The length of teachers’ college in Ontario will soon be cut in half, from two years to one, the Ford government announced Friday.

The change, announced by Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn and Minister of Education Paul Calandra, will also establish a minimum practicum length as a way to emphasize real, in-class experience.

Currently, most teacher education programs last four semesters, which are spread out over two years. The proposed change to cut teachers’ college in half would mean those programs would be condensed into 12 months, with three consecutive semesters instead.