Ballarat's standing as an education centre will be reinforced in 2022.
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The town will be the base for one of eight branches of the state government's Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership.
The academy will deliver the nation's first program of advanced professional learning for high-performing teachers in government, Catholic and independent schools.
The initiative's primary offering will be the 'Teaching Excellence Program', a one-year course supporting teachers to advance their professional practice.
The aim is for teachers to learn from one another and share best practice, ideas, and experience. Ultimately, these teachers will then share their expertise with their own school communities.
The news has been embraced by a number of senior education figures in Ballarat.
Loreto College's Christine Shaw possesses enormous optimism in relation to the scheme.
"I think it's great for Ballarat," Ms Shaw said.
"In terms of Ballarat schools being able to get better, and more so the regional schools which don't have access to these sorts of facilities, the ability to collaborate and share practice outside their own schools will be beneficial.
"For individual teachers who will get a place in this program, collaboration after COVID will be widely appreciated."
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Woodmans Hill Secondary College principal Stephan Fields is also ready to embrace the innovation.
"From our perspective, the academy in Ballarat provides an opportunity to increase teacher capacity locally through learning from, and with, colleagues from a range of schools and contexts," Mr Fields said.
"Within Ballarat, there already exists significant expertise and a strong collegiate spirit which will benefit the students in all our classrooms. To have this on our doorstep is a real coup for our area."
Professional development which is within reach of local teachers is essential, according to Mr Fields.
"As the education state, it is important that all areas have equitable provision so quality teacher-learning is no longer dependent on a commute to Melbourne," he said.
"I'm really excited by the prospect of challenging my staff by them accessing this course so that they can be the very best teachers they can be."
Ballarat Clarendon College head of research Greg Ashman also believes the introduction of the academy will serve the region well.
"Clarendon is supportive of any initiative to improve the dissemination of evidence-based practices within the teaching profession," Mr Ashman said.
"The establishment of the academy is a very positive development for education and the Ballarat community will benefit from a branch here. It recognises the importance of education within Ballarat."
It was recently revealed a globally-recognised education leader has been appointed as the inaugural chief executive officer of the academy.
Dr Marcia Devlin, a qualified teacher and registered psychologist, will lead the institution. Dr Devlin has considerable experience having been senior deputy vice-chancellor at Victoria University and having held executive and senior roles at Federation University, RMIT University, Deakin University, and the University of Melbourne.
Education minister James Merlino is excited by the prospect of Dr Devlin overseeing the academy's operation.
"(With her) expertise in both the school and tertiary sectors, (she will) deliver world-class professional learning opportunities for Victorian teachers," Mr Merlino said.
Dr Devlin is also looking forward to her new role
"I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead the new academy focused on teaching and leadership excellence, something that has been a passion of mine throughout my academic career," she said.
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