Childcare Queensland is the largest association in the state, representing 750 private full-day care providers. It is warning that the industry will be forced to look overseas for skilled workers to meet demand and is calling for new policies for staff training.
President Gwynn Bridge said, 'We lose staff with degrees to Education Queensland (local education authority) due to the lighter workloads and responsibilities, and we feel that the Government should recognise on-the- job training along with academic study.' She said childcare should be listed as an Australian industry that needs workers from other countries.
Lisa Jenkins, a partner at Study Match, a subsidiary of a migration company that assists overseas staff to work and live in Australia, said, 'There is a huge demand for qualified childcare workers here in Australia. UK workers are highly sought after due to the similarities in culture and the high training and education standards in the UK.'
New figures from the Australian government have revealed that fewer than one in ten of childcare centres' primary contact staff in Queensland have worked for three years or longer in the sector.
The Queensland government is also planning to create 260 super childcare centres in the state over the next four years.
Under the federal government's new Childcare Tax Rebate coming in next month, providers are expected to take the opportunity to raise their fees, some by up to 30 per cent. ABC Learning, which is still Australia's biggest childcare provider, announced last week that it would increase fees 'in the vicinity of 10 per cent'.
FURTHER INFORMATION
National Smile Month is runnng from 18 May to 17 June. Find resources and ideas at www.nationalsmileweek.org/uk.
