Providers selected for Teacher Degree Apprenticeship pilot

Embark on a groundbreaking journey with the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA), a collaborative initiative between the Department for Education (DfE), the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), and employer-led groups, revolutionizing teacher education with its innovative blend of high-quality training, employment, and academic attainment, slated for launch in autumn 2025.

• The Department for Education (DfE) is working with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and an employer-led trailblazer group to develop a new route into teaching – the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA).
• It will be a high-quality initial teacher training (ITT) course, through which successful candidates will attain an undergraduate degree and qualified teacher status (QTS) whilst being employed in a school.
• The TDA standard will be published in spring 2024, subject to IfATE approval. Candidate recruitment will then launch in autumn 2024, with the first training year commencing in autumn 2025, across primary and secondary subjects.
• In addition to the full launch across primary and secondary, we are running a secondary maths funding pilot. Pilot providers will design TDA courses in secondary maths and partner with employing schools to deliver the courses.
• Schools that employ trainees as part of the funding pilot will receive financial incentives to support with trainee salary costs to cover the proportion of time trainees will spend off-the-job, studying towards their qualifications.
• Employers will also have access to the apprenticeship levy to fund training and assessment costs for the teacher degree apprenticeship.
• Providers and schools can design and deliver TDA courses across all primary and secondary subjects within the same timeframes as the funding pilot; schools will not have access to additional funding outside of the funding pilot.  

Pilot providers

The following providers have been selected to run the TDA maths funding pilot:

• Nottingham Trent University
• Staffordshire University, in partnership with the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Teacher Education Collective (SSTEC)
• University College London (UCL)
• University of Brighton
• University of Huddersfield
• University of Nottingham
• University of Wolverhampton
• Xavier Teach Southeast, in partnership with Sussex University

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:

“We want all professions including teaching to be accessible through an apprenticeship. Just eight years ago there were no nursing degree apprentices, but over 12,450 have now started their career via this route. Apprenticeships are proven to be a brilliant way to train highly skilled professionals and meet the needs of organisations – and teaching will be no different.

“The Teacher Degree Apprenticeship pilot is a vital step and will help to recruit and develop great teachers, and I’m delighted that these providers have been selected to help us to deliver this.”

“This new apprenticeship route will add to the nearly 700 different apprenticeships this government has introduced, providing opportunities to people covering almost 70% of all occupations across the country.”

Background information

• DfE invited applications from ITT providers and degree-awarding institutions to offer the TDA funding pilot. To run TDA courses, providers must either be a degree-awarding, accredited ITT provider or a partnership between an accredited ITT provider and a degree-awarding institution.
• Pilot provider applications were open from 4 February 2024 to 11 March 2024.
• DfE will work with pilot providers to monitor and support course development, candidate recruitment and delivery. Evidence from the funding pilot will be used to inform any future expansions of additional funding for the TDA.
• Outside of the funding pilot, providers and schools can design and deliver TDA courses across all primary and secondary subjects, within the same timeframes as the funding pilot.