There is currently a high demand for early childhood workers in Australia. With the rise in younger students being enrolled in Early childhood education and care settings each year, there has been a growing need for more educators, and provide daily care for children. Thankfully, for those looking to begin a career in the Early childhood industry, there are many different government-funded courses available for students who want to save money while they learn.
Today’s blog will explore various aspects of the Early Childhood industry, the necessary qualifications required, career outcomes, as well as the government-funded Early childhood courses currently available (by state), which can help people become qualified early learning educators.
What is early childhood education and care?
Early Childhood Education and Care involves any teaching or caring for young children, within the age range of 0-8 years old. This takes place within a variety of early childhood care centers, such as family daycare centers and kindergartens. These facilities provide a safe space for children whose parents require assistance due to work constraints.
Daily Tasks
People employed in the Early childhood service industry are responsible for supervising and nurturing the development of young children through a variety of activities and tasks. Some of these activities include music, painting, reading books, or even cooperative exercises. Early childhood also involves food preparation and cleaning (i.e. cleaning up food scrap, changing nappies) as well as providing first aid for children in the event of injury or emergency.
Overall, the main goal of an early learning educator is to provide a safe and engaging environment for young children where they can learn and develop early social skills. To ensure this, early learning educators collaborate with other educators and assistant staff to ensure that cleaning of the care center and staff scheduling are handled properly every day.
What qualifications do I need to be an Early Childhood Education and care worker in Australia?
Certificate III in Early childhood education and Care (CHC30121) is the minimum requirement to qualify as an Early childhood worker in Australia. This recognised qualification provides the education and training that can help lead towards becoming eligible as an assistant early childhood educator.
Early Childhood Educators must also obtain certain checks to be able to work in an Education and care setting. One of the most common checks is a Working with Children (WWC) Check. The Working with Children check is a mandatory screening process, to protect children from workers who may pose a serious threat to their wellbeing. This involves assessing the applicant’s mental health and police records, to ensure that they are mentally stable and safe to work in an environment where they will be supervising children regularly.
What do you learn in an Early Childhood course?
An Early Childhood qualification teaches students everything necessary to work in Early childhood education and care environments. In a Certificate III Early childhood course, you learn how to effectively communicate with young children, set up activities and curriculums designed for young children, and learn how to maintain and support the learning space, through cleaning and coordinating with other staff members.
Students will also be required to learn how to support children’s health, safety, and wellbeing, through physical activities, healthy eating, sleep, and relaxation. This also applies to how to nurture babies and toddlers, as early childhood workers you will be required to feed and change children’s nappies regularly.
By the end of this course, you will be able to apply the skills and knowledge you have acquired to be eligible for a career as an early childhood educator.
Early Childhood courses in Australia
In Australia, there are many qualifications available for learning how to work in Early Childhood education services, from your nearest education provider. These courses range from Certificates to Diploma/ Bachelors Degree, which can help lead to higher career opportunities in the early learning services industry.
Some of these courses include:
- Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30121)
- Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50121)
- Certificate III in Education Support (CHC30213)
- Certificate IV in Education Support (CHC40213)
Government-funded Early Childhood Courses
Regardless of where you live in Australia, you are likely to find a wide selection of early childhood education courses. These courses have the added benefit of government funding, allowing you to pay less in student fees. Below are a few examples of government subsidy programs offered in each state, as well as the nationally recognised courses they support.
Victoria
JobTrainer VIC
JobTrainer is an Australian Government initiative, that provides access to free or low-fee vocational education and training courses, which can help you get a job in a growing industry. These courses include accredited diplomas, certificates, and short courses in areas like health care, aged care and disability support, digital skills, and trades.
Childcare courses available through JobTrainer VIC:
- CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
New South Wales
JobTrainer NSW
New South Wales also has multiple Early Childhood courses, under the JobTrainer program, which can be studied for free.
Childcare courses available through JobTrainer NSW:
- CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support
- CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support
South Australia
Skilled Careers
Skilling South Australia/ Skilled Careers is a South Australian government initiative helping people get skills and qualifications to build careers and meet the needs of the workforce.
