AFTER a successful pilot program, the State Government is set to support more tradies to become teachers with a $10 million expansion to its Trade to Teach program.

Education Minister Grace Grace announced the expansion of the now $20 million Trade to Teach Internship 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.

Launched last year, there are 38 participants in the pilot cohort of the program. 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.

Education Minister Grace Grace said Trade to Teach attracted highly experienced tradespeople to Queensland classrooms so that students could 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.

Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer said it was important that the Government took new approaches to recruitment to ensure the state had the right people, in the right jobs.

“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.”

Trade to Teach pilot participant Krystien Bennett, a plasterer from Gympie, said the internship was an amazing paid opportunity, and a chance to learn on the job.

“As a former plasterer, I’m now making the change to teaching and by doing this I hope to inspire students to be lifelong learners and show them your career can take different pathways,” she said.

Applications for Trade to Teach close on October 2.