Early Career Training Programme
Supporting early career teachers to stay and grow in the profession
What is the Early Career Training Programme?
Our Early Career Training Programme (ECTP) forms part of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE). The training programme is funded by the Department for Education (DfE).
Our Early Career Training Programme (ECTP) empowers teachers with evidence-led knowledge and skills for immediate impact in the classroom. ECTP is based on the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) and is designed around how people really learn, with a flexible approach that considers what works best in each teacher’s unique situation.
ECTs will access engaging in-person and online learning designed and delivered by experts. We understand how busy teachers are, so we’ve designed it to fit flexibly around their schedule with maximum accessibility.
97% of ECTs said they had applied learning in ways that positively impacted the pupils they teach.
Why choose the Early Career Training Programme?
Flexible delivery
- Flexible delivery designed to fit around teachers’ busy schedules.
- Face-to-face and virtual ECT training delivered by local school-based experts.
Personalised learning
- Diagnostic tools designed to adapt to the needs of an ECT, tailor their learning journey, and support mentors to adapt to ECTs’ evolving needs.
- Tailored learning paths in Year 1 based on ECTs’ needs, prior experience, and school context to avoid repetition and focus on personal areas for development.
Evidence-led training
- Evidence-led training, designed to develop ECTs’ research literacy, professional confidence, research-informed practice and self-efficacy.
- Focus on translating research into practice and application of theory in the classroom.
Professional judgement and creativity
- Focus on intellectual rigour and creativity in engaging with various teaching methods, without prescribing a single “right way” to teach.
Relevant and inclusive learning
- Phase, context and subject exemplification.
- Inclusive by design with guidance for teaching adaptively to support every learner in the classroom, including those with additional needs and pupils from under-resourced backgrounds.
Year 2 development
- Specialised options in Year 2 focused on areas of interest to support ECTs in preparing for life beyond training.
- ECT training in Year 2 supported by inter(nationally) recognised experts.
Mentor professional learning
- Face-to-face and online mentor training by sector-renowned professionals and delivered by expert local facilitators.
- Focused professional learning based on mentor interest and how best to support their ECT.
What does the programme journey look like?
Year 1
Year 1 ensures full coverage of ITTECF content, through personalised pathways that consolidate or extend ECTs’ understanding as appropriate.
Year 2
Year 2 moves into structured but individualised learning, owned by the ECT and their mentor. This recognises ECTs’ growing agency and prepares them for life beyond induction.
ECT schedule
ECT Schedule |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Total Hours |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
||
ECT training sessions |
6 hours |
6 hours |
6 hours |
4 hours |
4 hours |
4 hours |
30 hours |
Self-directed study |
10 hours |
10 hours |
10 hours |
4 hours |
4 hours |
4 hours |
42 hours |
Mentor meetings |
12 hours |
12 hours |
12 hours |
6 hours |
6 hours |
6 hours |
54 hours |
|
(weekly mentoring) |
(fortnightly mentoring) |
||||||
Mentor schedule
Mentor Schedule |
Year 1 |
Total Hours |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
||
Programme induction |
1 hour |
1 hour |
||
Mentor training sessions |
6 hours |
2 hours |
2 hours |
10 hours |
Self-directed study |
2.5 hours |
2.5 hours |
2.5 hours |
7.5 hours |
Mentor meetings |
12 hours |
12 hours |
12 hours |
36 hours* |
|
*Mentor meetings are weekly in year 1 and continue fortnightly in year 2 |
||||
What ECTs say about the Early Career Training Programme
“ECTs are expertly supported and empowered to make a positive difference to the lives of pupils”.
– Ofsted’s Early Career Framework (ECF) inspection report, 2025
How to register for the Early Career Training Programme
To find the right instructions for registering, please select the option that applies:
I have not registered with EDT before
Find one of our Delivery Partners for your school by following these steps:
- Please select a delivery partner local to you from our list of current delivery partners
- This list is subject to change. If you don’t see a delivery partner local to you, please contact us for support.
- Contact your local delivery partner directly to confirm you will be working together.
- The DfE will contact schools directly to invite them to register their participant details on their ‘register early career teacher’ service. Please only use active email addresses. Changes to participant details, such as name and email address, are to be updated on the ‘register early career teacher’ service.
- Please visit this page to set up your DfE Sign-in to access the ‘register early career teacher’ service if you don’t already have an account.
- When EDT receives the participant details from the DfE we will email the School Induction Tutor a form to confirm the delivery partner the school will be working with.
My school has previously registered with EDT
The DfE will be in touch with an invitation to enter new ECT and mentor details for the 2026/27 cohort on the DfE’s ‘register early career teacher’ service. You will need details of each individual for this part of the application.
Please only use active email addresses for participants. Changes to participant details, such as name and email address, are to be updated on the ‘register early career teacher’ service.
