Trainees Not Gettinng Study Time & No Programming Time For Educators

[emmaajane]

Hi, i'm just wondering if anyone can help me in what to do. Throughout my 18 month traineeship i was meant to get 3 hours of off the floor study time per week and over the whole 18 months i only got 24hours which i documented. During my traineeship i rang my RTO to get them to try and enforce the 3 hours then when they couldn't do anything i called the Apprenticeship centre to see what they could do, still nothing so i had to then call NSW state training and someone did end up coming in but nothing was really done. At the beginning the excuses from management were that it was hard because staff were away and staff were resigning etc, but as time has passed nothing is improving and now my traineeship is up there are a lot more trainees being put on and not being given their allocated time. the priority at the centre is on programming time for educators but even with this educators are not given the minimum 2 hours per week as per the award. The time is based on how many focus children you have and how many observations they think you can get done in an hour. There is no time actually given for writing the curriculum and brainstorming new ideas to implement. this time seems to be purely for writing observations for portfolios (it seems to be more of a quantity not quality fort of thing going on). If someone could please point me in the right direction in how to report these things that would be much appreciated. Even though this doesn't affect me personally anymore (e.g study time as i'm no longer a trainee) it is so disappointing to see everyone else at the service and the trainee system being taken advantage of. Has anyone ever tried taking an employer to the union to get paid out for missed study time throughout the traineeship. (if it was only a few hours or i didn't get an hour here or there i really wouldn't even bother, but 24 hours is what i should of got in 2 months so the other 16 months of time i never ever saw.

[Lorina]

I'm sorry to hear that you missed out on your study time! That's the whole idea of doing a traineeship though! You work and study during your traineeship within your centre! It's a shame that this is still an issue that is continually going on at centres. As part of your contract it would of said how many hours of study you were supposed to receive and it seems like you did everything possible to make it happen! It's disappointing to hear that from all your efforts nothing could be done about it. It's funny though, when the table shifts on management and they break a contract (by not giving you your hours), no one is apparently held responsible or really cares, however if you were an educator who breaks a contract with a centre all hell breaks loose!!

I have contacted Fair Work Australia about this issue for another educator and this is the reponse I have received from them regarding programming and planning time:

Clause 21.5 of the Children’s Services Award states an employee responsible for the preparation, implementation and/or evaluation of a developmental program for an individual child or group of children will be entitled to a minimum of two hours per week, during which the employee is not required to supervise children or perform other duties directed by the employer, for the purpose of planning, preparing, evaluating and programming activities.

If you have the responsibility for the preparation, implementation and/or evaluation of a developmental program and have not received this entitlement, you should first discuss the matter with your employer.

We suggest you forward the information in clause 21.5 to your employer with a formal request for programming time.

A formal request I would probably assume, is a request in writing to the management. Once you have written a formal request and still have not heard back or are not receiving sufficient programming time then you can take on this issue with Fair Work Australia. They will assist you in resolving this issue!

Hope this helps!

,
Lorina

[Lorina]

In regards to taking it to the union... I would say go directly to Fair Work Australia itself as they deal with employees rights based on your Award...

,
Lorina