Overview
Career Start is a structured program for graduate teachers which aims to improve the experience of graduate teachers as they are inducted into the profession. Career Start provides time release, mentoring, professional development opportunities and a range of additional supports to graduate teachers and their mentors to accelerate the development of graduate teachers’ professional practice and support their wellbeing.
Following a successful 3-year pilot program, which took place in primary and special schools in three areas from 2021–2023, Career Start will expand to support more graduate teachers in more areas over the next two years. In 2024, this includes all Victorian government schools in 5 of the department’s areas:
- Inner Gippsland
- North Eastern Melbourne
- Outer Eastern Melbourne
- Southern Melbourne
- Western Melbourne.
Schools in an additional eight areas – Hume Merri-bek, Brimbank Melton, Goulburn, Ovens-Murray, Mallee, Outer Gippsland, Barwon, and Central Highlands – will participate in 2025.
Career Start helps graduate teachers flourish in their first years in the classroom through:
- time release from face-to-face teaching to engage with induction supports
- a dedicated mentor to accelerate the development of their teaching practice
- networking opportunities within local learning alliances led by a dedicated learning alliance leader
- professional learning to develop professional practice, professional identity and support wellbeing.
More information
To find out more about the Career Start program, please contact career.start@education.vic.gov.au
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