AN ACCLAIMED North-East education trust is training new teachers to meet shortages across the profession.

The Carmel Education Trust will provide training ranging from primary to secondary education, teaching assistants to headteachers and in the key areas of maths, science, ICT and languages.

As well as being taught the theory, participants will get on the job training at Carmel College in Darlington and a host of partner schools across the region including Teesside, County Durham, Tyneside and Wearside.

The training offered is an alternative to the university-based PGCE qualification.

Partnership director Mike Shorten said: “In effect it is a very long interview but there is a good chance that a job will come up.

“Being trained by the trust also adds a badge of quality and we can take someone right across the spectrum and nurture them throughout their entire career.”

He said there was also strong evidence that teachers trained by teachers were more robust and stayed in the job longer.

Mr Shorten added: “Growing your own means that we have a supply of high quality teachers we know we can rely on.

“Recruitment and retention is always a major issue for schools and training staff on site, in the classroom, using some of the best practitioners in the region, is proving to be a very successful way of meeting our needs.”

Carmel College in Darlington, is rated top by the similar schools measure of the School Performance Tables and recently received high praise from Minister of State for Schools David Laws for outstanding performance.

The trust also comprises St Michael’s Academy, Billingham, Holy Family RC Primary School and St Augustine’s RC Primary School, Darlington and St Gregory’s Catholic Academy and St Bede’s Catholic Academy, Stockton.