Teachers in Victoria will benefit from a new multi-site academy of teaching and leadership excellence, as the state leads the way in raising the bar on teacher quality.
The Acting Premier and Minister for Education James Merlino announced the Andrews Labor Government will invest $148.2 million in establishing the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership, a new statutory authority.
The authority will deliver a new Australian-first program of advanced professional learning for high-performing teachers in government, Catholic and independent schools.
The Academy will begin operations and the delivery of new programs from January 2022.
The Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership will be based in a purpose-designed CBD site, as well as across seven regional Academies – ensuring rural and regional teachers are able to access high-quality professional development regardless of their location.
These regional centres will be located in Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mildura, Moe and Shepparton.
The CBD location is expected to be open early next year and the Geelong site by mid-2022 – with the rest of the locations operating by the end of 2022.
Once established, the new academy’s programs will provide an unprecedented opportunity for our best teachers to further develop their skills and become recognised as statewide leaders in teaching excellence.
“The new Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership will develop our teachers, giving the very latest in understanding and skills, and enabling them to share that with their colleagues and school communities. Not only is this an investment in our teachers, it’s an investment in our kids – and their futures,” Merlino said.
“We want Victorian kids to get the very best education – and we know the most important way to do that is by having the best teachers.”
In addition, the academy’s flagship offering will be the Teaching Excellence Program, a one-year intensive program for up to 500 teachers per year across all sectors, which will cover core curriculum areas including English, Mathematics, Science and the Arts.
Other programs will focus on developing a pipeline of emerging leaders and aspiring principals.