Bridging the gaps in ECT supply: Sector voices and solutions

With mounting pressure to attract and retain early childhood teachers (ECTs), new sector insights are revealing where the workforce pipeline is faltering and what can be done to strengthen it.

Across Australia, persistent challenges related to attraction, retention, and supply continue to impact service delivery, particularly in regional and disadvantaged communities. Recent consultations with sector leaders, service providers, and policy researchers are shedding light on the key barriers and highlighting promising solutions.

Among the core concerns are:

• Placement viability for students, due to limited practicum sites and supervision capacity
• Inconsistent pathways into teaching, with ongoing confusion between diploma upgrades and undergraduate degrees
• A lack of tailored mentoring and induction for provisionally registered ECTs
• Low sector visibility of financial supports such as scholarships and fee relief 
• Burnout and workload pressures, which are driving many early career teachers away from long-term service in the profession

To build an evidence base that informs practical solutions, the Teachers in Early Education (TEE) project, a longitudinal study exploring the career trajectories of early childhood teaching students is now inviting participants to complete a national survey.

Led by the University of Sydney in partnership with Macquarie University, Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, Southern Cross University, and the University of New South Wales, the study aims to generate new insights into what influences teaching students’ motivations, study experiences, and long-term career plans. The findings will play a critical role in shaping policies and sector-led strategies that support a stable, supported and sustainable ECT workforce.

The Sector spoke with Professor Marianne Fenech from the University of Sydney about the research and what it means for educators, families and the broader ECEC sector.

Fiona: What factors do you believe most strongly influence a graduate ECT’s decision to remain in the early years sector long term?

Professor Marianne Fenech: Most students want to become an early childhood teacher because they have a passion for teaching. They enjoy being with young children, and teaching provides an opportunity for them to make a real difference in the lives of children, their family, and their community. This motivation needs to be sustained throughout their career through wages and working conditions that reflect the complexity of the work ECTs do, and support teachers’ wellbeing and professional development.

Fiona: How can we improve placement experiences to better prepare student teachers for real-world practice?

Professor Marianne Fenech: Many students have valuable placement experiences where they have opportunities to put theory into practice under the mentoring of a qualified and dedicated supervising teacher. Challenges in the sector including staff turnover and service quality ratings that do not reflect the reality of the education and care being provided can make consistent valuable placement experiences difficult. These structural issues need to be addressed if we are to see real improvement.

Teachers and Educators are invited to complete the survey if you are in your first or final year of a Birth to age 5, Birth to age 8, or Birth to age 12 teaching degree program. This includes students who hold a diploma in early childhood and are currently enrolled in the first, second, or third year of their degree.

Survey closes 30 June, complete online by clicking here.