Graduates in Victoria applying to become teachers has dropped sharply by nearly 40 per cent in a year.
The plunge has raised concerns about a potential shortage of teachers in coming years.
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership chair Professor John Hattie told Fairfax that the drop in numbers was attributable to dim employment prospects, as only 50 per cent of teaching graduates found full-time work.
Professor Hattie explained that changes to the education system may also be to blame, as Victorian universities are now only allowed to offer two-year graduate-entry education programs, instead of the one-year courses commonly known as the Diploma of Education.
He said: “It doubles the costs, it is two years of income that they lose, rather than one.”
The education shake-up comes as the Andrews government implements their plan to make teaching a more attractive profession by introducing tough new entry standards for undergraduate courses.
On Wednesday, 1370 aspiring teachers were offered first-round places for graduate-entry teaching courses, down 47 per cent from last year.