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Introduction

Recently, the needs and demands of attending Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programs has increased. This demand is coming predominantly from the need to enable parents to engage in paid employment. There is also a train of thought amongst parents that Early Childhood Education provides valuable developmental or social opportunities for children. On the other hand however, Australia is facing a shortage of childcare workers, creating an increased demand for staff and workers in this sector.

Permanent Residence Pathway

After graduating from an ECEC course, there are various visas that can be associated with ECEC studies. Here are some visa examples available following the completion of a Diploma course as a Child Care Worker.

Subclass 189: Skilled Independent visa
Subclass 190: Skilled Nominated visa
Subclass 482: Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) – Medium Term Stream
Subclass 494: Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa
Subclass 491: Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa

Please note however, to apply for these visas under the MLTSSL list, the occupation must be a Child Care Centre Manager which requires higher than a Bachelor qualification and often takes more than 3 years of experience to progress to this position.

Fortunately however, there are now some other visa options in a specific region which is called Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA).

This is an area accredited by the Australian Government for the main purposes of overall population growth and economic revitalisation. In particular, the Labour Agreement stream on subclass 482 TSS visas allows employers to work for foreigners under special conditions.

There are a number of different conditions and requirements. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact a qualified SOL Edu advisor.

1. What do you learn in an Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) course?

  • ECEC is a preparatory course to become a “Childcare worker” whose primary role is to teach infants aged 0 to 5 years old.
    The contents of the course are as follows:

Educational guidance, learning plans, children’s activity plans
Deepen understanding of children, how to treat and care for them
Learning about the education industry First aid for unexpected events that can occur in children; emergency response in unexpected situations
Helping infant development through creative learning Children’s grade evaluation
Building good relationships with your child’s parents and promote their child’s development

2. Career outcome after the course

– Child Care Centre Manager
– Family Day Care Manager
– Part-time care coordinator
– Early childhood education carer
– After-school assistant

3. ECEC course options and period

There are two main courses to study ECEC (depending on the provider). Generally, The duration of the course is generally two years.

– Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
– Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

4. Reasons to study ECEC

– Get in touch with the Australian education and learning culture
– The tuition fee is relatively cheap compared to other higher education programs (Approximately $ 14,000 for all semesters)
– You can earn between $ 50,000 and $ 60,000 on average
– You have an opportunity to apply for Permanent Residency in Australia (N.B. Subject to certain conditions)
– High opportunity to get a job and high income by studying and working using your English language skills
– At the same time as being suitable for getting a job, it provides you with valuable knowledge to perhaps care for your own children in the future
– You will be given the opportunity to do vocational placement while taking a course, gaining practical experience before completion
– Demand for students who have graduated from ECEC is increasing. In the future, Australia is said to have a record number of 10,000 people working in these types of important roles

5. Post-Graduation

After completing the two year ECEC program and successfully graduating, you can obtain a graduation visa (Temporary Graduate Visa subclass 485-Graduate work stream). To obtain this graduation visa, you must pass a Provisional Skills Assessment managed by an organization called ACECQA.

The Skills Assessment requires qualification and a logbook (record of vocational placement hours) conducted in the course.

Here are the details of the requirement:
-Placement records (240 hours)
-Qualification and Transcript

To apply for a graduation visa, you need to submit your official English result.
-IELTS requires an overall score of 6.0 (no band less than 5.0) or equivalent
(N.B. Equivalent English language exams include – TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, OET and Cambridge)

Once you obtain the visa you will be able to stay in Australia for a further 1.5 years.

In conclusion, there are ways to get permanent residence as a childcare worker after completing ECEC, but there is a lot you will need to know to prepare in advance. Especially if you are aiming for permanent residence, you need to prepare from the earliest possible stage. It is important to note that you must be working in a specific position within the care centre toobtain Permanent Residency as a childcare worker and it is based on a detailed criteria. It is also incredibly necessary to prove you are adequately and professionally doing your job.

5 Reasons why you should choose Charlton Brown to study Child Care

Charlton Brown (CB) is a vocational school affiliated by big organization called NIET group which is located in Brisbane and Gold Coast. The school was established in 1980 as Nanny college and now has over 30+ years history. The school provides more than 20 courses and especially focuses on child care, community services, disability, aged care, and care-focused business and technology.

