We’re working with providers to address skills shortages and find the right employees for your service. One facet of our approach we haven’t highlighted yet is access to our cohort of skilled learners.

Find the best employees for your early childhood education service

Practical Outcomes specialises in training and education for the early childhood education sector. Our learners graduate from Practical Outcomes with the practical skills and experience required to become great educators.

It’s not just their practical skills which distinguish them either: Practical Outcomes graduates are known for their passion, enthusiasm and adaptability.

There are many reasons why Practical Outcomes learners make great employees — here are just a few:

• Our courses are updated regularly to reflect the demands of the sector
• Our learners receive training and support from experienced trainers
• Practical placement and workplace training enables learners to apply their skills as they develop
• We prioritise transferable skills which give learners the ability to adapt to the demands of the workplace
• Our learners want to make a difference
• Our learners are ready for work

Organisations choose Practical Outcomes to deliver quality training to their staff so that they can deliver a high standard of education and care to children in turn. Partnering with Practical Outcomes means being connected to our successful learners, skilled graduates and beneficial programs.

Access our work-ready learners

Industry forecasts in early childhood education estimate that over 6,000 new workers are needed to meet ongoing staffing demands. Education and training is the backbone of the sector, and there has never been a more important time to consider how partnering with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) can help address staff shortages.

Partnering with Practical Outcomes’ Workforce Solutions gives organisations access to our cohort of work-ready learners. We offer one-on-one workforce strategy sessions with our experts at Practical Outcomes, where we’ll develop a detailed recruitment plan for your business. But first, let’s have a look at a few ways you can take advantage of our work-ready learners.

Address short-term staffing issues by taking on placement learners

Taking on placement learners is a great way for centres to gain a few extra pairs of hands. Our early childhood education courses are updated regularly to reflect the needs of the sector, so you can be sure that placement learners will be joining your workplace equipped with current knowledge and appropriate skills.

Consider new entrants to the sector

When considering newly qualified educators as candidates for employment it’s natural to weigh up the benefits. It can be easy to dismiss hiring new entrants on the basis that they will require more support than experienced staff.

It may be true that new entrants need encouragement, but this doesn’t have to be a burden. In fact, it can be an opportunity to tailor your team to suit the needs of the business. We’ll work with you to support the ongoing training of new entrants by distance and to provide upskilling opportunities for staff.

Get connected with employment service providers

In light of the current skills shortage we’re putting new energy into our partnerships with Employment Service Providers (ESPs). For us, working with ESPs is a way to strengthen the support network available to businesses.

Through our work with ESPs we advocate for early childhood education as a sector, ensuring that personnel and resources are directed where they’re needed most. We can connect you to ESPs to help find suitable employees.

Building a unique recruitment strategy

We’re here to help build recruitment strategies that work for individual organisations and businesses. That means sitting down together and tailoring a specific approach. When it comes to supporting new educators, we’ll direct you to take advantage of the many resources and programs we provide.

Some of these have been covered in other articles, but let’s quickly refresh your memory:

• We offer short courses and group training to maximise workforce capability
• Our dedicated placement and traineeship coordinators can work with centre management to streamline the administrative component of taking on our learners
• We provide advice and administrative support which allows you to take advantage of wage subsidies and government funding
• We can work with you to recruit suitable employees via employment service providers

We put our learners at the heart of what we do

There’s one thing at the heart of every one of our recruitment strategies, and that’s our learners. We begin with a passion for education and through our learners’ practical skills, dedication and enthusiasm for the work they do, that passion ripples out through the sectors we support.

If you would like to meet our learners, contact our team to find out how we can work together to develop workforce solutions.

Having solid business and marketing plans go a long way too. One of the most important elements however is having a high-quality team of staff who are skilled and knowledgeable. Many agree that a business is only as good as the people working within it.

In early childhood education, this means attracting and retaining quality educators to be part of your workforce. Know what to look for when finding employees and how to keep the best of the best on your team is important for any business, and there are many things you can do to ensure your workforce shines.

What is quality when it comes to staff?

So, what is ‘quality’ when we are assessing staff in early childhood education? It can refer to many aspects of a person’s ability to succeed in their job. Quality should take into consideration a combination of personal traits along with their qualifications.

Personal traits that may lend themselves to early childhood education might include effective communication, well-developed emotional intelligence, cultural competence and patience, to name just a few. These soft skills are highly valuable to an early childhood education workplace and educators who possess them are more likely to flourish in their work.

When considering qualifications, ideally your staff will have gained their relevant qualifications from a reputable, high quality registered training organisation. Not all courses are created equal, so look for employees who have completed practical placement and have a thorough working knowledge of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and National Quality Framework (NQF), it takes to deliver a high standard of early childhood education.

How quality staff benefit your early childhood business

It’s no surprise that having a team of quality educators working within your childcare service has a range of benefits not only to your business but to children and families. When you take care to enlist educators who are well-trained and highly skilled, you can expect advantages including:

Improved productivity

Highly trained staff have the skills to get the job done efficiently and are more likely to be proactive. When your team takes initiative, things can run smoothly and foster a productive workplace.

Positive working environment

Staff who feel confident and capable to respond to any situation in the workplace feel happier and less stressed. This in turn can bring about a more harmonious working environment for all.

Low staff turnover

When your staff have received high quality training and feel appreciated in the workplace they are more likely to want to remain in their job. A lower staff turnover means you will save time and money in recruitment, and your children and families will feel secure.

Better outcomes for children

Early childhood education is all about giving children the very best start in life. High quality educators deliver just that and can ensure that children are provided with engaging play-based learning experiences. This also means that families will stick with you and spread the word throughout the community.

Find and retain high quality staff

It’s one thing to know that you need high quality staff, it’s another thing to know how to find or attract them. Beyond having an excellent recruitment process, it is worth considering partnering with a Registered Training Orgnisation (RTO). At Practical Outcomes we work with many early childhood education providers, partnering to ensure they can work with our highly trained learners when they are on placement and beyond.

Partnering with a reputable RTO that specialises in the early childhood education sector allows your early learning service to have a direct line to job-ready graduates who have received sector-leading training. Our Practical Outcomes learners receive consistent high-quality learning and support, bolstered by practical placement experience and the development of crucial skills, including soft skills.

Another way to improve the quality of your workforce is by employing trainees. Practical Outcomes provides traineeships that allow early childhood education providers to take on passionate workers who are ready to grow and learn on the job. Plus, wage subsidies are available to employers who take on apprentices and trainees. This hands-on training approach gives you the opportunity to nurture your workforce while they are learning, ensuring that your team understands how you want to run your business from the get go.

Once you have created a team of high quality staff, you want to keep them. Retaining your quality staff comes down to a number of areas:

Create a positive workplace

Feeling happy, supported and safe in the workplace is vital. The climate at your childcare business should feel vibrant, encouraging and positive. Make it a priority to ensure your staff members feel valued, respected and part of a team.

Provide ongoing professional development

Training opportunities for your staff will show them that they are appreciated and that their career growth is supported. Be there for your team as they explore upskilling and provide guidance for them on their career journeys. Practical Outcomes supports training for those in the early childhood education sector from Certificate III to Diploma, and Diploma to Bachelor qualifications.

Enhancing the early childhood education sector

Early childhood educators are not babysitters, and quality educators understand that they play a crucial role in a child’s learning and development. When you show educators exactly how vital their role can be, you raise the standard for the entire sector. Encourage educators to bring their personality to their role as they enrich children’s lives.

By supporting and nurturing high quality staff in early childhood education, your business will thrive alongside the early childhood education sector.

Contact Practical Outcomes to find out more about how we can support you and your success.