Another year of transitional arrangements as sector struggles to meet teacher demand

Education ministers have agreed to extend workforce transitional arrangements for a further 12 months until 31 December 2024 in order to provide flexibility for services and providers during a time of workforce shortages, and to enable governments to fully consider any recommendations that may arise out of the national qualifications review, commencing in 2023.

The following workforce transitional provisions were due to expire on 31 December 2023 and will now continue to apply until 31 December 2024:

• Regulation 239A – regarding attendance of early childhood teachers at centre-based services in remote and very remote areas (NT, NSW, SA, TAS)
• Regulation 240 – qualification requirements for educators working in centre-based services in remote and very remote areas (SA, TAS)
• Regulation 242 – qualification requirements for people to be “taken to be an early childhood teacher” (NT, ACT, NSW, SA, TAS) 
• Regulation 264 – general qualifications for educators in centre-based services (ACT)

Note: Western Australia will make corresponding regulations to extend the workforce transitional provisions for regulation 239A, 240 and 242 to continue to apply until 31 December 2024. 

Note: Regulation 242 does not apply in Queensland and Victoria, or if you are working in a centre-based service educating and caring for 30 or more children preschool age or under in NSW.

All other workforce transitional provisions will continue to expire as planned (see workforce transitional provisions summary table on ACECQA website, or below for reference). 

Extension of ‘Equivalent to an ECT’ provision

Taking into account the workforce pressures on the sector across the country, particularly in rural and remote settings, the ACECQA Board has determined it will also extend its ‘Equivalent to an ECT’ provision until 31 December 2024. 

This further extension by the ACECQA Board ensures consistency with the decision of education ministers to provide flexibility for services in the management of workforce requirements.
 

New information and resources are available for services and providers to support the changes. These include: 

• Information sheet – Key changes for centre-based services from 2023
• Information sheet – Short-term relief of educators at centre-based services (7.1) from 2023
• Information sheet – Educators who are ‘actively working towards’ a qualification (7.2 and 7.3) from 2023
• An updated version of the Guide to the National Quality Framework (NQF) will be published on 1 July 2023. ACECQA will also continue to update it throughout 2023 to reflect the agreed changes from the 2019 NQF Review.

For further information or support, please view the ACECQA website.