A re-elected state Labor Government will introduce a nation-leading new teaching pathway to better prepare teachers for the classroom. 

Teaching students would start working in government schools from day one – giving them the chance to earn while they learn and equipping them with the skills to manage and lead in the classroom. 

Under the policy, in the first two years, teaching students will take up the job of a Student Support Officer (part-time) while undertaking their studies. 

In this role, students will provide support to individual students and learning on the job from qualified teachers – while completing a university degree. 

This is designed to allow them to develop practical skills and gain a strong understanding of the classroom, so by the end of the two year they are well-prepared to teach alongside their studies from the third year.

From year three, they will start as a teacher – supported by their colleagues, including with a teacher mentor. They will continue their studies while on the job.

Across their entire studies they will have access to professional learning offered by the Department for Education.

Successful graduates will be prioritised for full-time employment in government schools at the end of their studies. 

It is anticipated 40 per cent of teaching graduates in SA will go through the pathway throughout the next decade. 

This new pathway will be designed with universities, the Teachers Registration Board, and stakeholders such as associations and the union.

Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer says too often teachers leave the profession within the first five years because they feel they were not well prepared for the classroom from their uni degree. 

“We want the very best trained, highly skilled teachers in our public schools. A new teaching pathway that gets them straight into the classroom to gain hands-on experience – and earning while they learn – will result in better prepared teachers who stay in the profession. 

“Teacher workforce pressures are being felt across Australia and around the world, so it’s appropriate that governments are looking at bold, new ways to respond.“

Tobias O’Connor is South Australian Primary Principals Association President. He says this is a bold reform that responds directly to long-standing concerns from the profession about graduate readiness. 

“If implemented carefully — with strong mentoring, appropriate safeguards, and realistic expectations for schools — it has the potential to strengthen the teacher pipeline while better preparing graduates for the realities of classroom teaching.

“The real challenge for education systems isn’t just attracting people into teaching — it’s keeping them there. Pathways that build confidence, capability and a strong sense of professional identity before graduates take on a classroom alone are far more likely to improve retention and reduce early-career burnout.

“From a principal’s perspective, this pathway creates real opportunity for both schools and future teachers. But its success will depend on the right conditions — time for mentoring, clear safeguards, and resourcing that recognises the additional responsibility placed on schools to support and develop these emerging professionals.”