The Department for Education is pursuing a £15m digital and data transformation project to overhaul the process through which people can become teachers, and the support they then receive over the course of their career.
The department believes that “many people have a desire to become a teacher, but not enough have the chance to try it out – with many put off by the long and complicated application process”. This issue is compounded by the fact that new recruits to the profession “don’t always get the support needed to build successful careers, and too many end up leaving”.
In newly published commercial notices, the DfE sets out its intent to create a range of digital services and underpinning IT and data systems to support its ambition of “transforming the way people become teachers and the support they receive at each step of their career”.
This will include new online tools that encourage potential educators to consider a career in teaching and help them access opportunities to gain experience in schools, colleges, and universities. The department also wants to improve digital platforms for applying for postgraduate teacher-training courses, as well as tools for registering trainees and connecting them with financial support.
