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ECEC PALM workers welcomed to the Northern Territory
Freya Lucas
Feb 21, 2025
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14 Charles Darwin University (CDU) TAFE Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) students have arrived in the Northern Territory as part of the Australian Government’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme pilot.
The pilot is part of the Australian Government's commitment to expand and improve the PALM scheme to address Australia's workforce shortages, while developing long-term skills and expertise that will strengthen domestic labour markets in the Pacific.An ANU/World Bank survey of more than 2,000 Pacific workers found 98 per cent would recommend the scheme to others, and 92 per cent wanted to work under the scheme again.
On average, PALM scheme workers are able to save or send home $1,500 a month and earn up to 9-10 times more than they would be able to in their home countries.
The Australian-accredited students are the first group of workers who will be employed across two regional centres in the Northern Territory where local educators have been hard to find, (Alice Springs and Katherine), following their completion of a two-week intensive training program at CDU TAFE.
“CDU TAFE will help students get ready for their new roles while supporting workforce demands across the Northern Territory,” CDU Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive TAFE Michael Hamilton said.
“Early childhood educators are an important part of the backbone of our communities, and they are in high demand - by preparing these PALM students we are providing relief to centres and families.”
"CDU has a strong tradition of collaborating with our international neighbours, and we look forward to strengthening these relationships while supporting families in Australia and beyond."Special Envoy for Northern Australia and Federal Member for Solomon (Darwin and Palmerston) Luke Gosling said the partnership between CDU TAFE and the Commonwealth Government was a “win-win.”
“This initiative supports early childhood centres in the Northern Territory facing workforce shortages while providing meaningful employment and training opportunities for our Pacific neighbours,” he said.
“It’s great to see CDU’s leadership in providing high-quality training to these new educators, equipping them with the skills and experience they need to make a real difference in the Territory and ultimately back at home.”
An early childhood educator with more than 10-years’ experience in the sector, PNG PALM scheme participant Ilai Narowen said the opportunity to teach and learn in Australia would be an invaluable experience."I studied and worked in early childhood education before I got married and have since started a family and had four children of my own - I apply all the skills I learned before as well as all the ones my children teach me," Mr Narowen said."It's important we teach children to explore, to guide them and to help them learn about the world around them.”"I'm looking forward to sharing my knowledge and passion for little ones with the local community and to get to know the people in the Northern Territory.”
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