The paying of �6,000 "training salaries" to encourage students into teacher training is to be extended, as the government says the scheme is boosting recruitment.

The recruitment incentives are now to be paid to trainee teachers for vocational subjects in further education colleges, the Lifelong Learning Minister, Malcolm Wicks, has announced.

Mr Wicks said that there had been a 24% increase in applications for teaching courses since the training salary was offered and as such would now be made more widely available.

"It is vital that there is a larger pool of teachers in the further education sector as well," said Mr Wicks.

Teachers from industry

The training salary, part of the government's drive to tackle the teacher shortage, was first made available to postgraduate trainee teachers for secondary schools.

These were intended to encourage applications from would-be teachers who were reluctant to study for an extra year without an income and with increasing debt.

The salaries were later extended to postgraduate students training for primary schools and sixth-form and further education colleges.

The payments are now to be made available from September for full-time Certificate in Education students training to teach non-academic craft subjects.

"Training salaries in further education will boost the number of skilled teachers coming into our colleges. They will enable people with industrial or commercial experience and skills to draw a salary as they learn to become FE teachers," said Mr Wicks.