Monday August 26, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Recruitment and training initiatives are underway for the coming school year to get more certified teachers into B.C. classrooms and build B.C.’s K-12 workforce.
It’s unclear why the word “certfied” is emphasized in today’s news release from the Ministry of Education and Child Care. Most parents and families would expect teachers to be certified as a normal matter of course.
Tomorrow when Premier David Eby addresses media at noon from Vancouver, perhaps that question can be answered.
Education is a main service delivery of the provincial government.
This news comes less than a month ahead of the BC election campaign period that starts September 21. Election day is October 19.
Population growth impact:
“We know that the record numbers of newcomers moving to B.C each year means we need more teaching staff in schools,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care, in today news release.
“We’re actively working with our education partners on K-12 workforce initiatives to support the recruitment and retention of more certified teachers and build a sustainable education workforce for years to come,” she said.
Through the Province’s StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, $12.5 million over three years is supporting province-wide recruitment and training initiatives for teachers. This year, almost $4 million is going toward recruitment and training programs, with a focus on supporting teacher retention in the sector, improving flexibility in teacher education programs, and recruiting more teachers in rural and remote communities.
Teacher training in areas that are needed:
“Training the next generation of certified teachers is an important part of our Future Ready Action Plan,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. “Building flexibility in education programs supports more people in choosing teaching as a career and helps to fill in-demand positions, providing good-paying jobs for British Columbians.”
A provincial hiring incentive that brought 50 new certified teachers to rural and remote schools in 2023 is on track to hire almost 60 more teachers for the coming school year. Supported through $1.5 million in provincial funding over three years, this program provides cash incentives of as much as $10,000 for teachers to work in areas with the highest need. This initiative has supported hiring needs in several remote communities in B.C., including northern B.C., Vancouver Island and the Thompson-Okanagan region.
“When looking at opportunities this spring, a position with Peace River North District stood out for a number of reasons,” said Kylee Campbell, primary teacher, Upper Halfway Elementary school.
“I wanted something in a rural setting where people know each other better and I can personalize my instruction for each student. Working in such a remote setting does have challenges that the generous incentives offered by the Province helps to offset.”
Certified standards updated:
Since 2023, certification standards were updated so that more internationally trained educators could work in B.C.’s classrooms, with the application fee reduced from $395 to $245.
“These initiatives have helped to double the number of international teacher applications over the past year, setting record application levels to become part of B.C.’s future K-12 workforce,” the Ministry stated in today’s news release.
The Province also provides $100,000 in scholarships each year to high school students in B.C. who want to pursue teaching as a career, with the goal of growing the number of local educators in B.C. schools.
Continuing enrollment:
With B.C.’s continued enrolment growth, these are just some of the workforce initiatives underway to support recruitment and retention in the K-12 sector.
The Province is continuing to work closely with education partners to explore more ways to build a sustainable and skilled K-12 workforce in B.C.
