South Australia’s first Specialist Teacher Workforce Plan has officially launched.

The new strategy to increase the number of specialist teachers in key subject areas will go towards supporting the teaching workforce, as well as help South Australia meet the growing workforce demands for skilled workers in coming years.

The initiative to boost the number of specialist teachers will focus on increasing specialist Maths, English, Languages, the Arts, Science, and Design and Technology teachers in schools.

Under the plan, the skills of the existing workforce are being identified and recognised, while also improving the pathways for upskilling and the recruitment of new specialist teachers.

It comes following an Education Department pilot that saw the retraining of staff in Design and Technology. The department identified a shortage of Design and Technology teachers and ran a program to retrain 40 existing teachers in this specialisation which included staff training in school workshops. Staff will also complete the ‘safe use of machinery’ course through TAFE SA as part of their training.

Para Hills High School Principal Alina Page said in 2023 we identified that we needed additional specialist teachers in Design and Technology and through specialist training we have been able to support and strengthen the skills of our staff members.

“The specialist training program has been of great benefit to not only our students and Para Hills High School as a whole, but importantly to our teachers who now have additional skills and a specialist knowledge base”.

Design and Technology teacher at Para Hills High School, Ibrahim Dad, said the opportunity for me to gain specialised training in the field of Design and Technology means I can now teach across different year levels and curriculum areas.

“It’s an area I’m really interested in and will provide me with greater opportunities in my teaching career”.

The new plan, alongside a $6.6 million investment, will drive significant reductions in the number of students being taught by teachers outside their specialist areas.

The Specialist Teacher Workforce Plan will:

• Formally identify and recognise the professional standing of hundreds of existing specialist teachers
• Offer support for over 400 existing teachers to access curriculum upskilling
• Strengthen the specialist pipeline for in-demand subject areas and support graduate teachers to continue to grow their expertise and confidence as a specialist throughout their career.

SA Secondary Principals Association Chief Executive Jayne Heath said it’s important that students are taught by teachers with the knowledge, capabilities and expertise in the subject area they are teaching.

“Teachers who are teaching outside of their field of expertise need support to upskill and pathways to develop specialisation”.

“Specialist knowledge and skills are continually developed throughout a teachers’ career and it’s important that teachers are supported to maintain currency in their subject area”.

Read more about the Specialist Teacher Workforce Plan.