Federation Uni thanks ECEC sector for supporting the essential workers of tomorrow

Education providers across Victoria have gone to significant lengths to ensure Federation University students could complete their placements during 2020, Vice Chancellor and President of Federation University Australia Professor Duncan Bentley has said, thanking them for their role in offering student placements to future educators in order to give them “the vital skills they will carry throughout their careers.”

Not only have these professionals adjusted to changes in their own day-to-day roles, but they have also offered what Federation University students describe as “exemplary experiences” in their chosen fields.

Local schools, kindergartens, early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres, hospitals, aged care facilities and medical centres have all played a crucial role in offering student placements, he continued, noting that while the COVID-19 pandemic has meant 2020 has been a tumultuous one for many of us, it has been even more so for those who work in education and health.

Professor Bentley extended “a heartfelt thank you” to those supporters in the community who accommodated student placements and “exceeded all expectations” to make this year’s placement program “a huge success” in this challenging climate.

Teachers who were adapting to their own online lessons, provided our students with crucial experience presenting live maths and literacy sessions, engaging with students where possible, and using a range of different teaching platforms, he said, outlining the significance of allowing this to happen alongside new social distancing and travel requirements, stringent hygiene processes and screening measures.

As a result of the commitment of healthcare and education providers, in collaboration with the University, most students across Berwick, Gippsland, Horsham and Ballarat campuses were able to complete their placements. 

“I am in no doubt of the crucial part educators and healthcare staff – our essential workers – play in our community. While many of us were confined to our homes, these individuals continued to care for and educate the most vulnerable members of our community with grace and determination,” Professor Bentley said.

“At Federation, we are incredibly grateful to all of those who have made it possible for the essential workers of tomorrow to complete the placements that will ensure they can confidently and effectively take their places in the workforce of the future. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!”

Further information about Federation University can be found here.