Boost for QLD Educators
The Queensland government has announced new initiatives, worth more than $33 million, to boost the early childhood education workforce.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
The Queensland government recognises the huge social and economic value that early childhood educators bring, and in support of this, they’ve announced some key initiatives to support educators working in the Sunshine State.
The Miles government will spend more than $33 million to help individual educators realise their career potential and enhance the capacity of the early childhood workforce as a whole.
Education Minister, Di Farmer, says, ‘Our government is committed to dismantling barriers to make sure we continue to have a highly skilled early childhood workforce,’ and her government is investing taxpayers’ dollars in some very workable ways.
Most notably, they’re spending $29 million in the first round of the Qualification Pathways Program (QPP).
Almost 2,000 early childhood educators will benefit from this new program, and the government is partnering with nine organisations (including Goodstart Early Learning, G8 Education and Affinity Education Group) to deliver scholarships to help fund:
- Tuition fees for those studying a university qualification,
- Support for practicums, or
- Purchasing equipment to help scholars finish their studies.
Under the QPP, there’s wrap-around coaching and mentoring to support educators who are keen to do further study to upgrade their qualifications, and the program will focus on enabling educators to complete their qualifications at the level of Cert III, Diploma, Bachelor or Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood.
The government will also spend up to $2 million to pilot a Practicum Placement Scheme (PPS) in 2024.
Five industry organisations have been approved to roll out this pilot program, and it will help up to 350 eligible early childhood educators to finish their teacher qualification by funding their wages while they participate in placements.
The government explains that, ‘Working Towards Educators who have a department-approved 'exceptional circumstance' in place and who haven't yet completed their early childhood degree will be able to access paid practicum in 2024 under this scheme.’
The government will also spend $2.3 million on the Early Childhood Planning subsidy.
This means funding will be provided to eligible long day care services that are delivering a kindergarten program in Queensland, to enable their early childhood teachers to attend two planning days in 2024.
This funding recognises that early childhood teachers need time to carefully plan their kindy session and that planning is an integral part of building professionalism in the sector.
These new initiatives are great to see, and they represent a win-win for the adults providing early childhood education and care, and the children receiving it.
As well as supporting the early childhood education workforce to be skilled, satisfied, robust and future-proof, the Queensland government’s latest investment reinforces its belief that early childhood education is the best way to give children a strong start in life.
And with initiatives like Free Kindy already in play, the future is bright for early learners in the Sunshine State.
