ATTRACTING SIXTH-FORM PUPILS INTO TEACHING

FINDINGS FROM THE TASTER COURSE PROGRAMME AIMED AT RECRUITING BLACK AND ETHNIC MINORITIES INTO INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING

Report by: Yasmin Valli, Leeds Metropolitan University, School of Educational and Professional Development

The taster course programme was conducted in 1999/2000. The programme sets out to encourage young people from ethnic minority backgrounds to join the teaching profession. In order to address the current situation of under-representation from such groups, this programme was seen to be innovative, in the way it sought to recruit sixth formers from black and ethnic minority community who were in Year 12 of schooling. To 'catch them early' was the underlying aim of the programme. Working with teachers in schools and jointly delivering the message about the teaching profession was one of the strengths built into the programme. It appeared that black and ethnic minority young people rarely considered teaching as a career, not least because there are such few role models, but also due to their own experiences of school in general. which on the whole, tended to be a difficult one. This view was further exacerbated by the 'bad press' that continues to follow the teaching profession and the stress levels experienced by the teachers themselves.
Findings prove that despite this, the participating youngsters who engaged in the programme with a positive attitude, got a true picture about the teaching profession. Both, the teachers and their pupils valued the course. When these participants are ready to join this profession, they will have made an informed choice. Surely, this exercise has implications for recruitment and retention of members joining the teaching profession as it throws a positive light upon their chosen career path.

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