The NSW government is now offering up to $25,000 of financial support to help boost the early childhood education and care workforce state-wide.
Applications for the 2022-23 Early Childhood Education Scholarships Program and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Early Childhood Education Scholarships Program opened on the 2nd of August with a $281.6 million Workforce Package to help students entering the workforce enhance their skills, as well as attract and retain ECEC staff over the next four years.
Successful scholars will be eligible to receive a boost of up to $25,000 to begin or complete an ECEC bachelor degree at TAFE or university. An additional $5,000 incentive annually over four years may also be available to help keep educators in a community preschool, mobile preschool or long day care service once they’ve finished their degree.
This scholarship program is just one of a number of important strategies the Department has to address amidst the current workforce supply issues.
“The Department values our early learning professionals and understands the need to attract more people to the industry to create a brighter future for all children and their families as part of our Early Years Commitment,” says Deputy Secretary, Education and Skills Reform, Lisa Alonso Love.
“Our vision is to have a highly qualified and sustainable workforce, including more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander early childhood teachers as a priority, across the state.
Everyone deserves access to high-quality education and this scholarship program ensures people, no matter where they live, can access early childhood education qualifications, with one third of all successful scholars in the last round from regional and remote areas across the state,.
$15.9 billion has been committed to deliver a brighter future for every child in NSW through a revolutionary transformation of early childhood education, child development and women’s economic participation over the next decade.”
The first ‘turbocharged’ round of scholarships for 2022 saw 439 scholarships awarded.
Applications for Round 2 of the Early Childhood Education Scholarships and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Early Childhood Education Scholarships program are open from 2 August 2022 and close on 12 September 2022.
Click here for more information and to submit an application.
