The Paid to Learn program is a strategic initiative of TAFE NSW and the NSW Government to tackle critical teaching skill shortages. By enabling industry professionals to transition into teaching careers, TAFE NSW has been able to fill crucial teaching roles in identified shortage areas across the state.
In order to attract and retain industry professionals into teaching, this program offers financial incentives and targeted skills development. Since launching in late 2022, the program has trained 140 new teachers, with more than 40% coming from regional areas. With a completion rate of 96%, these teachers have already contributed an additional 27,000 teaching hours across TAFE’s metro and regional campuses.
The program has fostered cross-organisational collaboration by requiring greater cohesion between delivery and non-delivery teams to ensure Paid to Learn is targeting the right skills teams and delivering sustainable outcomes. The success of the program has been recognised with the TAFE NSW Talent Acquisition Team recently being announced as a finalist in the 2023 Seek STAR Awards, Public Sector Team of the Year category.
Paid to Learn graduates have noted that the structured support provided throughout the program enhanced their confidence and supported them to complete their TAE qualification. A dedicated capability team communicates, connects, and collaborates with participants, mentors and teaching teams to ensure a scaffolded experience. Participants are mentored throughout the program by current teachers, ensuring a smoother transition to the classroom. Throughout the program the team captures essential participant data to identify and address risks effectively.
This focus session will provide insight into the structure and success of the Paid to Learn initiative. It will showcase the holistic approach, unique support structure, program outcomes, and transferable insights into how others might consider addressing the current widely-experienced workforce attraction challenges.