In a WA first, The University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA) has launched a new fast-tracked teacher training program to help meet the demand for qualified teachers in the early learning sector.
Previously, teachers who wanted to work in the sector had to complete a four-year Bachelor of Education degree, which enabled them to teach in both early learning and primary school settings.
Notre Dame’s new Bachelor of Early Learning is a three-year degree that enables teachers to specialise in early learning (teaching children aged 0-4 years), removing the need for the extra year of study.
Importantly, students who already hold a diploma in early childhood studies can receive an exemption from the first year of study, enabling them to complete the degree in just two years – half the time it previously took to obtain a teaching qualification.
Notre Dame School of Education Associate Professor, Christine Robinson, said the University had worked closely with the sector’s peak body – the Australian Childcare Alliance WA – to design a program that could rapidly inject new teachers into the system without compromising on the quality of their education.
“Research shows that early childhood teachers play an extremely important role in preparing our children for learning and setting them up for success later in life,” Associate Professor Robinson said.
“That is why Notre Dame is proud to have been able to work with the sector to develop an innovative solution that will help to alleviate some of the current staffing challenges.”
Australian Childcare Alliance WA chief executive Rachelle Tucker said that with unemployment at record lows, all sectors of the Australian economy were facing challenges when it comes to attracting and retaining qualified staff and early learning was no exception.
“That is why we are so pleased to have been able to work with Notre Dame on the design of this new degree, which gives those who are passionate about helping to develop our youngest minds a chance to specialise in early childhood teaching,” Ms Tucker said.
“It is also an excellent opportunity for our staff who already hold a diploma to boost their skills and potentially move into higher paying roles within the industry that they love.”
Early learning centres with more than 25 children must have at least one qualified early childhood teacher on staff in order to comply with legislated child to teacher ratios. But data from the national childcare regulator ACECQA shows that eight per cent of centres around Australia have applied for an exemption to those rules due to the shortage of teachers.