Childcare courses currently subsidised under the Skilled Careers program:
- CHC 50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support
Queensland
Certificate 3 Guarantee
The Certificate 3 Guarantee program helps people complete their first Certificate III qualification. This can help them be eligible for employment in their career. The program also helps school students access training and Year 12 graduates transition to employment. This is done by providing free training in nationally recognised qualifications.
Childcare courses available under the Certificate 3 Guarantee:
- CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support
Western Australia
Jobs and Skills WA
Jobs and Skills WA is a funding program in Western Australia for Vocational Education and Training (VET). Training options include apprenticeships or traineeships with industry qualifications at different levels.
Eligible students can also enrol in subsidised courses from the Priority Industry Qualifications List (PIQL) which has been created to prepare people who are looking for jobs involving high-demand skills across WA.
Courses available for funding under the Jobs and Skills WA program include:
- CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support
Australian Capital Territory
Skilled Capital
Skilled Capital offers Canberra residents access to quality training so they can fill critical skills needs in various industries, such as community services, information technology, health care, and construction.
Skilled Capital childcare qualifications available include:
- CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support
Northern Territory
User Choice Apprenticeships and Traineeships
User Choice Funding is a national funding program that provides financial assistance to Australian apprentices and trainees. The level of assistance varies by state, but in the Northern Territory, it’s distributed directly to registered training organisations (RTOs) who provide training services for those students as well- which means fewer fees!
Courses available for funding:
- CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support
- CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
Tasmania
Skills Tasmania
Skills Tasmania is the state’s training authority, providing access to funding for skills development. It also assists learners in building their workforce and business capabilities through VET programs as well other services such as assistance with job searches or small-business loans that support growth initiatives throughout various industries.
Courses available for funding under Skills Tasmania include:
- CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support
- CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support
- CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
Why study the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and care qualification?
A Certificate III in Early Childhood provides an entryway for students who want to enter a challenging yet rewarding career in Early childhood and early learning sector. As mentioned before, this includes its unflattering aspects. As a early childhood educator, you will need to be comfortable with changing nappies constantly, calming distressed children, and cleaning up any mess they make. Sometimes you will have children who will make your job harder, and you will not always know how best to approach them. Each day at work provides a new set of challenges, not only for you but also for the children.
Despite all this, there is something wonderful in knowing that you are giving back to your community in more ways than one. For a start, you will be providing a safe learning space where children can learn, play and grow. A lot of your job will involve communicating with the children who come through your service and building a connection with them over time. Eventually, you will find yourself growing fond of these children as if they were your children. Another benefit of the job is knowing you are supporting parents by assisting in their children’s wellbeing and development.
TrainSmart Australia’s Certificate III Early Childhood Education and Care course consists of 160 hours of work placement, which must be completed for students to pass the course. Students will often be assigned to a selection of Early Childhood services, kindergartens, and other early learning services as part of their work placement. The purpose of this is to allow students to implement their newly learned practical skills into action in a real-world early learning environment.
What can I do with a Certificate III in Early Childhood qualification?
Studying a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care course can open up a wide range of opportunities within the children’s service industry. A Certificate III can help lead to a career as a:
- Early Childhood educator
- Play Group Supervisor
- Occasional Care Worker
- Family Daycare Educators
- Nanny/ Educator
- Student Support Officer (SSO) in Schools
For students looking to further pursue a career as an educator, the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education can also lead to further studying, for qualifications such as the Diploma in Early Childhood education. This can help you transition to a career as an Early Childhood teacher.
Study with TrainSmart Australia
TrainSmart Australia is a registered training organisation and a leading provider in a wide range of diploma and certificate courses for various industries (i.e. Community Services, IT, Business, Massage Therapy, etc.)
In 2022, TrainSmart will be introducing our brand new CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Learning and Care qualification, for people who want to learn how to work in the early learning sector. This is a nationally recognised qualification that offers dedicated trainer support, 160 work placement hours, and practical assessments. By the end, you will have the knowledge and practices required to work in the early learning sector. You can reach us at 1300 855 517 or [email protected] To view our wide range of courses click here.
