Graduate maths teachers who choose to teach in FE colleges will get a bonus of up to £10,000 under a £20m plan unveiled by the Government to recruit 500 new maths teachers in the sector.
Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock announced the new measure today in the wake of changes to traineeships, apprenticeships and vocational education which places more importance on maths.
Under the scheme, graduates who choose to teach in the sector will receive a bonus of £7,500, payable in their first year, and rising to £10,000 if they train to support learners with special educational needs.
The policy will also reward colleges with up to £20,000 if they recruit a specialist grade maths teacher, and £30,000 for those which share teaching expertise with other colleges and learning providers.
Mr Hancock said: “Maths is an essential foundation for any career. Taught well it opens up a range of possible jobs and makes a real difference to progression to the highest levels.
“Attracting the brightest and best graduates to teach in maths in further education will help ensure learners get the educational grounding they need.
“This is an important step in creating a skilled workforce that meets the needs of employers and can better compete in the global race.”
Mr Hancock also announced that a scheme to give bursaries to trainee maths teachers, reported by FE Week last August, has been extended to the 2014/15 academic year.
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