A partnership between two North of England education specialists is aiming to help alleviate the skills crisis within teaching.
Specialist teacher recruitment agency AK Teaching has teamed up with Clennell Education Solutions to provide bespoke training to aspiring and current teachers and support staff across the North of England.
The partnership – which makes AK the region’s only Clennell certified education recruitment agency – aims to revolutionise the way teachers are prepared for the challenges of modern classrooms, ensuring an even higher standard of teaching and learning support.
Key to achieving this will be the provision of tailor-made training programs to each and every AK candidate, encompassing crucial areas such as safeguarding, working with vulnerable learners, leadership skills and first aid.
AK staff and candidates will also be able to tap into Continuing Professional Development (CPD) learning opportunities as well SEND accredited courses to help those entering the sector.
Anthony Kirtley, director and founder at AK Teaching, said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Clennell.
“As a growing agency in the North East, we have a duty of care to candidates that we provide them with as much safeguarding training as we can, so Clennell was the obvious choice for us to partner with.
“We wanted a partner who we could trust to deliver the best possible training to our candidates and who we could work with for years to come and in Clennell we have a partner who will ensure we can do just that.”
Ian Clennell, managing director of Clennell Education Solutions, said: “We are excited in working with AK teaching. It is clear both businesses have the same values and vision.
“It is essential that staff working in schools receive the appropriate support and training to ensure that our children reach their full potential, and this relationship and partnership will ensure that staff have the skills and the knowledge to ensure that they fulfil it.”
According to research by the National Education Union (NEU) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) released last week, only half of the required number of trainee secondary school teachers in England for the 2023/2024 academic year have been recruited so far.
However, AK believes the partnership with Clennell will not only help ensure those entering the profession have the skills required to fill the roles, but also help improve the quality of the region’s existing workforce by offering the training to existing teachers working at its partner schools.
Jonny Greener, director of AK Teaching, added: “As someone recently trained by Clennell, I know the quality that they can deliver.
“We want to ensure that, as a growing company in the region, we are bringing the best quality we can to our schools and offering our candidates the best foundation to support children across the region.
“Working with Clennell, we have developed bespoke training which is specifically for AK staff and we want to be able to offer that to our partner schools. We are a company solidly based on partnerships and we look forward to building a long term partnership with Clennell.
“It aligns perfectly with our mission to inspire the next generation of teachers and support staff and deliver a robust workforce that will help shape the future of education in our schools.
“So, if you, or anyone you know is looking for work in education or are interested in signing up for any future CPD training, then feel free to get in touch.”
To find out more about the partnership or to express your interest in signing up, contact AK Teaching at https://akteaching.co.uk/