Formerly a Secondary Music teacher, Vicki Ward undertook a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education in 1994, Diploma of Montessori Education in 2002 and a Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment and Training in 2004.
Vicki has worked with her parents in their owner-operated services since 1994, and in 2004 commenced Tailored Childcare Management to provide personalised and professional management and consultancy to the child care sector.
In this month's newsletter Vicki shares her views on the ALP's plan to provide free child care training in an effort to address the staffing crisis.
Tailored Childcare Management
Gillard's Free Diplomas
For every complex problem there is a
simple solution that is wrong.
simple solution that is wrong.
G.B. Shaw 1856-1950.
Children have the right to a safe, secure and stimulating childhood, and those spending time in accredited and licensed child care services should have the benefit of a trained team of adults working for their benefit.
In recent years, however, child care services have struggled to attract and retain the staffing cohort they need to meet the standards set by government and their own goals for their service. Today there are 99 "Group Leader" advertisements on "SEEK" for the Brisbane area. There are approximately 500 Long Day Care centres in that area. It is simple maths to extrapolate that at any given time one in five services may be seeking a qualified staff member.
Recognising the staffing needs of child care centres, the Australian Labor Party promised to address the shortage of trained staff prior to the election last year. "Free child care diplomas through TAFE" were announced, and, from memory, a figure of $1000 per student was proposed to achieve this. A year on and the detail surrounding this election promise still remains a mystery.
As a child care operator, I am all too aware of the need for more trained staff in the sector, and particularly at the Group Leader level. Many services, faced with the reality of having to employ less-qualified staff, place a burden of additional support upon the other Group Leaders and the Director of the centre to nurture partly-trained staff to take on this role.
A speedy learning curve required in an environment of closely-scrutinised accountability contributes to burn-out and low morale. A lack of choice in candidates can lead to acceptance of staff whose philosophies might not quite fit with the philosophy of the service creating tension and discord.
But is the free diploma plan a quick fix?
The availability and accessibility of child care training has been expanding in recent years as the result of government policy and sector demand. In many services, employed staff have access to employer-sponsored or user choice traineeships where the employer pays for the course of Certificate III on behalf of the student.
In 2007, this was expanded to the Apprenticeship level with the same processes now available for the higher child care qualifications.
For those not yet employed in the sector, other options exist.
School-based traineeships have been on offer. Many in the sector find the graduates of this training lacking in fundamental skills and understanding. This may be due to the artificiality of training in a non-practice, non-vocational setting, and the work placement times being geared around students attendance at other subjects, rather than what provides the best experience in the child care field.
Productivity funding has provided Certificate III courses this year for those who meet certain criteria such as being long term unemployed. Yet a quick survey of these students soon reveals that a number of the participants have enrolled because they "need a job" and the "course was free".
Despite this the sector is still failing to meet its own standards of staff qualification.
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.
Thomas Paine 1737-1809.
Thomas Paine 1737-1809.
The free diploma plan may result in some staff becoming available to the sector. However, major concerns regarding the plan exist, such as:
- Attraction of those least able to assimilate high-level communication, interpretation and interactive skills required to be successful at a Group Leader level.
- Insufficient funding for training organisations to deliver robust and thorough training.
- Division in the training sector and the capacity of TAFE to handle all students if private providers are excluded from the funding.
- Student who do not value the course as it was provided free to them.
- Students who use the qualification as university entry for another field so the benefit does not flow back to the child care sector. Funding must be linked to service.
- Lack of information to the sector to date.
Those in our community with a passion and heart to see young children grow and develop are the people who belong in the child care sector. Any Government strategy must focus on promoting interest in working with children, rather than trying to solve unemployment by shifting people across to an area where their interest is transitory at best.
Our children deserve a skilled, knowledgeable and committed team of professionals to guide and lead their learning and care.
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