University of Tasmania, Australia

A new tertiary teaching qualification designed by the UTAS Faculty of Education for Tasmanian Polytechnic teachers has been approved by the Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania.

Polytechnic teachers will be able to qualify as teachers in the broader education sector by completing the new Bachelor of Education (Applied Learning).

The Dean of Education, Professor Ian Hay, said the new course stands alone in Australia because it has been developed specifically for VET teachers who work in Tasmanian college and VET in School environments.

“The Bachelor of Education (Applied Learning) is unique as it gives significant recognition to VET teachers’ discipline knowledge and qualifications while providing professional development in both the theory and practice of education,” he said.

“It is for people currently working as teachers within the vocational education and training sector, both within the Tasmanian Polytechnic and beyond.

“And it recognises that these teachers are learning or have learnt many of their teaching skills on-the-job.”

The University of Tasmania will offer the Bachelor of Education (Applied Learning) fully online with support from study groups and mentoring.

Graduates of the course will be eligible for registration as teachers in Tasmania, resulting in the expectation that the degree will be recognised as a teaching qualification by the teacher regulatory bodies in other Australian states and territories.

The new qualification will give Tasmanian Polytechnic teachers the capacity to move between the VET sector and the school sector.

For more information contact Associate Professor Sharon Fraser, University of Tasmania, ph. 03 63243083 or Kerrie Moss, CEO of the Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania, ph. 03 62335992.