University of Melbourne education professor Stephen Dinham has seized on the figures to accuse universities of using teaching courses as a cash cow, saying it was unethical to let people train in a profession in which they are not going to find employment.

But Charles Sturt University’s executive dean of education Professor Toni Downes said what the figures didn’t tell was the story of how, in the 1990s, successive state governments changed the nature of the teaching workforce.

As in every other industry, the number of casual and short-term teaching contracts has increased, and there are fewer permanent jobs on offer, she said. 

Prof Downes said we can no longer hold on to the old “teachers college” idea that qualifying as a teacher guarantees a permanent full-time job. 

The reality is that teachers in regional areas are more likely to find casual or temporary work initially and then work their way into permanent jobs over time.

“There are very few permanent positions for new graduates,” she said.

“Our considered response to manage supply and demand is to change our degree structure to add more flexibility.

“Universities do have a responsibility to students to ensure they understand what the job market is. What we can’t do is guarantee a job at the end of their course. 

“We can let them know what the state of the workforce is, where the shortages are, where the oversupply is.

“We can make sure they are competitive in that market, but in the end it is up to them and the quality of their portfolio.”

To that end, CSU has built more flexibility into its teacher education programs. Instead of qualifying to be an early childhood teacher, primary school teacher, or high school teacher, CSU students now study subjects that allow them to be more flexible in what they teach. 

Prof Downes said from time to time there will be a shortage of teachers or an oversupply of teachers. 

“When we look at the baby boomers and how close they are to retiring, we are going to swing back, and in 10 years we might be undersupplied with teachers again,” she said.

Prof Downes said the only profession the federal government regulates these days is medicine.

Universities, TAFE colleges and private institutions are now all offering courses in teacher education, which increases the number of graduates looking for a job, particularly in urban locations.

Prof Downes does not think forcing students to relocate to remote or regional areas is the answer, saying many students are already established in a town and in a relationship.