Have your say: review launched for early childhood educator qualifications

A national review of two key early childhood education and care (ECEC) qualifications is now underway, providing the sector with an opportunity to help shape future training pathways and workforce capability.

HumanAbility has launched a project to review and update the CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and the CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care.

The review aims to ensure these qualifications remain responsive to the evolving needs of the ECEC workforce, while strengthening alignment between training outcomes and contemporary early learning practice.

Educators, approved providers, employers and training organisations are now being invited to contribute feedback during the consultation process.

The project is being delivered in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

It also draws on findings from several recent sector reviews and workforce reports, including:

• the Productivity Commission’s path to universal early childhood education and care report
• Jobs and Skills Australia’s workforce analysis
• the Victorian Government’s Rapid Child Safety Review.

According to HumanAbility, the goal is to ensure training products better reflect industry expectations, identify emerging skills needs and improve workforce readiness across the sector.

One of the most significant proposed changes is the transition of many draft units from the traditional Unit of Competency (UoC) format to a new Application of Skills and Knowledge (ASK) template.

Stakeholder feedback during earlier consultation stages indicated that the traditional step-by-step performance criteria often resulted in duplicated assessment tasks and did not fully capture the complexity of early childhood practice.

The ASK template takes a more outcome-based approach, recognising the application of skills and professional judgement in real-world settings.

Importantly, the model is designed to better align with the National Quality Framework (NQF) and recognise progression in practice through meeting or exceeding quality standards.

Following functional analysis and consultation with subject matter experts, several areas have emerged as priorities for the revised qualifications.

These include:

Play-based pedagogy
Designing and facilitating learning experiences in areas such as nature play, STEM, creative arts, language and literacy.

Inclusion and support
Strengthening educator capability to support children with disability, developmental delay and autism.

Child safety and wellbeing
Embedding contemporary trauma-informed practice and strengthening skills in identifying and reporting child abuse.

Cultural responsiveness
Greater integration of First Nations histories, knowledge and perspectives alongside broader cultural diversity.

The review also seeks to ensure stronger alignment with key sector frameworks including the National Quality Standard (NQS) and the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

HumanAbility is encouraging early childhood professionals to participate in the current public consultation phase.

Sector feedback will help ensure the qualifications reflect the real-world expectations and responsibilities of educators working with children and families.

Seven online surveys are available covering the proposed Certificate III and Diploma structures, as well as draft ASK and Unit of Competency units.

Feedback submissions close on Sunday 31 May 2026.

HumanAbility is also hosting a series of consultation workshops across Australia, including sessions in Cairns, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Hobart, alongside multiple online workshops throughout May 2026.

The sessions aim to identify skills gaps, explore delivery challenges and gather advice on training pathways for the sector.

As the ECEC sector continues to focus on workforce capability and professional development, the review represents an opportunity for educators and service leaders to help shape the future of early childhood qualifications.

Register to receive project updates here.