Financial incentives are to be offered to early childhood teachers and educators to encourage more people to join an industry that is struggling for staff, but concerns have been raised about a fast-tracked degree.
“It’s great that they are accelerating the bachelor’s degrees; however, we need to make sure that these courses still have the same amount of placement hours as before,” Inspira Kids Kialla director Melissa Penfold said.
“If we’re shortening the degree, and shortening the amount of time spent on placement, then the teachers who are graduating are less prepared.”
One-off payments of $9000 will be offered to those joining or returning to the sector, or educators relocating to Victoria from interstate or New Zealand.
Financial support for relocation will also be offered, ranging from $2000 to $8000, for educators relocating more than 200km to take up a role.
The payments are part of a $1 million expansion of the Early Childhood Incentives program, which aims to get more qualified early childhood teachers in hard-to-staff areas of Melbourne and Victoria.
Early Childhood Education and Pre-Prep Minister Ingrid Stitt believes this program will give Victorian students the best educational start.
“We’re supporting our early childhood workforce with more financial incentives and innovative courses to ensure we attract, retain and support dedicated staff,” Ms Stitt said.
The expansion also includes up to 175 extra Victorian Government-funded places in the 2023 Australian Catholic University Accelerated Bachelor of Early Childhood Education program.
This program of accelerated study gives educators an opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree in 18 months, after completing a diploma in early childhood.
Educators are hopeful that these incentives will help alleviate the difficulties they have had in finding quality early childhood teachers who are willing to stay in the industry.
“If you ask any early childhood educators if they are struggling to fill vacancies, they will all give the same answer,” Ms Penfold said.
“We are not only struggling to find staff, we’re struggling to keep them.
“The job is so demanding, and the pay is so poor, we have teachers who work for a few years and realise they can go and work in retail, or at a supermarket, and make more money and have less stress.
“We really need good, quality teachers, and hopefully these financial incentives will help bring good people into the industry.”