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Pride, passion and the personal touch: The Class Professionals difference
Freya Lucas
Aug 16, 2022
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It’s no secret that the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector is one which is experiencing significant growth, and this growth, coupled with the complexities of the COVID-19 operating environment and overall challenges in professional recognition and remuneration across the board, is heavily impacting the recruitment and retention of staff.
Despite these challenges, children and families still need dedicated professionals who turn up, day in and day out, to nurture children, to educate them, and to guide them through the important and formative early years.Recruitment agencies in the early years sector are nothing new, however with the sector placing an increasing reliance on external support to attract, recruit and retain staff, choosing a recruitment partner is now something which is an upgraded priority for providers of all types and sizes.
In a space as unique and specialised as the ECEC sector, having access to recruitment professionals who understand the urgency in filling vacancies, along with the need to choose a staff member who will fit seamlessly into an existing team is now becoming imperative. Against this backdrop, professional agencies who have worked in the sector previously become more than just a “nice to have”.
Class Professionals, a small team from Western Australia, have been working in the broader education sector for more than 20 years, starting life as a solution by teachers, for teachers before branching into other spaces such as ECEC, and most recently, aged care. From there, the team has grown into a sophisticated agency which understands the unique needs of the education and early years sectors it supports, providing relief, short and long term recruitment solutions, as well as pool recruitment services, for government and private schools, special education needs centres and early years centres across WA and NSW.
“Our focus is on consistently supplying the highest quality team members and service to ensure unparalleled excellence in teaching and early years provision,” Class Professionals Managing Director Sam Pintandi said.
In the ECEC space, Class Professionals can assist services to find the following temporary and permanent staff:
- Childcare Educators
- Special Education Needs Specialists
- Education Assistants
- Executive and Management Roles
- Administrative and Office Staff
- Out of School Hours Educators/Vacation Care
2022 has been a bumper year for the team, with 125 partner centres using their services, nine permanent placements, 15 in house traineeships, and connections built with a number of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to support educators to gain paid work experience while supporting the needs of the sector. “We know that services in WA and NSW are struggling,” Talent Acquisition Specialist Belle Philippi added , “and we’re here to help. Whether it’s an educator to fill that last minute shift, or a leader to drive quality in the centre, we know how important it is to find just the right person to support.”
Once educators make the decision to work with Class Professionals, they are supported with more than just a new employment opportunity. Professional development is an ongoing process, with all educators invited to complete infection control and food safety certificates so that they can support with food service and preparation roles as required.
“For us, it’s all about seeing gaps and filling them,” Mrs Philippi continued. “On those rare occasions in the past where we haven’t been able to fill a shift, we’ve used that as an opportunity to build or upskill our team in such a way as to meet that need in the future.”
One of the gaps Class Professionals identified is those ECEC professionals who have been out of the workforce for some time, tending to their own families or following an alternative career path. Seeking work/life balance and a supported return to the sector, many educators have teamed with Class Professionals to undertake one to two days a week of paid work in a supportive environment.
Partnerships with service providers like WorkSkil Australia and Max Employment have supported job seekers to find their way back to ECEC.
“I was nervous about coming back to working in early childhood after having my children,” educator Lily Xu said.”Belle worked with me to find a small service where the team was really helpful, and it’s been great to be back out there, learning new skills, and using my qualifications again while contributing to my family’s income.”
ECEC more broadly, and WA specifically, is a unique space, and as such it’s important to partner with a specialist recruiter who speaks the language of the sector, and is committed to growing and supporting partnerships and the professional growth of its team.
To learn more about how Class Professionals can support your service, or to access the opportunities the team have for dedicated educators and professionals, please visit the website, or phone the team on (08) 9409 1094.
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