Input needed from the ECEC sector for capacity study – consultation paper out now

Jobs and Skills Australia are currently inviting stakeholder feedback from the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector and the broader community to identify and analyse the ECEC workforce for each of the different parts of the sector, their respective supply and demand factors and geographical considerations to understand factors that impact training, attracting, and retaining ECEC workers. 

The Early Childhood Education and Care Capacity Study consultation paper is now open for comment, and we are inviting stakeholder feedback from Monday 20 November 2023 until 1pm (AEDT) on Thursday 11 January 2024.

This consultation will provide the opportunity for interested stakeholders to share their diverse views, highlight case studies where innovative approaches and practices have been used to help meet workforce needs, and an authentic picture of workforce practice in Australia. 

To help gather feedback, the consultation paper provides guiding questions to help shape stakeholder submissions. The submissions will assist Jobs and Skills Australia to gather critical evidence and insights and make recommendations as appropriate to support current and future workforce planning for the ECEC sector. 

The study is being taken in partnership with HumanAbility, the Jobs and Skills Council (JSC) with the responsibility for the Children’s Education and Care, Aged and Disability, Health, Human Services and Sport and Recreation industries. 

It will provide critical evidence and insights to support current and future workforce planning, including a detailed understanding of the current state and future needs of the workforce to support the Government’s Early Years Strategy, which focuses on the wellbeing, education and development of Australian children. 

For more information and instructions on how to provide feedback, see the ECEC consultations webpage. Read the paper here.