Western University to get 200 of province's new teacher college spaces

The Ontario government's move to add 2,600 teacher college spaces will open 200 new entry slots to Western University's education program over the next two years. 

Donna Kotsopoulos, Western's dean of the education faculty, said the added spaces are a good step forward as the province works to fix a pressing teacher shortage. 

One of the factors causing the shortage is a lack of spaces for would-be teachers to train and certify.

"We see that across the province, we turn away approximately 50 per cent of the students who apply," Kotsopoulos said. "We maintain a waiting list of between 600 to 800 students for our spots. So the program is in high demand and at Western, we've noticed that the demand has increased over time."

A total of 30 of the spaces at Western will be devoted to French language instruction to address the shortage of French-speaking teachers. 

In September of 2024, Western's bachelor of education program moved to an accelerated 16-month schedule, with students skipping the traditional summer break. The second half of Western's teachers program can be done entirely online, which Kotsopoulos said will allow students from outside of London to potentially return to their home communities and save on housing costs.

Why are so many trained teachers not working as teachers?

Money for the extra teacher college spots was allocated in the Ontario government's spring budget, a line item that will cost $55.8 million over the next two years. 

Deena Shaffer, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University who specializes in education, applauds the province's move to step up with more money for teacher training. 

However, she would also like the province to look at the "larger ecosystem of teaching" to address why so many people who've trained as teachers aren't working as teachers. 

The Ontario Teachers Federation estimates there are about 48,000 people in the province who are certified as teachers but not currently working in the system. 

"You have to ask why would a trained professional not feel physically or psychologically safe to do the job that they were trained to do," said Shaffer.

She said about 5,000 teachers have stopped teaching since 2018, an exodus fuelled in part by pandemic-related burnout. 

Shaffer believes it's tied to a similar decline in overall teaching conditions, everything from the challenges that come from safety concerns to the inconvenience of working in older classrooms. 

Teachers' college used to be a one-year program in Ontario, but 10 years ago, as the province was facing a teacher surplus, they stretched it out into a two-year program. 

Shaffer said adjusting the length of teacher college programs in response to the shifting labour market may not lead to the best outcomes for future teachers. 

She also said enhanced mentorship of young teachers would help them grow into the job and perhaps be less likely to quit when the job becomes challenging.