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Thriving Futures Program helps alleviate ECEC staffing crisis
Freya Lucas
Aug 04, 2023
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The Thriving Futures program, an initiative jointly launched by BHP and Child Australia, has had a profoundly positive impact at Goodstart Somerville, helping to address workforce shortages in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.
Like many other services around Australia, Goodstart Somerville had been struggling with a severe shortage of qualified staff, which ultimately led to a reduction in their capacity to offer places to families residing in the regional Goldfields area.This has since turned around with the support of the Thriving Futures program, which has supported the centre to improve its capacity by successfully employing five educators in just over six months, some of whom were local to the region, and others from interstate.
“Thriving Futures continues to demonstrate what can be achieved with a well-supported educator workforce development model,” said Child Australia CEO Tina Holtom.
“BHPs continued support allows the program to evolve and reach new heights. Working in partnership with the team at Goodstart to see such great outcomes for local families provides a clear case study of how incredibly powerful this initiative can be.”
As a result of this concentrated recruitment model attracting new and seasoned educators, the centre has been able to open an additional room, expanding its capacity to accommodate 20 local families who had been waiting for placement, some for over a year, contributing towards addressing the acute childcare shortage plaguing the Goldfields region.
One of the key pillars of the Thriving Futures program is its comprehensive professional development opportunities for centre staff. Onsite consulting and mentoring sessions have been tailored to nurture educators in their professional journey, helping them achieve their individual goals.
The program’s successful implementation in the Pilbara region for the past three years, with an impressive staff retention rate of over 76 per cent since July 2020, serves as a testament to its efficacy in reversing the often dire workforce shortage trends observed across regional Australia.
Tamieka Best is the Centre Director at Goodstart Somerville, and said she is elated at the program’s impact.
“The Thriving Futures program has been a game-changer for us,” she said.
“Not only have we been able to attract talented educators enabling us to lift our capacity by an additional 20 places, but the professional development opportunities have supported our whole team. It’s truly rewarding to see the positive impact on the families we serve.”
Thriving Futures is a pioneering initiative established by Child Australia in partnership with BHP in July 2020. With origins in the Pilbara region of WA and expansion to South Australia and the Goldfields WA, the program is dedicated to revolutionising early learning by developing a well- supported, sustainable workforce development model, and enhancing professional practices, ensuring that children have access to high-quality early learning opportunities.
Learn more about the program here.
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