More teaching course places amid government push

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson visited the university in 2022

The University of Worcester has created 100 additional places on a teaching course to help boost teacher recruitment.

The university said it released the spaces in response to the plan by new education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, to recruit 6,500 new teachers.

It means that more than 600 teachers will now be trained by the university from September on a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

"Government targets have been missed every year for the past decade. It is vital we reverse this trend," the university's chief executive, Prof David Green said.

Mr Green added that the university was "deeply committed" to work with the government to achieve its aim.

The university, which was founded as a teacher training college in 1946, works with almost 500 schools and education providers across the country.

Among its alumni is newly appointed higher education minister, Jacqui Smith, who gained her PGCE at Worcester in the 1980s.