Overview
Having the right people with the right skills in your service, as well as leading and supporting them in their roles, will be critical to a successful transition to Pre-Prep.
Undertaking workforce planning and thinking about attraction, recruitment, and retention to help maintain a high-quality workforce will be an important part of delivering the reforms at each service.
The Best Start, Best Life Workforce Strategy sets out the Victorian Government’s priorities to grow and support the workforce now and into the future, in partnership with the sector.
Retaining your skilled staff
Workforce retention and stability have a range of important benefits including fostering consistent and trusting relationships with children and families. Effective retention can also support positive workplace culture and staff wellbeing, reduce financial costs associated with vacancies and recruitment, and aid the smooth and efficient operations of services.
The Early Childhood Workforce Retention Guide (PDF, 3.86MB) has been developed to support Victorian early childhood education and care service providers and service leaders to strengthen staff retention. This guide outlines key evidence and highlights practical strategies and practices being implemented by Victorian services to support workforce wellbeing and successfully retain their staff.
Consider how you can support the wellbeing, work satisfaction and professional development of your staff during your change process.
Staff who feel supported, valued, and connected are more likely to stay with your service.
Recruiting new teachers and educators
When you need to hire staff, it is recommended you start your recruitment process early.
As well as supporting educators to upskill and encouraging people to take up a career in early childhood education, you may wish to establish connections with universities, TAFEs, secondary schools, and other training providers to help grow your future workforce. Providing quality placement experiences helps attract more students to the profession and provides you with an opportunity to assess the suitability and skills of students for your workplace.
Workforce Planning Support Grants were provided to local councils and Early Years Managers to develop Early Childhood Education Workforce Plans. Some early years peak bodies were also provided grants to deliver workforce planning resources and advice to member organisations and the sector.
The department will also continue to partner with Aboriginal communities to advance self-determination and cultural safety in early learning, and increase the number of Aboriginal educators and teachers working in services.
Supporting your workforce
Providing quality induction and support is essential to new teachers who might be joining your service.
Experienced teachers also play a role in sharing their expertise and knowledge with those newer to the sector. As a leader at your service, you can consider the needs of your team by including relevant professional learning and other related supports in individual professional development plans, as well as your Service Improvement Plan and your Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), as appropriate.
Remember that this support also extends to yourself, as leaders need to be well equipped to lead their staff. This means engaging in regular reflective practice to identify your own professional learning needs.
Resources
- Early Childhood Workforce Retention Guide (PDF, 3.86MB)
- Innovation Grants Program
- Directory of workforce programs
- Recruiting new teachers and educators for the Best Start, Best Life reforms
- Recruitment kit for employers (PDF, 361KB)
- Quality Improvement Plan| ACECQA
- Best Start, Best Life Workforce Strategy
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