MORE tradies are putting down the tools and becoming teachers after more support was announced for the Queensland Government’s Trade to Teach Internship program.
Education Minister Grace Grace recently announced an expansion of the program which supports qualified and experienced tradies to transition to teaching careers.
Trade to Teach offers successful applicants a $20,000 scholarship, a paid internship, and a guaranteed permanent teaching position specialising in Industrial Technology and Design in a Queensland state secondary school.
Tradies started their education degrees this year and will head to the classroom as an intern with a half teaching load from 2024. Successful applicants in this round will start their studies in 2024 and head to the classroom in 2025.
The program is being delivered in partnership with the Central Queensland University and the University of Southern Queensland.
Trade to Teach pilot participant Dion Kingi is a carpenter from the Sunshine Coast and said the program is the “godsend” he was looking for.
“Trade to Teach has been a godsend as I was looking to could get off the tools or change career,” he said.
“It’s been decades since I’ve done study but I’m in the groove now. I’m studying with like-minded people who also want to teach, and the support from the program team and the university is fantastic.
“I highly recommend the program – the study is hard work but a different type of hard work to being on the tools all day, and I’m loving that I can still use my carpentry skills.”
Minister Grace said the program attracts highly experienced tradespeople to Queensland classrooms so our students can benefit from their real life, industry experience.
“Industrial Technology and Design subjects are in demand in our secondary schools and this additional $10 million investment will support even more tradies to become teachers,” she said.
“Trade to Teach is just one of many ways we are getting more teachers in the classroom along with our new Teacher Aide pathway, our Turn to Teaching internship program, and of course our excellent, nation leading EBA.
“Applications close on 2 October so if you’re a tradie with a passion for your craft and a desire to pass your knowledge onto the next generation – get online and apply today.”
Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer said workforce attraction and retention is a key focus of the Good People. Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022-2032.
“It’s important that we take new approaches to recruitment to ensure we have the right people, in the right jobs, and that’s what programs like Trade to Teach are doing,” she said.
“This program is a great example of upskilling Queenslanders to get them into good jobs, with the added benefit that they’re sharing their skills and knowledge with our future workforce.”
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