Students, teachers back to school

IT may only be a temporary reprieve but global events have conspired to assist the Department of Education and Training in its bid to fill its teaching needs for 2009.

One of the department's biggest problems, the drain of teachers due to retirement, has stopped suddenly, coinciding with the market downturn

With older workers forming a big proportion of its 31,000-plus workforce, Western Australia's biggest employer had been braced for significant impact from this demographic bulge.

However, DET workplace planning manager Neil Purdy said retirements were 25 per cent below what the department expected at this time of the year, a difference of about 50 to 60 teachers across the department.

"Since July it has virtually flat lined," Mr Purdy said.

"Teachers who were going to retire may be thinking, 'you are kidding'."

The unexpected reprieve, though, may be short-lived, with many teachers at retirement age remaining in the state's defined benefit pension schemes, which determine payouts based on final salary rather than investment growth.

A newly accepted pay offer is likely to boost the fortunes of those on such schemes.

And Mr Purdy said while the changes were unlikely to affect the department's 10-year projections of a teacher shortfall, there were other signs that were positive for short-term recruitment, which has fallen short in recent years.

"Resignations have dropped off as well, that includes resignations for people going to work in other areas," he said.

"That has stalled, it is not as dramatic as the retirement data but it has stalled."

But Mr Purdy said the market's impact also affected the demand side. A survey of headmasters had revealed expectations of a rise in students staying on in year 11 and 12, as the numbers going into apprenticeships and other training drops off due to changes in the marketplace.

This flow-on effect of a market downturn into increased education is well known at tertiary level where enrolments, especially among mature-age students, have jumped after years of decline.

University of WA vice-chancellor Alan Robson said mature age enrolments had picked up in August, suggesting the downturn was well under way at that time.

UWA's non-TEE applications have risen almost 10 per cent to 5,579, still well short of the 8,302 received in 2004.

Curtin University said first preferences from mature-age students, 20 years and older, had increased more than 21 per cent on 2008, and second preferences by 15.7 per cent.

In addition, more than 800 deferred students have indicated they intend to return to study at Curtin in first semester 2009.

Curtin's pro vice-chancellor, teaching and learning, Robyn Quin, said the rise reflected both the market and the institution's promotion of services to this group.

"While the global economic crisis may have had an impact on the increase in mature age preferences, we believe our attention to this group of prospective students is also reaping benefits," Professor Quin said.