Mr Hayes announced plans to introduce bursaries at the Association of Colleges’ (AoC) Annual Conference in November.

At the time, he alluded to making comparable money available to that of those undertaking initial teacher training (ITT) in schools – which is between £5,000 to £20,000 depending on specialisms and degree classifications.

However, for 2012-13, Mr Hayes has today (Thursday) revealed that bursaries of £1,000 will be introduced to enable up to 10,000 trainees to take either the Higher Education Institution (HEI)-accredited Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS), or a level 6 PGCE qualification.

In addition, bursaries of £1,500 will be introduced to enable up to 1,000 trainees who are taking HEI-accredited ITE courses and who are intending to teach basic Maths and English in the sector.

Mr Hayes said: “It is a powerful demonstration of the Government’s wholehearted commitment to the FE and skills sector that despite the current financial pressures and in challenging times, we are looking to secure the talents and skills of potential FE teachers.

“Recruiting the best talent is central to making the sector as good as it can be. Further Education is at the heart of economic revival; at the core of social renewal.”

For more, see the next edition of FE Week.