Minister for Education Senator Milton Scott has this week signed off an agreement with Wheelock College in Boston for the Island's first-ever teaching training programme.

He said on Monday that he was due to fly to meet with administrators at the US college and discuss the partnership that will see 35 people begin the course in September.

Mr. Scott said he hoped by next summer to have every one of the students ready to begin teaching in the Island's classrooms after the 12-month part-time, but intensive programme.

He said of the 35 people who have signed up to do the course, 28 of them are new to the profession, and 11 of them are men.

And with a batch of new teachers coming to the public school system from overseas this September, he said he was looking forward to seeing vacant positions filled and the teacher shortage narrowed.

He said: "I'm going to Wheelock College to sign off to enable us to have some 30 plus trained teachers in the system.

"Once I've signed off, I'm going to hand it over to the Civil Service.

"This time next year, I don't think we will be talking about recruitment to the extent that we do now.

"We have recruited from the UK, also some from the Caribbean and North America. Recruitment is an ongoing process. There is a worldwide teacher shortage."

And he said Bermuda faced the same challenges as other countries in attracting people into the profession.

Just this week, 600 teachers were reported to have been recruited into the public school system in New York City from different parts of the world, including the Caribbean and Europe. However, the schools in that area will still be hundreds short when the new school term starts.

Bermuda's challenges are not as great as that, but Mr. Scott said efforts were being made continuously to bring in new talent, including much-needed male teachers.

The Minister said teachers were now being paid average salaries of between $58,000 and $68,000 a year, which has seen an increase in men seeing it as an alternative profession.

On the issue of male teachers, he said: "We are being more receptive. We are encouraging males to come in."

People on the Island with a good secondary school education and Bachelor's degree were eligible to apply for a place on the course, which will be run at Bermuda College during the evenings.

The aim is to allow the students to continue with their present jobs, while training for a new career.

He has promised that the course offered by Wheelock, which will be taught by lecturers on the Island, is a premier programme that will include both a mentoring and co-teaching experience.

However, whether the course will become a permanent feature is not yet known.

Mr. Scott said previously: "In the past, Bermudians had to go overseas if they wanted to become qualified to teach.

"This is an expensive process, and many people don't want to leave their families and friends, even if they can afford it.

"We know there is a world- wide shortage of teachers. At the moment, we are having some challenges in recruiting teachers from the UK, North America and the Caribbean.

"But how much better it will be when we can develop and train Bermudians for these jobs and build capacity here on the Island."