Tasmanian Government outlines $5 million Early Years Workforce Fund

The Tasmanian Government has outlined its $5 million Early Years Workforce Development Fund, part of its 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future.

“We know access to quality early childhood education and care for working Tasmanian families is critical, which is why we announced the $5 million Workforce Development Fund,” Premier Jeremy Rockliff said. 

“There is no doubt that one of the biggest challenges Tasmanian families have been experiencing is access to childcare, which is why we announced a $5 million Early Years Workforce Development Fund – aimed at growing, upskilling and supporting the Early Childhood and Care workforce.”

The incentive package will provide 200 education and care qualification scholarships for Tasmanians who commit to working with a Tasmanian early childhood service for two years, and will include qualifications through the Vocational Education and Training and university sectors, with each scholarship worth $15,000 or $30,000. 

“This Fund will support hundreds of workers in early childhood education and care roles, providing much needed relief to the sector,” Minister for Education Jo Palmer said.

An additional 20 scholarships for speech pathologists and psychologists to secure employment for a minimum of three years will also be made available.

“In recognising the specific challenges to attracting staff, our relocation assistance will provide incentives of up to $2500 for staff to move to Flinders and King islands and the West Coast,” Minister Palmer added.

“We will also offer incentives of up to $2500 every year for between 4 to 6 years to retain staff in rural, isolated, and other hard to staff areas.”

The Government pledged to continue to work closely with the Early Childhood Australia Tasmania Branch on eligibility and the implementation of the package, with Early Childhood Australia Tasmania also being given $890,000 in over three years.

Learn more about the 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future here.