The New Brunswick government has released a retention and recruitment strategy to address shortages of teachers and allied health professionals in the province’s education system.
The strategy targets teachers, social workers, speech language pathologists and school psychologists. It will be implemented through separate action plans for the anglophone and francophone education sectors.
“Like other jurisdictions across the country, New Brunswick is facing significant challenges in meeting the increasing demand for teachers and allied health professionals in our education system,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Claire Johnson.
Three-pronged approach
The strategy focuses on three goals: retaining current education workers through support and recognition; attracting people to study, live and work in New Brunswick; and building a sustainable workforce pipeline.
The province developed the strategy through consultations with teachers from both linguistic sectors, allied health professionals, school districts, professional associations and post-secondary institutions.
Action items are divided into short-, medium- and long-term priorities. Responsibility for implementation falls to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, school districts and other government departments, including Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour.
Teacher associations respond
The New Brunswick Teachers’ Association said it is encouraged by the government’s recognition of the teacher shortage.
“We remain committed to working collaboratively with all partners and are hopeful that this strategic framework will lead to meaningful action on teacher retention, guided by data-informed staffing decisions and resource allocations that reflect classroom complexity, diverse student needs and the realities of local communities,” said association president Heidi Ryder.
The Association des enseignantes et des enseignants francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick also welcomed the strategy.
“We are confident that it will be followed by concrete measures to address the current shortage,” said Eric Godin, president of the association. The association committed to working with the department and education partners in the francophone sector.
The province plans to develop reporting metrics to track progress on the strategy’s action items.
