Launch of incentive to attract a more diverse teaching workforce

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, has officially launched an incentive to attract more people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds into teaching.

The Ethnic Minority Incentive Scheme provides up to £5,000 to eligible individuals to ensure the education workforce reflects Wales’ diversity.

A total of £5,000 is available to eligible Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic student teachers. £2,500 is available on award of Qualified Teacher Status and a final payment of £2,500 once they complete their induction.

The scheme is one of three incentives currently available to eligible student teachers, a total of £25,000 is available to those that meet the requirements of all three schemes.

Alongside this new incentive the other two schemes are:

• The Priority Subject Incentive Scheme: £15,000 for those undertaking secondary subject specialism most needed in the teaching workforce.
• The Iaith Athrawon Yfory: £5,000 for studying to teach secondary subjects through the medium of Welsh.

Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles said,

“This incentive is an important part of the work we are doing to attract more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic applicants into the teaching profession.

“Currently less than 2% of our teaching workforce are from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background. That simply isn’t good enough. I am committed to increasing representation within our education workforce. Our young people need to recognise themselves and their own experiences within their leaders.

“We are moving into an exciting new era with the roll out of our new curriculum and this incentive will help ensure the diversity of Wales is better reflected.”

The scheme is part of the broader work in the Welsh Government is undertaking as part of the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan.

Alongside the incentive, all of our Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Partnerships have developed recruitment plans designed to attract ethnic minority students onto teaching programmes. The Partnerships are based at Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Swansea University, University of South Wales, University Wales Trinity St David and the Open University.

Supporting the Partnerships are a group of Community Mentors who use their knowledge and lived experience of the differential impact of racism within education, recruitment, employment, marketing and leadership to increase diversity in the teaching profession.

One of the mentors, Khudeza Siddika, who is based at Swansea University, said,

“The new incentive demonstrates the Welsh Government’s commitment to building a more diverse workforce. Individuals who enter teaching will find that schools are making strides towards becoming anti-racist organisations, with actions such as embedding Black history into the curriculum.

“I hope this incentive will encourage talented, passionate individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to join the profession and be part of the wider changes taking place in education right now.”