A group of council career changers will begin retraining this month as part of a programme designed to prevent a teaching crisis.
Perth and Kinross Council, which is experiencing a shortfall in the number of teachers, is training non-teaching staff to work in the classroom.
The council claims its Learn to Teach retraining programme will expand its workforce “at a time when teacher recruitment is proving to be a challenge”.
The local authority offered council staff who are qualified to degree level the chance to retrain as teachers while still working in their current council posts.
The 14 successful candidates come from a range of different roles, including administration, finance and revenue, culture and a support assistant.
Convener of the council’s lifelong learning committee, councillor Bob Band, said: “This new way of recruiting teachers will allow us to find suitable candidates for harder to fill teaching posts, but will also allow the council to retain a number of skilled employees who are able to share their wealth of knowledge and experience in a new and exciting way.”
Perth and Kinross Council has vacancies for 16 teaching posts, including five primary, six secondary and supply and visiting positions.
The scheme which allows participants to gain a postgraduate diploma in education in 18 months is being run in conjunction with Dundee University.
The training consists of two main components academic and professional.
The academic component will be undertaken mainly in the evenings in Perth, one Saturday morning per month and a one week summer school.
The professional component will take place in Perth and Kinross Council schools and will require three six-week student placements, which are supported and assessed.
Individuals will be required to complete the academic study component in their own time and utilise some their annual leave allocation to attend the one-week summer school.
Following successful completion of the programme, individuals will be assigned a probationary teaching position within the Perth and Kinross area.
After the placement the probationers will then go on to teach in a Perth and Kinross school.
Mr Band added: “I wish the 14 candidates the very best of luck as they embark on their studies and a brand new career path.”