Key initiatives to enhance the capacity of Queensland's early childhood workforce include the following.
Rural and remote residential program
Rural and remote residential program supports educators from rural and remote communities by providing study support to assist in the completion of a Certificate III or Diploma of Early Childhood qualification.
The Department of Education has hosted a quarterly residential block in Cairns since 2015. The week-long program, supports the supply of suitably qualified early childhood educators in rural and remote Queensland.
Educators who attend the program will have access to a week of training by their Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to:
- support the completion of units in Certificate III and/or Diploma Early Childhood qualifications
- participate in site visits to early childhood services to observe and implement theory into practice that aligns to their units of study
- engage with guest speakers to build connections between theory and practice
- provide opportunities for networking and collaborating with other early childhood educators.
Educators in the Cairns area who are currently completing their Certificate III or Diploma of Early Childhood may speak to their RTO to find out more information about the residential program.
Early childhood through Remote Area Teacher Education Program
Early childhood through Remote Area Teacher Education Program (RATEP) aims to increase the employment of Indigenous teachers and grow the capability of Indigenous paraprofessionals within Queensland. RATEP is a community-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teacher education program offered in Queensland's remote, rural and urban areas. Early childhood through RATEP allows educators to gain or upgrade early childhood qualifications while living and working in their home communities.
The qualifications available include:
- Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education and Care).
Delivery is through a mix of online and face-to-face methods by attending residential blocks with other students studying in remote areas. Students will receive ongoing study support from tertiary education teachers and a RATEP Early Years Coordinator.
For information, contact the State Program Coordinator on (07) 4037 3836 or email
RATEP@qed.qld.gov.au.
Early childhood training skill sets
Early childhood training skill sets are available through the Queensland Government's
higher level skills subsidy program to assist educators to gain the higher level skills required to help secure employment in the sector or career advancement. These include:
Workforce planning
Effective workforce planning supports early childhood services to address the long-term needs of their workforce. Comprehensive workforce planning is essential for supporting the delivery of high-quality early learning programs delivered by capable, confident and qualified educators.
Workforce planning is a continuous process of identifying:
- current and existing skills within the workforce
- desired future skills
- workforce gaps
- strategies and actions to address identified gaps.
Workforce planning strategies and actions may include, but are not limited to:
- training
- professional development
- recruitment
- attraction
- retention strategies.
A
workforce planning online course containing 4 self-paced modules is available to assist staff to improve their existing workforce plans. The modules offer content scalable to staff new to workforce planning as well as more experienced practitioners.
In addition to the online course, the
workforce plan template and
guide to workforce planning are designed to assist early childhood services to implement effective workforce planning strategies.
The use of the workforce plan template is not mandatory, rather provides services with a sample tool for guidance in the development of workforce plans.
Through the development and implementation of a locally informed, service specific plan to meet current and future staffing requirements, ECEC services will be best placed to operate efficiently and deliver high quality programs for all children.