Shaping Our Future 10 Year Workforce Strategy For The Early Childhood Sector

The National Children’s Education and Care Workforce Strategy (2022-2031) has been developed to support the recruitment, retention, sustainability and quality of the sector workforce.

Shaping Our Future is a ten-year workforce strategy to help ensure a sustainable, high-quality children’s education and care workforce. It includes 21 actions among which 13 short-term actions, are to be progressed within three years, 7 medium-term actions, are to be progressed within six years, and 1 long-term action, is to be progressed within ten years.

Some actions include:

• Investigate options for improving workforce pay and conditions
• Implement east registration in every state and territory
• Enhancing mentoring and induction and support for new teachers
• Review and develop targeted programs to support studies and placements
• Review and streamline existing applications and approval for overseas trained educators and teachers
• Develop an accessible suite of resources highlighting the careers and pathways available within the sector
• Improve access to core professional development for educators and teachers
• Investigate options for a national professional practice network for educators and teachers
• Investigate options for improved well-being supports
• Promote welling resources for educators and teachers
• Review staffing qualification requirements under the NQF with a focus on ECT and oosh educators
• Review requirements for ECT programs under the NQF

‘Shaping Our Future’ provides a blueprint for ongoing collaboration and partnership between all parties, including governments, service providers, education and training providers, peak associations, regulatory bodies, educators and teachers, and their representative bodies. It is the responsibility of all the stakeholders to implement the strategy. In October 2021, Education Ministers approved the publication of the strategy and requested to take initiative for implementation of the strategy as soon as possible.

For more information and in-depth detail: National Children's Education and Care Workforce Strategy