(quote) As the ALP website states, we don’t want prospective teachers to be “put off by the time it takes to meet the qualification hurdles”. Why stop at teachers? We can surely put anyone into a uniform to stand beside a hospital bed after five weeks training; maybe with an extra five weeks they can be equipped to wield a scalpel.(end quote)

It's a pity Chris Bonnor didn't think of looking at the web page to which he provides a link. It says (in the second line)

... highly skilled and qualified professionals in areas such as maths and science ...

http://www.scribd.com/doc/35637525/Teach-Next-Fact-Sheet

I infer this means that the only qualification they would lack is the PGCE / Dip Ed or equivalent -- which it appears they would do part-time anyway. This contrasts with the present situation where state education authorities find it acceptable for teachers with no mathematical training, but a teaching qualification, to teach mathematics.

With a PhD in maths, but no teacher qualifications, I was offered interviews by three leading public (ie, private) schools in England. I assume that their headmasters knew what they were doing.

Education enhances knowledge, it doesn't create it. Then you have useful knowledge & useless knowledge. There are people who are highly intelligent but can't apply their intelligence to anything useful & people who are very practical but can't achieve academic qualification. We need to realise that there's a place for everyone & every situation. Where our experts have derailed education is their misguided view that academic education is the be all & end all rather than education in the field that an individual choses to spend their working life at. There are many highly educated people getting paid a lot of our tax money for what ? then there are people who keep the ball rolling on a daily basis & they can't even get a decent pension at the end. Look at all those now utterly pointless & useless ex Prime ministers & how many millions they cost us yet a worker who kept the wheels of economy going for 45 years is lucky to afford a beer at the end of the day. Yes very democratic & matey matey & all that crap. Wake up !