THRIVE BY FIVE WELCOMES ACT GOVERNMENT’S NEW EARLY EDUCATOR WORKFORCE STRATEGY
14 October 2023 – Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaign has welcomed the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government’s new early learning workforce strategy announced yesterday [1].
Aimed at building a skilled, well-supported and resilient early learning workforce, the strategy will help ensure early childhood educators across the ACT have access to vital training and development resources and are provided with strong career pathways.
Minderoo Foundation’s Jay Weatherill said the strategy would help ensure the ACT’s early education workforce was better valued and recognised.
“Early childhood educators are critical for providing a universal early learning system and giving children a good start in life and the ACT Government’s new workforce strategy rightfully recognises this,” he said.
“More government support for training and development resources for early educators and people seeking to work in the sector means better outcomes for children and families who choose early learning.
“Providing educators with career pathways that facilitate career progression and help them build their leadership skills will encourage more prospective educators to join the workforce, and strengthen it.
“It is also particularly encouraging to see that this strategy aims to examine the issue of professional recognition and how that is impacting the workforce.
“A lack of adequate professional recognition for early childhood educators and teachers often leads to many leaving the sector and examining how these challenges can be addressed is critically important.
“We congratulate the ACT Government for introducing this strategy and we look forward to working with them as it’s implemented,” he said.
You can view Thrive by Five’s national Workforce Action Plan here:
https://thrivebyfive.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/tb5_200722_workforce_plan_A5_digital-1.pdf
