The university has been chosen to lead the expansion of the programme, which will be delivered in partnership with selected higher education institutions and schools across the UK.
Former armed forces personnel without degrees will be able to apply for a two-year paid teacher-training programme, as part of an effort to ensure service leavers a successful transition back into civilian life.
Education secretary Nick Morgan said, ‘As part of our plan for education we need excellent teachers in every classroom to prepare children for life in modern Britain.
‘At a visit to a recent study week, I was able to see for myself the high calibre of the current trainees and the wealth of skills they can bring to teaching, including leadership, teamwork, resilience and the ability to inspire and engage.’
Positive results from the previous two cohorts have encouraged the expansion of the programme, the Department for Education said. A spokesperson confirmed that in the past year almost 100 service leavers have started their training.
The expansion will see two more cohorts begin their employment-based teacher training in this September and September 2016.
Ex-troops eligible for the scheme must have gained qualifications in the services such as teaching, instructing, mentoring or coaching.
Professor Julian Crampton, Vice Chancellor of the University of Brighton, said, ‘Career changers make an essential contribution to the teaching profession and this unique route into teaching allows trainees to benefit from the best combination of employment-based and blended learning experiences that exceed the capabilities of traditional on-site training.’
The programme, which started in 2013 following a pilot year, was set up by the then education secretary Michael Gove.
A DfE spokesperson said, ‘We expect Troops to Teachers to go from strength-to-strength.? Only those who completed the rigorous selection process are accepted onto the course, and figures are in line with what we expected at this stage. We have already had over 100 expressions of interest since we announced we were extending the scheme last October. It is just one of a number of employment-based routes into teaching.’
