The review coincides with a new series of television and newspaper adverts which encourage people to consider a teaching career, using the slogan 'Best days of your life'. The Executive aims to recruit almost 3,000 new teachers over the next five years.
Announcing the review at the University of Strathclyde last week, education minister Jack McConnell said, 'I know there are a great number of enthusiastic people with a wealth of business and other skills who want to become teachers but who are unable to do so because of the current entry requirements.
'We must capitalise on this enthusiasm and experience if we are to train the best teachers for our schools. The review, which will involve the General Teaching Council Scotland, NUS Scotland and Teacher Education Institutes, will look at how best to achieve this and will report its initial findings by next February.'
The Executive may consider more part-time and open learning courses in rural parts of the country where recruitment is particularly difficult. The one-year training course for postgraduates is also likely to be called into question. The main teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland, believes teaching should remain an all-graduate profession but is prepared to consider other options.
The review of entry into teaching follows the announcement of a consultation on the Standard for Full Registration, which outlines what is expected of teachers. This will look at how well teachers manage classroom assistants and nursery nurses.
Meanwhile, the public service union Unison in Scotland is calling for a wide-ranging review of early years education and childcare similar to the McCrone review of teaching, which paved the way for improvements to pay and conditions.
