The first cohort of students from Queensland University of Technology’s Employing Queensland: Innovative Pathways to Teaching (EQuIPT) program has graduated, marking a milestone for an initiative designed to help address teacher shortages in regional, rural and remote Queensland schools.
Nine QUT students became the inaugural graduates of the Australian Government–funded program last month, after spending the final stages of their degrees studying online while teaching in regional schools under the state’s Permission to Teach provisions.
EQuIPT has two pathways: a ‘Send Your Best’ stream, which supports existing QUT students to relocate to regional and remote areas in their final year of study, and a ‘Grow Your Own’ stream, enabling people in regional communities to begin QUT teaching degrees online while working in their local schools. All nine graduates were part of the ‘Send Your Best’ stream.
Throughout 2025, the graduates taught at schools in Inglewood, St George, Mount Isa, Innisfail, Goondi and Clermont. Six were able to return to Brisbane last month to attend their QUT graduation ceremonies.
Bachelor of Education (Primary) graduate Tahlia Greentree completed her final semester while teaching Year 4 at Sunset State School in Mount Isa and will return to the school this year.
“I wouldn’t have chosen any other way to start my teaching career,” Ms Greentree said.
“Moving 20 hours away from family and friends can be incredibly daunting. But everyone I have met in my community has had the same attitude: kind, friendly and helping. The friendships I have made are truly amazing and make missing home so much easier.”
She said balancing the demands of full-time teaching with university study was challenging but ultimately worthwhile.
“My last semester of university and my first six months of teaching was not easy, but with the support from EQuIPT, my school and my family I was able to achieve my biggest goal in life: to be a teacher,” she said.
Bachelor of Education (Secondary) graduate Bailey Young, who taught history and geography at St George State High School in 2025, was selected as a guest speaker at his graduation ceremony. Originally from Brisbane, Mr Young lived in the town of 3,000 people while teaching and will also return next year.
“This year pushed me more than any before, but it also confirmed how much I love teaching,” he said.
“Teaching in a regional area has been one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve made. St George is a closeknit community where relationships truly matter, and you feel supported everywhere you go.”
Master of Teaching (Secondary) graduate Matthew Harman taught for three terms at Inglewood State School on the Darling Downs while completing his degree. He said graduating was particularly meaningful after interruptions to his studies.
“COVID and some significant losses in the family impacted the progress of my studies,” Mr Harman said.
“There was a strong possibility that graduating wasn’t going to happen. But here we are.”
He has been offered an ongoing role at the school and will teach history and geography this year.
Bachelor of Education (Primary) graduate Caitlin Kitto also taught at Inglewood State School during 2025 and will return to teach Years 3 and 4 in 2026. She said support from the local community and the EQuIPT program had been critical.
“When I joined the Inglewood State School community I was welcomed with open arms,” she said.
She encouraged others to consider teaching in rural communities, saying, “You will feel very rewarded and grateful for what you have done.”
QUT Executive Dean of the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice, Professor Lori Lockyer congratulated the program’s first graduates.
“We look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have in their classrooms and communities across the state,” she said.
Another 25 QUT students are set to join the ‘Send Your Best’ stream this year, while more than 20 prospective students from regional areas have applied to begin the ‘Grow Your Own’ program in 2026.
