05 DecVictorian Government releases Best Start, Best Life Workforce Strategy
ELAA is excited to see that the Victorian Government’s recently launched Best Start, Best Life Workforce Strategy lays out clear steps forward for building, maintaining and developing the workforce that is essential to realising the Government’s $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reforms.
We are especially pleased to see that the Strategy is based, in large part, on the consultation process with peak bodies, providers, unions, teachers and educators that has taken part over past 12 months, including the series of consultation forums that ELAA facilitated between the Department of Education and ELAA member services earlier this year.
The Strategy covers six key areas for action:
- encouraging diversity among those seeking a career in early childhood education
- improving the accessibility and quality of pre-service training
- enhancing the transition from study to practice
- supporting career development and wellbeing
- supporting effective leadership
- developing a comprehensive approach to maintaining and lifting practice quality.
The Strategy lays out a number of initiatives to attract, develop and retain a high-quality workforce. Among these, we are keen to see the progression of changing community perceptions about the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Sector, particularly regarding the value of a career in ECEC; lifting the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers and educators and younger peoples; and promoting and embedding quality.
To complement these initiatives, there will be tactical supports such as a best practice workforce retention guide for employers; a new educational leaders development program; the establishment of an Early Childhood Education Workforce Reference Group to allow current teachers and educators to have direct input into workforce development and support; and a revision of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) to align with recent revisions to the national Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).
To read the strategy in full CLICK HERE.
