Are you an educator based in NSW? Here is how Labor’s election win could help you

The Labor Party of New South Wales led by Chris Minns MP has won the state election winning at least 47 of the 93 seats in parliament and securing victory after nearly twelve years of coalition rule.

With a change of party comes a change of policies. So what are the main early childhood education and care (ECEC) pledges that were made by now Premier Chris Minns and his party that impact educators working across the state?

We identified three areas where educators will be directly impacted from a policy perspective:

Upskilling programs 

Premier Minns has committed to making available $9 million worth of scholarships for educators who want to upskill to both bachelor degrees and diplomas. Under the program, students will be able to stay in the workforce while they learn and receive financial support to assist with course fees, study materials and other expenses. 

The scholarships could be worth up to $25,000 scholarships with as many as 500 available. 

Professional development 

A new Professional Development Fund will be created. The fund will support paid professional development leave to educators, regardless of qualification. It is unclear how the fund will be set up but it is understood that both providers and educators will be involved in the application processes. 

The new fund will be seeded with $10 million, a substantial pool of money. 

Additional employment opportunities 

The Labor Government has also committed to building 100 new pre-schools alongside Government schools and 50 new or expanded preschools attached to non-government schools. 

In addition, it has maintained its pledge to introduce Universal Access to four year old pre-school by 2030 highlighting a significant commitment to the sector and ongoing opportunities for educators. 

To read more about NSW Labor’s Staffing Boost click here and keep an eye on updates from the NSW Department of Educations website for more information going forward.