Changes in teacher training incentives announced by Minister

Education Minister Jane Hutt has today announced changes in initial teacher training (ITT) incentives for postgraduate courses for the 2010/11 academic year.

Each of the postgraduate ITT incentive bands will be increased by £1,800 from September 2010. This change is aimed at maintaining the Welsh Assembly Government’s support for those on postgraduate ITT courses in the light of the phasing out of the Tuition Fee Grant, which will not be available for new students from the 2010/11 academic year.

The priority incentives (£9,000 for new eligible students from 2010/11) will be specifically focussed on recruitment to secondary postgraduate courses in mathematics; chemistry; physics; information and communications technology (ICT); and design and technology.

Welsh, both first and second language, will also be a priority incentive. This is aimed at helping to support Welsh language policies and encouraging people into Welsh medium and Welsh as a second language teaching.

The main incentive level (£6,000 for new eligible students from 2010/11) will support secondary postgraduate courses in music, religious education, modern foreign languages, English, geography, biology and general / combined science.

Other secondary subject postgraduate courses, where there are fewer recruitment issues, and primary postgraduate courses would be at the starting grant level (£4,000 for new eligible students from 2010/11).

By making these changes to the postgraduate ITT incentives the Welsh Assembly Government can continue to ensure that:-

• students deciding where to train as teachers on postgraduate courses can make that choice knowing that if they study in Wales they will have the same incentive support as those in England
• we can help attract the best quality, highly committed students to train as teachers in Wales, particularly onto priority courses
• we can enable ITT providers in Wales to compete effectively for the most talented applicants.

Jane Hutt said:

“We are realigning our incentives to target more specifically our highest priorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, along with Welsh.

“These changes are taking place when alterations to the student finance system in Wales will see the removal of the Tuition Fee Grant. In making these changes, we are increasing the value of the ITT incentive bands so that the value of our support for those on postgraduate ITT courses is not reduced in comparison with England.”