Please note that there is no need to register with EDT again, as we have your school details from the previous academic year.
I have participants who started their induction in the academic years 2023/24, 2024/25, or 2025/26
Please use these forms to register:
You do not need to register individual participants at this point. The DfE will contact you to collect participant information.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Early Career Training Programme funded? Do I have to pay?
No – schools do not pay for the ECTP. The Department for Education is funding all training, at no cost to schools. All state-funded schools who offer statutory induction will receive additional funding to deliver the Early Career Framework reforms.
The funding will cover:
- 5% off timetable in the second year of induction for all ECTs to undertake induction activities, including training and mentoring
- Funding for mentors to spend time with ECTs in the second year of induction – this is based on 20 hours of mentoring across the academic year.
Further information on funding can be found on the UK government website.
When do cohorts start on the Early Career Training Programme?
There are three programme intakes each year, in September, January and April.
Who is the Early Career Training Programme for?
The Early Career Training Programme is for early career teachers in England who are in their first two years of teaching after gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and completing their initial teacher training.
What is covered in the Early Career Training Programme content?
The Early Career Training Programme revisits key Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) concepts and skills, and builds on these in higher levels of complexity and depth.
Using top-tier international research, the programme ensures participants become research-literate and confident in evidence-informed practice. It promotes intellectual rigour and creativity with various teaching methods, without prescribing a single ‘right way’ to teach.
A key part of the programme is also providing enhanced guidance for teaching adaptively to every learner in the classroom. This includes those with additional needs and pupils from under-resourced backgrounds.
Contact the ECTP team
Got a question that you'd like to ask the team? Get in touch with us today.
What is the Early Career Training Programme?
Our Early Career Training Programme (ECTP) forms part of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE) and is funded by the Department for Education (DfE).
ECTP supports schools to deliver a high-quality experience for early career teachers through a structured programme of professional development. Based on the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), the programme combines evidence-informed content with expert facilitation and practical application to help teachers develop their knowledge, skills, and confidence.
We work closely with our Delivery Partners to ensure accessible, high-quality training that meets the needs of schools and teachers. Through a blend of in-person and online learning, ECTP provides a flexible approach that supports teacher development, retention, and improved classroom practice.
Our Delivery Partners include teaching school hubs, Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and other organisations who share our values and have a track record of delivering high-quality professional development.
What does the Early Career Training Programme aim to achieve?
The Early Career Training Programme (ECTP) helps ensure that early career teachers receive high-quality, evidence-informed training and support during the first years of their teaching career.
By combining professional development with structured mentoring, the programme helps teachers build their knowledge, confidence, and classroom practice, supporting teacher retention and improving outcomes for pupils.
Through partnerships with schools and delivery partners, ECTP enables consistent, high-quality provision at scale while responding to local needs and contexts.
Who delivers the Early Career Training Programme?
EDT is the lead provider of ECTP, with the programme’s curriculum and content designed and developed by our experts. We are also responsible for quality assurance, platform management, resources, and overall programme delivery. We work with Delivery Partners based across England who deliver the training and act as the main point of contact for teachers and schools participating in the programme.
By combining EDT’s national expertise with our delivery partners’ local knowledge and established school networks, we ensure high-quality support for ECTs and mentors.
The role of a Delivery Partner
When partnering with us, you will lead on working with schools to provide the Early Career Framework to their teachers. Your expert facilitators will deliver our curriculum and support the ECTs through their online work to achieve their ECF training. Mentors, chosen by the relevant schools, will be provided with dedicated training and online learning to flourish in their role.
A dedicated Account Manager will work with you to ensure you are effectively delivering the programme and to support you to develop within your role as a Delivery Partner. We provide our Delivery Partners with a good financial package, an invitation to our yearly conference and the opportunity to join a mature and collaborative Delivery Partner network.
What our partners say about the Early Career Training Programme
In 2025, Ofsted rated EDT’s delivery of the Early Career Framework Outstanding in all areas.
Frequently asked questions
What is EDT's role in the Early Career Training Programme?
As the lead provider, EDT is responsible for programme design, quality assurance, platform management, resources, and overall programme delivery.
How do EDT and Delivery Partners work together?
We work closely with our Delivery Partners throughout the programme. We provide the curriculum, resources, platform and quality assurance, while our Delivery Partners work directly with schools, facilitate training, monitor participant engagement, and provide local support. Our regular collaboration with our Delivery Partners helps ensure the programme meets the needs of schools across different regions.
How is it funded?
The Department for Education funds all training. Further information can be found on the UK government website.
Become a Delivery Partner
If you are interested in becoming a Delivery Partner, or working with EDT on a similar programme, we'd love to hear from you.
"I would recommend working with EDT as a Delivery Partner, if you are looking for a Lead Provider whose team are educationalists, for educationalists."
Kelli Puttock, Quality & Relationship Manager at Forest Learning Alliance