WA Government to expand Early Childhood Education and Care training program across Great Southern

The State Government has announced it will expand its Early Childhood Education and Care Job Ready initiative in Albany and Katanning after a successful rollout of the program in Broome and Perth.

“It’s fantastic that this vital program will be expanded across the State to provide more training for new early childhood educators in WA,” Early Childhood Education Minister Sabine Winton said.

“There are now so many opportunities available in the early childhood education sector, there’s never been a better time to become an early childhood educator and help set up our children for the best start in life.”

Developed by the WA Government in partnership with the early childhood education sector, the program is designed to boost educator numbers and provide better industry opportunities for graduates.

Training provided by the initiative — an offshoot of the State Government’s Job Ready program — features work placement and a shortcourse that gives participants an introduction to the industry.

Training Minister Simone McGurk said that the entry-level, fee-free training scheme is helping to boost WA’s priority sector workforce as it provides training and employment opportunities.

“Early childhood education and care is a critical part of the economy because it supports parents and carers, particularly women, to participate in the workforce,” she said.

“By making this and a range of other training courses available our Government is providing more entry-level candidates with a new pre-employment pathway into traineeships and jobs in the early childhood education and care industry.

“By expanding the ECEC Job Ready program across the State we are helping to ensure the needs of regional workforces are met.”

About 2000 West Australians have participated in the program with almost half of them reporting to have secured employment or progressed to further studies.

Full qualifications and skills available through the program include Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care.