Victoria announces new measures to bring challenged job seekers into ECEC

The Victorian Government has announced a new program which is designed to tackle early childhood education and care (ECEC) recruitment challenges while also supporting people who have experienced challenges securing employment during the pandemic, including women aged over 45, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse Victorians, and young people.

Announced over the weekend by Victorian Minister for Employment Jaala Pulford and Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt, the Jobs Victoria Early Childhood Educator Jobs initiative will create 150 jobs and will receive $2 million of funding support from the Government. 

“We’re making it easier for people to build a career in this vital sector, providing training while workers earn a wage and gain on-the-job experience,” Ms Pulford said.

Delivered in partnership with Chisholm TAFE, the Government hopes the program will enable more Victorian children to thrive, improve work-life balance for families and create more secure jobs in the early childcare sector. 

Participants will receive on-the-job training, working at early childhood centres and receiving an income while studying a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. The program also provides additional mentoring and supervision. 

The initiative is supported by the $250 million Jobs Victoria Fund which is creating 10,000 ‘steady and secure’ jobs for those most impacted by the pandemic. The Government is also releasing its updated Kindergarten Workforce Strategy as part of the $5 billion plan to provide three-year-old children with access to an additional year of funded kindergarten programs. 

The widely reported reform is expected to create around 6,000 new early childhood jobs including approximately 4,000 bachelor qualified teachers and 2,000 VET-qualified educators. 

For more information on how the Jobs Victoria program can help employers to staff vacant positions, or on how the program supports job seekers, view the website here, or phone the hotline on 1300 208 575.