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<p>The Government is committed to supporting recruitment to initial teacher training
(ITT) and we are continuing our focus to recruit the best graduates, particularly
in subjects where they are most needed.</p><p>UCAS data from 15 September shows that
138,610 applications had been made for just 34,890 ITT places in 2014/15, indicating
that teaching is a popular choice. However, some subjects fell below published targets
in 2013/14 following strong recruitment between 2010/11 and 2012/13, and others such
as physics represent a consistent challenge. The Department for Education will not
know the final figures for ITT 2014/15 until the ITT census is published in November
2014. We recognise that, as the economy recovers, the labour market is becoming increasingly
competitive, which is why we announced increases to ITT bursaries and scholarships
for 2015/16.</p><p>The Department has again increased tax-free bursaries for mathematics,
physics, chemistry, computing and languages trainee teachers, which are now worth
up to £25,000 for 2015/16. In addition, the Department continues to work jointly with
the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, the Royal Society of Chemistry,
the Institute of Physics and BCS, and the Chartered Institute for IT, to offer scholarship
awards of £25,000 in order to attract the most talented graduates into ITT.</p><p>We
have extended our School Direct (salaried) training programme to encourage more experienced
graduates to enter teacher training. School Direct (salaried) is an employment-based
route for high-quality, experienced graduates who earn a salary whilst training. For
those training in 2015/16 in maths, physics and computing, we have made additional
funding available to schools so they can offer salaries of £21,000 nationally and
£25,000 in London.</p><p>We are also continuing to fund subject knowledge enhancement
(SKE) courses for those who need to build up or refresh their subject knowledge in
order to teach. To support ITT in 2015/16, SKE is available in maths, physics, chemistry,
computing, languages and design and technology.</p><p>In September 2014, the Department
launched a new marketing campaign ‘Your Future | Their Future’ which promotes teaching
and persuades top graduates and career changers to enter teacher training.</p><p>Specific
support is also provided for individuals interested in teaching shortage subjects
through targeted marketing, personal advisors and help securing school experience.</p><p>
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