University News Last updated 08 January 2009
Applications for teacher training courses at Birmingham City University have soared since the start of the so called credit-crunch.
Across England there has been a 40% rise in the number of applications to become teachers, according to the Training and Development Agency who are responsible for Teacher Training. Birmingham City University Teacher Training Courses are no exception with applications for the Primary Teaching three year course having risen by almost exactly 40% compared to January 2008. All other teacher training courses are showing a similar trend.
Colin Hill, Associate Dean at the Faculty of Education, Law and Social Sciences at Birmingham City University, said: "Whether the increase in applications is due to a downturn in the economy or not it is hard to tell. We frequently have ‘high fliers' from commerce and industry who want a career change and who go on to be outstanding teachers.
"It has always been hard to recruit secondary Mathematics teachers into the profession. If highly numerate financial services professionals are looking for a career change then a teaching career could be an option. However, at Birmingham City University, competition is fierce for places. This could be because the School of Education has had both its Primary and Secondary Courses graded category "A" following OFSTED inspections. This makes Birmingham City University one of the country leading providers of teacher training."
For more information on teacher training courses at Birmingham City University please call 0121 331 5595.
For further information please contact Birmingham City University Media Relations Office on 0121 331 6738, email press@bcu.ac.uk or out of hours on 07967 271 532.