1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: So we're back in the teacher shortage business. We've got 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,360 Speaker 1: four hundred and forty five jobs currently vacant now, depending 3 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: on how you read these things, and this is the 4 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: key to the story or lack of story. That's twelve 5 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: percent up on last year, but is four hundred odd jobs, 6 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: which is what it is in a sector with literally 7 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: thousands of one thousands of them. Is that a thing? 8 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 1: Seventy five percent of these jobs, by the way, are 9 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,759 Speaker 1: in the North Island Auckland's heavily represented maths and physics. 10 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: Are your problems? Erica Stanford, Education Minister back with us. Morning, 11 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: Good morning, make how I I'm well, Happy new year 12 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: to you now? Four forty five Is this the thing? 13 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: Is a union press release? 14 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 2: Well, the unions are certainly going hard at the moment. 15 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 2: It's not really the correct figures to look at. Every 16 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 2: year we release the teacher supply numbers, which the Ministry 17 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 2: of Education go around the country and are extraordinarily accurate. 18 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 2: We know it by region for the first time last 19 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 2: year rather than just overall, and we'll get that in 20 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 2: the next month or so. It's not very accurate just 21 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 2: to look at the vacancy rate this year compared to 22 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 2: last year, because they may not be and they mostly 23 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 2: are not full time roles. So four hundred and fifty 24 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 2: vacancies does not mean four hundred and fifty classrooms without teachers. 25 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 2: Some of those could be for a part time teacher. 26 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 2: But the important thing to remember is I would have 27 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,040 Speaker 2: expected this time of the year, right now, and certainly 28 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 2: this year, for there to be a higher vacancy rate 29 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 2: because we have funded in this year's budget a huge 30 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 2: amount of more support teachers, one hundred and forty three 31 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 2: maths intervention teachers, another seventy eight literacy intervention teachers and 32 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 2: two hundred and sixteen learning support coordinators, so they will 33 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 2: all be advertised right now for this coming year. So 34 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 2: I expected there to be a smaller increase. 35 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: Okay, do we have a problem or not. 36 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 2: We certainly have a problem in certain regions overall. We 37 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 2: know that, you know, for example, in Northland we have 38 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 2: a teacher supply problem. But it's why we need to 39 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 2: wait for these detailed numbers that come out from the 40 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 2: Ministry to see exactly where the problems are. They can 41 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 2: be very localized, but we have invested extraordinarily heavily into 42 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 2: teacher supply in the last two years. I mean the 43 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 2: on site teacher training program. We've boosted the numbers by 44 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 2: six hundred and the first budget and then another five 45 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 2: hundred and thirty in the second budget. We're training up 46 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 2: principles in our principal Leadership program. We're paying teacher registration 47 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: fees that got hundreds of teachers back into the workforce 48 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 2: in the last year. So we've done a huge amount 49 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 2: and it's paying off because last year we saw that 50 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 2: what two and a half percent more teachers are in 51 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 2: the workforce, thirty percent increase on teachers who are training. 52 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 2: So the numbers are for the future are looking really good. 53 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 2: But that doesn't mean we don't have a you know, 54 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 2: still have a bit of a sticky problem in certain 55 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 2: regions at the moment. But we're doing everything we can, 56 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 2: including regional boost programs and all sorts of. 57 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: That training thing. Is that solving the problem long term? 58 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: In other words, are people wanting to be teachers? Because 59 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: I'm just reading this morning and here's my good news 60 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: for you. There's people in Scotland can't get work. So 61 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 1: the teachers in Scotland, they're on the waiting list for years. 62 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: There are lack of permanent jobs. They're leaving the country. 63 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:08,959 Speaker 1: So there are teachers out there that do we need to 64 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: bring them in or train them? 65 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 2: We need to little bit of both, and we've always 66 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 2: said that, I mean, we'd love training our own. And 67 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 2: we are training, as I say, thirty percent more this 68 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 2: year than we were last year, which is a huge increase. 69 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 2: But we know in places like Northern Ireland, we know 70 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 2: in Finland, and we know in Scotland that they have 71 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 2: an oversupply of primary school teachers especially, and we pay 72 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 2: a relocation fee of ten thousand dollars and we also 73 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 2: offer straight to residence pathways which we just changed rather 74 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 2: than a two year work to residence. So we are 75 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 2: pulling out all of the stops to make sure that 76 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 2: we're doing everything we can to get teachers and quality 77 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 2: teachers in front of students. 78 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: All right, appreciate your time, Eric Stanford, Education Ministry. For 79 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: more from the my Casking Breakfast, listen live to news 80 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: talks that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the 81 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: podcast on iHeartRadio.