive home the message that teaching is a wonderful career path,” she said.

Kate Mochrie, the co-ordinator of ACU Brisbane’s Indigenous Higher Education Unit Weemala, welcomed the boost in Indigenous students choosing to study teaching.

“We are thrilled to see more high-achieving Indigenous students choosing a career where they can make a real difference in the lives of young people and be role models for First Nations communities,” she said.

“Weemala is ready to welcome and support our new Indigenous teaching students to achieve their education goals.”

Charles Sturt University, meanwhile, is preparing for the first session of its new targeted primary and secondary education degree offerings tailored to the needs of learners during critical developmental years.

The Bachelor of Education (Primary) and Bachelor of Education (Secondary) courses are tailored to meet the needs of teacher education students via online-only and hybrid learning options, and with a dedicated placement team to ensure practical components of courses can be completed close to home.

After recently opening for enrolments, the Bachelor of Education (Primary) already has more than 300 applications, while the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) has close to 130 applicants.

The new degrees, beginning this year, will be available through a combination of online and on-campus learning, with the primary education course being offered at Charles Sturt in Albury-Wodonga, Wagga Wagga, Bathurst and Port Macquarie, as well as a completely online option.

Riverina Anglican College in Wagga Wagga principal Craig Mansour welcomed the new, targeted degrees and said it would go a long way toward helping create a positive learning environment.

“It’s clear to me as a school leader that staff who know and understand the different ages students are at and are trained to respond to the particular needs of each age group are best prepared to educate our students,” Mansour said.

“I’m thrilled to see Charles Sturt University making this a priority by dividing the degrees, because we want senior staff to understand what the often-challenging teenage years are like.

“On the other side of the coin, it is also ideal to have primary teachers understand the great leaps in development of our younger students on a behavioural, psychological and intellectual level.”