Page 302 - Week 01 - Thursday, 12 February 2015
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effect on a child’s developmental outcomes. Better qualified educators are more likely to provide a rich learning environment and develop responsive, respectful relationships with children in these education and care settings.
In light of this evidence the ACT government continues to invest in growing and upskilling the education and care workforce. A highly qualified early education and care workforce is essential for providing a strong foundation for the wellbeing and educational outcomes of Canberra children.
In recent years the government has worked to support this group through the provision of a range of vocational education and training programs that are available to meet the needs of educators and employers. For example, traineeships are being funded through the ACT Australian apprenticeships program and have grown strongly across the sector since 2010. Traineeships are particularly valuable pathways. They provide an opportunity for workers to be upskilled whilst maintaining their employment. Last year 312 trainees completed a formal qualification approved by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. These qualifications range from certificate III to a diploma level.
Also last year our priorities were to make sure that we had a focus on doing all we could to provide support to the workforce to gain relevant formal qualifications. In 2014, 30 participants completed a certificate III in early education and care; another 46 completed a relevant skill set preparing them for further study towards a full qualification.
In 2015 we will see new training initiatives through skilled capital, which will contribute well over $2 million towards at least 570 training places in a wide range of approved early education and care qualifications, and each graduate will be eligible for a $500 bonus on completion of their qualification. The skilled capital funds provide a comprehensive range of support services to assist students to complete their training.
In addition to this, the early childhood scholarship program established in 2012 to assist the sector to meet the new minimum qualification requirements continues with a new round of places opening up later this week. The scholarship covers full course fees for a certificate III qualification, a start-up and completion incentive and funding to release working educators to study or attend classes.
Including this year’s allocation, the program has provided 145 places, and a further 30 places will be offered in 2016. Fifty-seven students from the first round of the funding have now achieved their cert III in early childhood education and care. This qualification develops educator skills in developing a respectful relationship with children and supporting their development in a holistic way, using the early years quality framework.
Under the national quality framework all childhood educators counted in the educator to child ratios are now required to be working towards this minimum qualification. This gives us confidence that our children are being educated by professionals, with appropriate skills and knowledge to work in partnership with families for the benefit
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