Improving professional recognition in the Pilbara.
The Pilbara Educator Recognition Program (ERP) is designed to improve the professional recognition of the Early Childhood Education and Care workforce entrusted to care for our children.
Chronic shortages of ECEC places throughout Western Australia continue to impact many working families. The reason for the shortage of places is caused by a shortage of Educators.
A problem in the ECEC sector for workforces across the state. When ECEC services find it harder and harder to attract and retain Educators, services will be forced to close, reduce hours, or accept less children into their care.
There is an urgent need to attract more people into the profession and ensure a sustainable sector for generations of children to come. By retaining staff with increased wages and investing in training and upskilling teams, we can help fix the issue.
The ERP is being rolled out in the Pilbara as a pilot program to support the local workforce. It is a game changing opportunity to drive the overall professionalisation of the sector, which will in turn benefit families and workforces in WA.
Key objectives of the ERP include:
- improve staff attraction, retention & recognition
- strengthen local skill capability to ensure a sustainable workforce
- increase availability of early learning places for families
- build upon quality improvements for children
- improve Educators’ commitment to their professional journeys
- advocate for broader systems change for the ECEC sector
Components of the ERP:
Wage supplements
- wage supplements (tied to the individual participant’s level of formal education) are awarded every quarter based on commitment to a structured Continued Professional Development (CPD) program.
Incentives to improve formal qualifications
- Provision of scholarships for ECEC staff working towards higher qualifications, ie:
- Certificate III to Diploma to university degree
- Career Entry Scholarships
- Monetary incentives are available to ECEC staff attaining higher ECEC qualifications and are paid upon successful completion of the qualification.
Is your organisation impacted by ECEC shortages?
Together we can ensure the ECEC sector is functioning at its full capacity to support working families.
