Unqualified and Unprepared: What Needs to Change

Thousands of educators entered the field armed with certificates but short on competence. Driven by profit motives and migration incentives, several education providers offered one-year diplomas with minimal oversight and limited practical learning. This is not just a compliance issue—it’s a moral imperative. The following article provides strategies on how the sector can rebuild quality and credibility.

Strengthen Training Pathways

Extend course durations to prioritize depth over speed.
Embed trauma-informed and safeguarding content into every diploma curriculum.
Mandate supervised placements in high-quality centres with trained mentors.

For example, services rated as meeting or Exceeding NQS could be registered as official placement hubs, with placement agreements detailing supervision protocols and reflective feedback.

Mandate Supervised Placements In High-Quality Centers With Trained Mentors

Why Supervised Placements Are Essential

Supervised placements bridge the gap between theory and practice. They:

Ensure students apply learning in real-world settings
Provide structured feedback from experienced educators
Help identify and correct unsafe or ineffective practices early
Foster professional confidence and reflective habits

Without quality placements, graduates may enter the workforce without ever having meaningfully engaged with children or centre routines.

Defining “High-Quality Centres”

To qualify as placement sites, centres should:

Be rated Meeting or Exceeding the National Quality Standard (NQS)
Have no active compliance breaches or serious incidents
Demonstrate inclusive, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive practices
Employ qualified mentors with current child protection training and at least 3 years’ experience

Example:

In Victoria, some TAFEs require placement centres to submit a “Mentor Educator Profile” and a “Placement Safety Checklist” before accepting students.

What Makes a Mentor “Trained”?

A trained mentor is not just experienced—they are:

Skilled in coaching and giving constructive feedback
Familiar with adult learning principles
Supported with mentor training modules (e.g. 10–20 hours of PD)
Recognised with time allowances or incentives for their role

Example:

In the UK, school-based mentors receive up to 20 hours of funded training, with annual refreshers to maintain quality standards.

Implementation Strategies

To embed this nationally, we could:

Create a national mentor registry for approved placement supervisors
Tie funding incentives to centres that host and support student placements
Require placement agreements outlining supervision ratios and reporting protocols
Develop standardised mentor training aligned with ACECQA’s educator competencies

Example:

The Department for Education (DfE) in the UK mandates mentoring as part of Initial Teacher Training (ITT), with clear quality requirements for mentor training, placement structure, and feedback systems.

Tighten Regulation

Enforce rigorous audits of training providers and cancel registrations where standards slip.
Require student feedback and learning outcomes as part of provider compliance.
Vet placement centres annually to ensure safe, inclusive environments.

A national Placement Safety Checklist could standardize protocols across states and help spot red flags early.

Invest in Mentorship and Reflective Practice

Create funded mentor roles within centres to guide new educators.
Introduce Reflective Circles, where educators discuss ethical dilemmas and practice challenges.

South Australia’s “Reflect & Rise” pilot mentors educators over 12 months, blending coaching, observation, and trauma-informed guidance.

Elevate Educator Voice

Form educator advisory panels to guide policy development and review curriculum relevance.
Empower educators with advocacy and leadership training to speak truth to power.

The ACT’s Educator Voice Forum brings frontline voices to regulatory tables, shaping policies with lived experience.

Children deserve more than educators who’ve “passed.” They deserve professionals who are prepared. Restoring public trust won’t come from certificates—it will come from real competence, compassionate training, and inclusive leadership.