Secondary schools in Swindon will this year employ their 50th new teacher trained through a scheme set up to improve teacher recruitment in the town.

The School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme was introduced at the University of Bath in Swindon in 2003 to generate more secondary teachers for the town in the priority subjects of English, Maths, Science, Design Technology, and ICT (Information and Communication Technology).

The Swindon SCITT is a partnership between Swindon secondary schools, Swindon Local Authority and the University of Bath to offer trainee teachers a one-year full-time course leading to a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) and Qualified Teacher Status.

School placements run in secondary schools and tertiary colleges in Swindon under the guidance of a professional tutor and subject mentors.

Trainees also have weekly lectures and seminars at the Oakfield campus.

"The course is going from strength to strength," said Bryn Harrison, director of the SCITT programme. "Fifty new teachers for schools in Swindon is a significant contribution to help ease the recruitment problems that secondary heads have faced in priority subjects.

"Many of our trainees are from the Swindon area but we also receive applications from all over the country.

"We're delighted when new trainees come to Swindon and stay in Swindon. Our trainees range from new graduates in their 20s to people later in life making a career change.

"The SCITT is progressive and forward looking and it benefits from continual evaluation from trainees and teaching staff."

Ruth Shellard from Stratton in Swindon is one of 14 trainees this year that will qualify to jobs in Swindon schools, taking up a post as Maths teacher at Highworth Warneford School.

Ruth had a successful 13-year engineering career working for BMW and Honda before deciding to train as a teacher.

"My son was starting school and teaching was something that I really wanted to do," she said. "It seemed like a good time to change.

"Overall the course has been really good. The school placements put you in front of the class, teaching, so you are really well prepared for what you are going to be doing.

"The University lectures are given by a range of people involved in teaching so you cover lots of aspects and get a really broad oversight."