Please see below 5 reasons why we would recommend you to study Child Care at Charlton Brown

1. Partnered with a recognised childcare centre

CB has a strong connection with leading childcare centres such as Good Start Early Learning, College of Early Childhood, and Montessori Garden, which means that you will never be worried when you are looking for the childcare centre to do your vocational childcare placement. You need to complete a placement in a childcare centre for certain amount of time if you want to pass the course and become a childcare worker. CB is here to help you with finding the right childcare centre as your placement provider. You will gain valuable working experience in a famous Australian childcare centre group. Furthermore, you have a chance to get a job from that childcare centre after you graduate if your performance is good. Actually, a lot of graduates from CB are now working within these childcare centres.

2. Nationally Recognized Training

As I mentioned above, CB displays great confidence in care-focused courses such as childcare and aged care since the school started originally as a nanny college. CB provides real-world based and straightforward training which is nationally recognised.  The school’s reputation, both here in Australia and globally, speaks for itself as it has been producing the world’s best carers for more than 30 years.

3. Affordable price

Even though CB’s training is of an extremely high quality and that they have many childcare centre partners, the tuition fee is quite affordable. The price might vary according to conditions. Please speak to the Charlton Brown team today regarding our incredibly competitive tuition fees.

4. Major University partners

CB has a partnership with a number of large universities such asGriffith University, Torrens University, Tasmania University and Macleay College. Should you wish to go onto further studies you can transfer the credit you gained at CB into your new tertiary course. For example, Griffith ranks in the top two percent of universities worldwide, and hosts 50,000 students across five campuses in South East Queensland. You can transfer 60 Credit Points toward you Bachelor of Child, Youth, and Family Practice at Griffith University if you have completed a Diploma of Early Childhood Education & Care at CB. This is an official package program which means you will have almost all requirements waved on your direct entry into Griffith University. You will also shorten your Bachelor course duration saving a huge amount of money on your University studies.

5. Study Regional Area

CB has two Queensland campuses based in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The Brisbane campus is located in the City Centre. On the other hand, the Gold Cost campus is now classified as a Regional Area.With the two Charlton Brown campuses you have the opportunity to seamlessly transfer between the campuses if you desire.

FAQs

What skills should an early childhood teacher have?

Generally, an early childhood teacher should have a variety of skills, including:

  • An understanding of child development and the ability to create lesson plans that meet the needs of children at various stages of development.
  • The knowledge of different teaching methods and strategies that can be used in the classroom.
  • The ability to develop relationships with students and provide positive reinforcement.
  • Strong communication and problem-solving skills.
  • Patience and creativity.
  • A passion for working with children.

What practices are important in early childhood education?

One of early childhood education’s most important practices is providing a developmentally appropriate curriculum. This means that activities, games and lessons should suit the children’s age and abilities.

Another is to provide a nurturing and safe environment where children can explore and learn. Teachers should create opportunities for children to interact with each other and their environment, as this helps them develop social skills and learn about their world.

It’s also essential to foster a love of learning in young children. Teachers can do this by providing exciting and engaging activities, making learning fun and praising children for their efforts.

How can you become an early childhood educator in Australia?

To become an early childhood educator, you need to have a degree in early childhood education (ECEC) — such as gaining a bachelor of early childhood education in Australia. You can also opt for a diploma or certificate III instead from a recognised and affordable provider. 

After completing your ECEC program and graduating, you can apply for a graduate visa that will extend your stay by a further 1.5 years. If you are interested in obtaining an early childhood educator permanent residency visa in Australia, you will need to prepare in advance. To obtain PR as a childcare worker, you must be working in a specific position which is based on a detailed criteria. For more information on how to obtain a PR as an early childhood educator, contact Sol Edu today.

What is the most important issue in early childhood education in Australia?

The most important issue of early childhood education in Australia is ensuring there are enough early childhood workers to meet the needs of parents. Australia is currently facing a shortage of early childhood workers, making it difficult for parents to find affordable and quality early childhood education.

Interested in studying Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Australia?

Now you see how attractive Charlton Brown is! There are a lot of advantages in studying Child Care at CB. If you need more information about Child Care courses or provider colleges, please feel free to speak to our staff, we are here to help!

Thank you very much for your time!