Education Minister Sharie de Castro says the government is preparing to hire motivated students nearing the end of their high school careers to teach in a variety of schools across the territory.
De Castro stated that the teacher trainee program is not new to the region and that several instructors in the local school system began their careers as trainees.
“Back in the day, we had a teacher-trainee program where people who were graduating and had an interest in teaching could come into the profession as a teacher—trainee for a year to two years and then go off to study.”
She stated that the ministry will soon meet with high school seniors to discuss the program, since it is a pathway for them to enter the teaching profession.
“We believe it could be an opportunity to recruit the necessary talent right out of high school and provide them with the professional development, certification, and degrees required to advance in the profession.”
She also stated that the ministry would target recent college graduates, particularly those who have not yet found employment in the fields or regions in which they studied.
“We’re also preparing to start a program called “Let’s Teach VI,” which is aimed squarely at our college graduates — even scholarship kids who are returning to the area and are unemployed. “We’re developing a program to get them in the door as well because they have an Associate or Bachelor’s degree in a content area,” de Castro explained.
She stated that the ministry would collaborate with H. Lavity Stoutt College to create a program for new graduates to receive initial onboarding training. Later on, interested individuals may choose to attend college to finish their teacher-training course, according to the ministry.
She explained that these steps would, ideally, alleviate some of the shortages that the territory is experiencing as teachers continue to relocate to countries with higher pay than the British Virgin Islands.