Thrive by Five welcomes introduction of fee-free early childhood education and care courses in NSW
20 July 2022 – Thrive by Five has welcomed the NSW Government’s introduction of fee-free early childhood certificate and diploma courses as a positive step towards addressing the workforce crisis.
This commitment picks up on Thrive by Five’s calls for free or low-cost TAFE and VET courses in the sector.
The NSW scheme will allow new employees to start working in the sector while gaining free diplomas or certificates in early childhood education and care (ECEC).
There was a shortage of more than 6,000 early childhood teachers across Australia as of March this year.
Thrive by Five Director Jay Weatherill said, “Thrive by Five welcomes NSW offering free TAFE qualifications in ECEC and its contribution to help meet the state’s early educator workforce demand.
“The recent announcement of free preschool for all four-year-olds in NSW will be lifechanging for children, parents and families. The full advantage of this reform will only be realised if there’s qualified and supported workforce to deliver high-quality early learning.
“Free TAFE will remove a critical barrier to people wanting to train in the early sector, including young people and women who have chosen to return to work after unpaid care responsibilities.
“The need to invest in the early childhood education and care workforce is urgent.
“Thrive by Five urges other states and territories to follow NSW’s lead and make sure that training for early childhood educators is completely free, not just subsidised.
“The Prime Minister and state governments should also work co-operatively on workforce planning, support and funding to fill the early educator workforce shortage,” he said.
More detail on the early childhood education fee-free courses here: https://skills.education.nsw.gov.au/initiatives/childcare
