Aly comments on first payments under Early Childhood Education Workforce package

The first payments under the Federal Government’s $72.4 million Early Childhood Education Workforce package are being made, helping to retain the existing highly skilled early learning workforce.

More than 1,200 early childhood education and care (ECEC) services have already received payments to support professional development and training opportunities for more than 15,000 educators.

“We’re working with states and territories along with the sector and unions to build a quality and sustainable early childhood education sector Australia needs,” Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Anne Aly said over the weekend, announcing that Australia’s ECEC sector has grown by more than 14,000 workers since May 2022, with a further 123,000 additional educators and teachers in the training pipeline.

The Government’s workforce package will benefit more than 80,000 early childhood educators across the life of the program, with a targeted focus on regional and remote services and First Nations organisations.

Under the package, early childhood educators, teachers and centre directors are being backfilled to allow them to undertake professional development opportunities. The funding is also helping existing educators upskill by providing financial support to help complete on-the-job teaching placements required by teacher education courses.

Additionally, early childhood educators are being supported to undertake a practicum exchange at a different service, with a living allowance for students undertaking a practicum in a rural or remote location.

“The early childhood sector is a key target for our Fee-Free TAFE program, which slashes training fees in priority sectors to get Australia the skilled workers it needs,” said Federal Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor.

“A future early childhood educator studying a Cert III in Early childhood Education and Care at TAFE in SA can save up to $4,118 because of Fee-Free TAFE.”

From 2024, the Government has committed to funding 300,000 further fee-free training places across priority sectors including early childhood education.

“It’s wonderful to see growth in such a vital workforce which has been struggling with shortages for several years,” Dr Aly said.

Learn more about the Early Childhood Education Workforce package here.