Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Sees Surge in Trainee Teachers Amid Shortages

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is seeing a notable increase in the number of trainee teachers, with 166 new educators beginning their preparatory service, up by 62 from last year. This rise is welcomed by Education Minister Simone Oldenburg, who aims to address the ongoing teacher shortage.

Despite this progress, the region still requires lateral entrants to adequately fill teaching positions. Projections suggest that the area needs to hire between 600 and 700 teachers annually to counteract the aging workforce.

Additionally, efforts are underway to reform the teacher training program to reduce the high dropout rate. In parallel, the police force in the region faces significant challenges, with an ongoing personnel shortage despite a 14% increase in applications for police training.