WAG - WORKFORCE

Executive Summary
The WAG discussed the following key points:

Employment of overseas teachers requires significant financial and 'time' investment. Financial investment is needed for all schools to enable overseas recruitment and to support schools with getting overseas teachers up to speed with teaching in NZ.
Recruitment of ECE teachers - The primary sector is employing an increasing amount of ECE trained teachers to fill vacancies. Financial Support and/or FTTE equivalent is needed for schools through staffing and resourcing to support ECE teachers entering the primary sector.
Positive Messaging - promoting teaching as a desirable profession for the long-term recruitment of graduates. A multifaceted approach is required which could include; targeted Initial Teacher Education (ITE) recruitment drives, expanded School of Teacher Practice (SOTP) funding to support schools, APPA roadshows to high schools, inviting students into schools for open days to provide firsthand exposure to the profession.
Teacher Retention - incentivising teacher retention through more accessible paid sabbaticals to maintain a stable and experienced workforce.

Next Steps
The WAG will;

Move beyond current national projections to address Auckland's teacher shortages. Therefore, we will gather precise, localised data on projected staffing demand and supply. This requires a deeper analysis of the factors contributing to the shortages in Auckland, enabling us to develop targeted and practical solutions.
Survey APPA members to capture data and the narrative. By analyzing the common themes and comparing them to APPA data from 2022, 2023, and 2024, we can identify the unique, qualitative factors impacting staffing in the Tāmaki Makaurau region.
Collate data and evidence and present to Minister Stanford and Anna Welanyk (Deputy Secretary/Education Workforce)
Investigate the possibility of outsourcing data collection, collation, and analysis to ensure an in-depth and accurate analysis.