ELACCA launches ITE Boost Queensland program to support workforce growth

The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA) will welcome a cohort of  54 diploma qualified early childhood educators to an accelerated teaching degree course today, a specialised offering which will include wrap-around support and scholarships. 

The Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Boost Queensland program is funded by the Queensland Government, through its Qualifications Pathways Program (QPP), and ELACCA is one of nine organisations selected by the Queensland Government to help build its early childhood teacher (ECT) workforce through the QPP.

Under the ITE Boost Queensland program, educators will receive:

• up to $12,500 for university tuition fees;
• coaching and mentoring from ELACCA’s student support team; and
• payments for customised supports (for example, to provide paid study leave).

“We warmly welcome these experienced educators to our program and we congratulate them on their success in being awarded a place,” ELACCA CEO Elizabeth Death said. 

“In partnership with our colleagues at the University of Wollongong, we will be working to support them over the next two years, while they combine work and study.”

Educators participating in the ITE Boost Queensland program are embarking on an innovative teacher education program, co-designed by the University of Wollongong, ELACCA and the NSW Department of Education. 

The Bachelor of Education – The Early Years (Accelerated Pathway Program) is now entering its second year. Of the 54 educators in the ITE Boost Queensland program in this cohort, 7.4 per cent identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander; 22.0 per cent are culturally and linguistically diverse; and 7.4 per cent are located in remote or outer regional areas of Queensland.

“ELACCA is so pleased to be working with the Queensland Government on this new venture,” Ms Death said. 

“Our workforce is pivotal to the success of the early learning system. Collaboration between the early learning sector and government is a really effective way to design and deliver strong outcomes.”