Across the next decade, Victoria will need more early childhood professionals to deliver the Best Start, Best Life reforms. We have resources and tips to help recruit teachers and educators for your service.
Recruitment kit for employers
This kit offers advice and resources to support your recruitment needs.
The kit includes information on:
- workforce planning
- attracting early childhood teachers and educators
- drafting a job advertisement
- social media advertising
- advertising a role with an incentive.
Helping to build the future workforce through longer-term recruitment strategies
It's important for service providers to act early to secure their long-term workforce.
Encouraging people to take up a career in early childhood education, supporting educators to upskill, and establishing strong relationships with universities, TAFEs and other local training providers are great ways service providers can help to 'grow their own' future workforce. Making these early strong connections between individuals and your service can create lasting professional relationships.
Student placements
Student placements are a critical component of educator and pre-service teacher preparation. High-quality placement experiences support students to develop, practice and demonstrate essential skills and knowledge and help them feel prepared to enter the workforce. Student placements are a great way for services to nurture and develop high quality teachers and educators and recruit future staff.
Hosting placement students not only helps them to fulfil their aspirations to join or progress in the profession, but also has broader benefits for the sector by supporting the growth of a skilled and high quality workforce.
Supporting educators to upskill
Service providers can support existing educators who are considering upskilling to either a Diploma of Early Childhood Education or to become degree-qualified early childhood teachers by:
a) Investing in specific incentives to motivate upskilling
- encourage a staff member to apply for financial support for study from the department
- provide a contribution towards paid study and placement leave
- allow for flexible working arrangements for staff for study and during placements
- establish a study group with other professionals who are upskilling in the area.
b) Supporting staff to navigate the tertiary system
Offer assistance by supporting staff to apply to their chosen institution.
For more information, visit Becoming an early childhood teacher or educator.
Early Childhood Tertiary Partnerships Program
The department has partnered with universities, TAFEs and RTOs to deliver tailored courses in early childhood education for future teachers and educators.
The Early Childhood Tertiary Partnerships program is available in locations across Victoria and offers a range of flexible learning options with additional academic and mentoring support for new students, career changers or educators looking to upskill to a new role.
Encouraging people to take up a career in early childhood
The frequent interactions service providers have with the local community can present the perfect opportunity to encourage people to take up a career in early childhood education.
Research shows that many parents and carers often consider a career change around the time their child attends a kindergarten program. For some parents and carers, being able to see the positive impact a quality kindergarten program has on their own child can act as a catalyst for a move to a career in early childhood education.
Increasing awareness about careers in early childhood education
Service providers can:
- speak to community members, including parents and carers at their service, about whether they have considered a career in early childhood education
- promote the study pathways and financial supports available to become an early childhood teacher or educator
- put up posters about careers in early childhood education around the community and in the service - get posters at: Kinder | Finsbury Green (you need to create an account)
- join local business networking, council-led programs or community groups that work on strategic growth for the broader community.
Create pathways from university to the workforce for graduate early childhood teachers by:
- partnering with local universities and offering student placements, providing an opportunity for the service and student to develop a relationship
- attending university open days
- promoting the benefits of entering the early childhood sector, including supports for graduates to enter the workforce.
Build partnerships with schools, TAFEs and other training providers:
- Access the Careers in Early Childhood Education guide to build awareness of study and career pathways from secondary school into the ECEC workforce.
- Connect and partner with local high schools that offer training in early childhood through Vocational Education and Training (VET) delivered to school students (VDSS). VDSS trainees could undertake placement with the service provider.
- Connect with local TAFEs or training providers for joint promotional opportunities and placement for students.
Support from recruitment agencies to help fill vacancies
Some early childhood education and care services may need support to fill kindergarten vacancies, especially in hard-to-staff areas.
We have appointed a panel of 8 recruitment agencies (the Panel) that specialise in local, interstate and overseas recruitment to attract suitably qualified early childhood teachers and educators to eligible and participating services across Victoria that are delivering Three-Year-Old Kindergarten or Pre-Prep in 2026.
The Panel comprises ANZUK Education, Lloyd Connect, Randstad, Teach Global, Expect a Star, McArthur, Health One, and Tradewind.
The Panel will be focused on the following 2 activities:
- Sourcing candidates to take up teacher and educator positions in department-identified vacancies, especially in rural and regional areas. This recruitment aims to address immediate workforce needs.
- Sourcing candidates from interstate and overseas to take up teacher and educator positions across Victoria (including in department-identified vacancies). This recruitment aims to increase the overall supply of qualified early childhood teachers and educators within Victoria.
The Panel will only support eligible vacancies. Not all services will be eligible to access the department's recruitment agency support.
For all approved positions, the department will cover the cost of recruitment agency support, with no cost to service providers or services.
Services/providers are encouraged to speak to their local Early Childhood Improvement Branch if they are experiencing ongoing recruitment challenges.
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