Secondary school teacher training to start on Isle of Man

Five places are being made available to train teachers on the island

People hoping to go into the secondary school teaching profession will be able to qualify on the Isle of Man for the first time from September.

Five places will be available to train to teach science, maths or English.

A year-long pilot project will be run by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) in partnership with Warwick University.

Education Minister Julie Edge said it would help to "develop teaching capacity" on the island.

Currently those who want to go into teaching must qualify off the island.

The announcement follows concerns raised in the House of Keys on Tuesday over teacher retention on the island.

'Classroom experience'

Figures revealed 36 teachers had signalled their intent to leave during the current academic year.

Five of those were due to retire from leadership roles, while the remaining 31 had resigned, 11 of whom were under the age of 45.

Under the new scheme, trainee teachers would be placed in one of the island's secondary schools to gain "practical classroom experience" while studying for an International Qualified Teacher Status award.

Tuition fees would be fully covered by the DESC, but the positions will only be open to those who already hold an honours degree in English, Maths or Science as well as English Language and Maths GCSE at grade C or above.

Ms Edge said it was an "exciting development" which would provide "a great opportunity for residents to gain a nationally recognised teaching qualification and open up a new career".