A regional advertising campaign centring on areas where there are vacancies on teacher training courses, targeting particular groups of people, such as potential science, maths and language teachers, and male primary teachers is already underway.

More people are now applying to become teachers than at any time since 1995, and applications to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) have risen for the third year running - up around 20% on this time last year. Places are still available on some courses however and the Agency is using the ads as a direct recruitment call.

The new advertisement focuses on the challenges, motivations and emotional rewards of a career in teaching, and is a refreshment of the successful canteach campaign, which started in October 2000 and ran through 2001. It aims to drive those interested in a career in teaching to the Agency's website and Teaching Information Line.

Traffic to the Agency's Teach website increased from 33,019 unique user sessions (individual visits) in April 2001 to an average of 148,830 monthly individual visits for the first three months of this year.

The advertising campaign poses a number of questions aimed at recruiting particular groups. Men are being targeted for primary school training using advertising positioned on the well thumbed sports pages in the run up to the World Cup next month. One advertisement poses the question : Are you looking for a transfer? Find yourself in the wrong position? Perhaps all you need is a little training.

Direct marketing work using data from the Agency's Teaching Information Line is planned to encourage those who have already registered their interest in teaching shortage subjects including maths sciences and modern foreign languages. Ambient media features strongly in the campaign including further advertising in tube stations, on bus sides, cinema tickets, sandwich bags, beer mats and postcards.

Throughout early 2002 the Agency's website has undergone a redevelopment following consultation with users and now gives a much more interactive user experience. Visitors can now more easily view areas of the site relevant to their own situation whether they are undergraduates, graduates, or returners to teaching and be taken to information more relevant to their own needs, and can also navigate directly to apply online via the Graduate Teacher Training Registry.

Ralph Tabberer Chief Executive of the TTA said :

'We are serious players in the recruitment market and are competing aggressively to attract quality trainees into the profession. Targeted advertising and the best of web recruitment practice are key to achieving this and I'm very hopeful that our advertising will continue to put over teaching as the high energy and aspirational profession it is. That is the way to capture the imagination of the next generation of high quality candidates into teaching.'

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The TTA's new broadcast advertising will run in cinemas and on television starting on May 16th. The first showing will come in West End screenings of Star Wars Attack of the Clones and on Channel 4/S4C in Wales. The advertisements will run on Channel 4 and S4C Television from 16 May until 23 June and in cinemas from 17 May until 13 June 2002.
2. The Teacher Training Agency was established under the Education Act 1994. Its purpose is to raise standards in schools by attracting able and committed people into teaching and by improving the quality of teacher training and induction.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Images of the tv and press advertisements are available from the TTA Press Office
Tel: 0207 925 3855/3735. Out of hours 07771 934629.
email: pressoffice@teach-tta.gov.uk

Media sales enquiries should be made to Sharon Loggie at Universal McCann on 01625 822214

GENERAL ENQUIRIES: 0207 925 3700

For further information on becoming a teacher, visit the TTA website www.canteach.gov.uk or contact the Teaching Information Line 0845 6000 991, or for Welsh speakers 0845 6000 992. Minicom line 01245 454343