BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

APRIL 23, 2024

Goodstart Early Learning has a great reputation as an employer. 

They’re just one of three providers recognised as an Employer of Choice in the 2023 Australian Business Awards; and as the largest provider of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Australia, and a not-for-profit social enterprise, Goodstart really does care about its people. 

Employee perks, like above award rates, flexible working conditions and career development opportunities are par for the course at Goodstart, and this provider is always looking for ways to support its people, centres and wider community.  

So, it’s little wonder that Goodstart has jumped on board with the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) Accelerated course in Victoria.  

This fast-tracked course is a joint initiative by the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the Victorian government and Department of Education, and it’s been designed to address workforce shortages in the early learning sector, and quickly boost the number of qualified Early Childhood Teachers that centres can tap into.  

There’s no doubt that more Early Childhood Teachers are needed to provide quality preschool programs, especially in light of the Victorian government’s Best Start, Best Life reforms; and this course heeds the Productivity Commission’s call for greater accelerated pathways and flexible ways for Educators to complete their Teaching qualifications. 

The accelerated Bachelor was created by Professor Marina Papic, Dr Gretchen Geng and Dr Victoria Minson, with the support of the early childhood academic and professional teams at ACU.  

A lot of thought went into its planning and development, and it’s an innovative and flexible course that provides a win-win for ECEC professionals, children, families, providers and society as a whole.  

This course is much quicker to complete than the mainstream Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five years) which takes four years, but quality isn’t sacrificed for speed.  

How it works is that students must have a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care to do the accelerated Bachelor with ACU, which credits one year. 

The remaining three years of course work are condensed and re-configured into an 18 month course, which means that accelerated students cover the exact same units in this time as they would with the non-accelerated Bachelor. 

To fit everything in, accelerated students work straight through, from January to December, in nine intensive blocks, instead of getting time off study for the summer breaks.  

There’s no doubt that the course is intense, but it’s also manageable and very interesting.  

Course work is done in a hybrid way, so although weekly learning is online, there is a symposium at the end of every nine-week term which sees students visiting campus for the weekend. 

The Course Coordinator, Dr Minson says, “This enables them to meet their lecturers and other students, and do some of their workshops and lectures face-to-face to have that real university experience.”  

There’s also a Virtual Reality (VR) component to the accelerated course, and Dr Minson explains, “Because the students are learning a lot of content in a short space of time, we’re using some immersive learning experiences where students are using VR goggles to have an experience of being in a different learning environment.”  

“For example, in the History of Childhood unit, students experience a historical timeline, showing children’s lives in the middle ages and other time periods.” 

As well as being quick and innovative, another huge benefit of this course is that it’s free in Victoria.  

This course is funded by the Victorian government, and the Department of Education provides a funding support package that covers all course unit fees, leaving graduates with no study debt.  

This package also provides organisations with access to backfill funding temporary staff to support their educators while doing the 80 placement days required as part of the accelerated Bachelor degree. 

Dr Minson says, “There is also a mentoring program where each student has a mentor in their workplace who is a cheerleader and ally during their 18 month study journey.”  

“The mentor at the centre must be a fully registered Early Childhood Teacher, with suitable leadership experience, who can really support the student.” 

Goodstart receives funds which they can use to best facilitate the mentor-student relationship. 

The accelerated Bachelor funding package also includes a one-off payment of up to $1,000 that students can spend on personal technology support, such as a laptop, Wi-Fi or even a desk, to ensure they have the right tools to study successfully.  

Goodstart immediately saw the value in this accelerated Bachelor, and since 2022, they have partnered with ACU to support this fast-tracked course. 

Goodstart Educators with a Diploma qualification in Early Childhood Education and Care can apply for the accelerated Bachelor, and uptake has been strong. 

Plenty of Goodstart Educators are keen to raise their skills, wages and career potential by completing the ACU’s Bachelor qualification, and Goodstart currently has 60 students enrolled in the accelerated course.  

There are also plenty of people who’ve already completed the course and are now reaping the rewards of a Bachelor qualification.  

By the end of last year, 29 Goodstart Educators had finished the course, and 27 of them are now happily using their new learning and skills at Goodstart centres.  

Dr Minson was delighted to see the first round of completed students graduate in April, and says students often tell her how grateful they are for the Victorian government funding, and how the fast-tracked course has developed them both academically and professionally.  

If you’re interested in doing the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) Accelerated, then you’ll need to apply for the course.  

The ACU has a really great relationship with Goodstart, and you can express your interest in the accelerated Bachelor by contacting Goodstart via their Careers and Training webpage. 

Alternatively, you can join Goodstart’s talent community or send an email to  talentcommunity@goodstart.org.au to get the ball rolling.   

It’s also good to know that there are plans to expand this fast-tracked Bachelor into other states.  

The course is currently being offered in New South Wales, and will commence in Queensland in June 2024.  

Although the Victorian government’s funding support package won’t apply in these places, the State governments in both Queensland and New South Wales, along with Goodstart, offer additional supports for employees wanting to upskill from Diploma to Early Childhood Teacher, and there may be financial or non-financial help available.  

At the end of the day, you won’t know if you don’t ask, and both the fast-tracked and usual-speed Bachelors are brilliant for those who complete them, so they’re definitely worth considering.