Deputy First Minister John Swinney confirmed that the STEM bursary programme will be available for career changers applying for teacher training courses starting in August 2019.
The move comes after the programme exceeded its first-year target, with 107 bursaries approved totalling more than £2 million. Subjects eligible for bursaries of up to £20,000 were Chemistry, Computing Science, Mathematics, Physics and Technology.
Swinney said: “We want to help people who have invaluable experience of working in industry to use their knowledge and life skills to inspire the next generation. More than 100 new STEM teachers will soon be in classrooms as a result of this scheme and I am confident the bursary will attract even more talented people to apply next year.
“Developing Scotland’s STEM talent and capability is key to future economic growth so it is important we have specialist teachers who can bring their enthusiasm into classrooms. This bursary is just one of the actions underway to make a career in teaching more accessible to more people.”
Paul Gibson, 56, from Bowden near Melrose, left a successful career in the engineering sector to study a Professional Graduate Diploma in Technical Education at the University of the Highlands and Islands.
He said: “I really enjoyed running training for young people in my last job, so teaching was a natural choice. I am already getting huge satisfaction from working in the classroom and I’m looking forward to being able to use my experience in industry to prepare young people for the workplace. It’s important to be able to explain how the skills we teach are relevant to real jobs and having a career under your belt gives your words extra credibility.”
Applications for the programme will open in the new year.