The Education Workforce Job Fairs will take place this week and again in May on a hiring platform called Radancy, according to a news release. Each school or district can sign up to host a free “virtual booth” at the events, where staff can post open positions and communicate with job seekers.
These online fairs are the result of a partnership between MDE and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, the latter of which brings expertise in virtual job fairs, the news release states.
The virtual events seek to add certified teachers in areas of shortage — one of eight goals in the state’s strategic education plan. For the 2024-25 school year, Michigan reported statewide educator vacancies in general elementary and special education, as well as math, reading, science, social studies, music and physical education, among other subject areas, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
That tracks with data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which shows that 35 percent of public schools nationwide reported one or more teacher vacancies this school year, and 50 percent of school leaders said they feel their school is understaffed. Too few applicants and a lack of qualified candidates were the top two hiring challenges, NCES reports.
Michigan’s virtual job fairs are one among many initiatives the state is using to address gaps in teaching staff. Others include scholarships for future teachers, teacher student loan repayments, tuition reimbursement for special education teachers, and stipends for student teachers, per the MDE news release.
The release adds that these efforts have begun to pay off, as the state experienced a 71 percent increase in the number of students enrolled in teacher preparation programs between 2016 and 2023.
“We continue to have a great deal of work to do, but much has been accomplished in the last few years in this critical area,” state Superintendent Michael Rice said in a public statement.
