The Victorian Department of Education oversees more than 1,600 government schools, educating over 660,000 young Victorians . At the heart of that system is its teaching workforce, with skilled and experienced teachers shaping the learning, development and opportunities for students across the state.
Building and sustaining Victoria’s teaching workforce has long been a priority. In 2023, amid teacher shortages, reconnecting qualified and experienced teachers with the profession became an important part of the response.
The Victorian Government invested $12 million in the Teacher Re-Engagement Initiative (TREI), creating a dedicated pathway back into the profession for qualified teachers who had spent at least 12 months away from a fixed-term or ongoing role in a Victorian government school.
Rather than expecting teachers to navigate their return alone, TREI brought together professional development, school placements and recruitment pathways, with support tailored to where each teacher was in their journey.
A personalised path back
To help translate this workforce initiative into individual outcomes, the Department partnered with Hellomonday to deliver personalised career coaching at scale. Through a network of more than 500 coaches, teachers could access tailored one-to-one career coaching shaped around their individual goals and circumstances.
Participating teachers came to coaching at different stages of their return. Some were still working out where to begin, while others were ready to pursue opportunities and wanted support to articulate their experience through their resume, selection criteria or interview.
This flexibility allowed support to respond to the individual rather than assume every teacher was navigating the same return or facing the same employment conditions.
To date, 587 teachers have accessed coaching through the program. Of those who provided feedback, 97% reported a meaningful impact on their development, while 100% of respondents said they would continue with coaching.
“This program gave me the confidence to believe in myself and that what I have done is valuable to future employers,” said one participant.
Turning support into progress
Working one-to-one with specialist career coaches gave participants a dedicated source of guidance, perspective and accountability. Feedback showed this helped turn intentions into action and maintain momentum throughout.
But the value extended beyond navigating the immediate return to teaching. Participants reported growth across career planning, self-awareness, strategic thinking, communication and decision-making, building capabilities that could support them not only through their return, but across the next stage of their careers.
Experience
Overall experience rating throughout the program.
Confidence
Overall rating of the selected coach throughout the program.
Insights that strengthen support
For the Department, the partnership provided more than individual coaching outcomes. Real-time visibility into engagement gave the team a clearer picture of how teachers were progressing throughout the program.
“Having access to see how teachers were engaging means we could follow up. Taking that next step can be challenging. The visibility allowed us to provide nudges and offer additional support when needed,” explained Sharlene.
This created a valuable feedback loop between individual participation and program delivery, helping the team respond to what was happening throughout the experience rather than relying only on outcomes at the end.
For some teachers, coaching translated quickly into tangible outcomes. “Thanks to my coaching session, I nailed my next teaching job in the interview yesterday,” shared one participant. Others described feeling better equipped to put themselves forward for opportunities.
“My coach has been so supportive and offered usable and positive feedback to get me ahead of where I otherwise would be with applications,” said another participant.
Looking forward
TREI was created in response to a significant workforce need. As Victoria’s teacher employment market continues to evolve, the needs of returning teachers evolve with it. What remains important is the ability to understand where an individual is starting from and provide support that reflects the conditions they are navigating.
“We help teachers navigate the pathways and the support available to them, and when they’re ready, we’re there to back them. Our role is to provide the building blocks that allow them to re-engage,” concluded Sharlene.
The Department’s partnership with Hellomonday demonstrates how a large-scale workforce initiative can respond to broader system challenges while still recognising that every individual starts from a different place.
By combining a clear pathway with personalised coaching, practical support and visibility into engagement, TREI has helped hundreds of qualified teachers take meaningful steps towards what comes next, while giving the Department a model that can continue to respond as workforce needs change.
Teachers looking to make a return through a supported pathway back to teaching can contact the Teacher Re-Engagement Initiative at returningteachers@education.vic.gov.au.
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