The five biggest ECEC jobs related news stories of 2022 – The year in review

As we approach the end of the year, it has become a tradition at The Sector to conduct a review of the biggest early childhood education and care (ECEC) news stories of the preceding twelve months. 

 

This year, alongside the launch of The Sector’s new jobs search platform and weekly jobs focused newsletter, we felt it would be of value for our readers to highlight the five biggest stories in the jobs, careers and workforce space from the year that was. 

 

Our list contains a mixture of different themes that include the long overdue recognition of educational leaders’ value to program delivery, an acceleration in how approved providers embrace broadening and improving pay and conditions packages, a higher than expected jump in Modern Award wages and more. 

 

Here are the five biggest jobs, careers and workforce stories of 2022:

 

1. Approved providers accelerate rethink of educator pay and conditions

 

Although initiatives designed to improve aspects of educator pay and conditions over above Award rates were put forward from approved providers in 2021, this year saw a burst of activity across the sector as competition for educators cranked higher. 

 

Commitments to paying above award wages, offering alternative work patterns, extending large educator discounts, and innovating on leave models are just some of the many initiatives rolled out by larger providers, with many of the medium and smaller providers also offering or considering offering similar packages to existing and prospective educators.

 

2. One size fits all qualification pathways a thing of the past as flexibility prevails

 

The last twelve months has seen a range of innovations in the training space that make it significantly easier for prospective or current educators to enroll in courses that are customisable and flexible, enabling qualification goals to be met without creating significant disruptions to existing work routines or being overly financially burdensome. 

 

Online training providers such as Swinburne Online have spent considerable effort trying to breakdown the barriers to qualification upskilling, approved providers have embraced new “Study Pathway Programs” and micro-credentials are resurfacing as credible means to fill skills gaps across the sector. 

 

3. Educator wellness and wellbeing accelerates as key priority focus for employers

 

With workforce shortages being experienced across the ECEC sector so acutely in 2022 there has been a significant knock on effect to the wellbeing of existing educators who have had to compensate in many instances for short notice roster changes and shortfalls whilst still managing their day to day educator responsibilities. 

 

This in turn has created continued emphasis on educator wellbeing across employers but some including Communities@Work in the ACT with its educator wellbeing framework and Gowrie NSW with its Especially for You Wellness Event are going one step further signaling a willingness to innovate in this important area. 

 

4. Children’s Services Award finally varied to include educational leaders allowance 

 

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) determined that an Educational Leaders allowance must be paid to any employee who carries out responsibilities consistent with the title of Educational Leader regardless of whether they are employed under the Teachers Award or the Children’s Services Award.

 

This was an important variation since teachers were already entitled to receive the allowance but educators were not. The allowance amounts to $4,022.05 per annum and commenced on 1 November 2022. 

 

5. Modern Award wages get largest boost in at least 8 years as inflation bites

 

The Fair Work Commission’s 2022/23 wage review saw the expert panel determine a 5.2 per cent increase in the National Minimum Wage and 4.6 per cent increase in Modern Award Wages citing a range of factors impacting Australian society, particularly the sharp rise in inflation.

 

The increases were significantly higher than previous years, reflecting the impact of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 seeing 1.75 per cent and 2.50 per cent increases respectively. The previous high increase was 3.50 per cent recorded in 2018. 

 

We hope you enjoyed our five biggest ECEC jobs stories of 2022. 

 

On behalf of the whole Sector Publishing team, we thank you for your ongoing support and wish you a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to reconnecting with you all in 2023.