Teacher recruitment campaign expanded

A teacher recruitment campaign has been expanded to target university undergraduates studying English and Home Economics (HE) subjects, including food, nutrition and health courses.

It will also seek to prompt people working in industries related to HE, such as catering or textiles, to consider retraining.

The ‘Teaching Makes People’ campaign was first launched in February and will continue its initial focus on those studying and working in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers.

Launching the new phase of the campaign, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:

“This government’s investment has resulted in 253 more teachers last year. However, I recognise that some local authorities are facing challenges recruiting the right number of teachers for their classrooms.

“That is why we are expanding our successful ‘Teaching Makes People’ campaign which highlights the opportunity for a hugely rewarding and inspiring career with the chance to make a real difference in the lives of children and young people.

“Thousands more undergraduate students are seriously considering teaching as a career as a direct result of the first phase of our campaign. We want to build on that momentum and reach even more people who may not have considered it as an option, with a particular focus on STEM, English and HE.”

Engineering graduate David Buchanan started his career working in the private banking sector before becoming a maths teacher at Airdrie Academy. He said:

“To anyone thinking about a career as a STEM teacher I would highly recommend it. There are few careers where you are fortunate enough to be a part of something that is always evolving and regularly appearing in the news with new discoveries or breakthroughs.

“Being involved in delivering a STEM subject to students allows you to be part of this exciting evolution and there is a great opportunity to transfer this excitement and enthusiasm across to the young people in front of you every day.”

Background information

• The extended ‘Teaching Makes People’ campaign goes live on 4 September 2017
• The first phase of the ‘Teaching Makes People’ campaign was launched in February 2017 and builds on the success of last year’s ‘Inspiring Teachers’  campaign which helped drive a 19% increase in PGDE student intakes to Scottish universities compared to the previous year. 
• Early evaluation findings of the campaign showed a significant increase in interest among undergraduates in teaching as a career
• More information for those interested in training to become a teacher can be found at Teach in Scotland