Childcare workers need English skills
by: Patricia Karvelas
From: The Australian
January 04, 2013
MIGRANTS applying for jobs in childcare must meet tougher English-language requirements under new national standards beginning this week, outraging the industry, which says it will make it even harder to attract workers.
Under the changes, authorised by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, prospective employees will need to achieve higher scores in mandatory English tests.
Applications submitted this year using the International English Language Testing System must secure a score of seven or more for reading and writing and eight or more in speaking and listening.
Migrants who have a formal childcare qualification from overseas will still need to meet the new language standards.
Gwynn Bridge, chief executive of the Australian Childcare Alliance, which represents the majority of private providers, said yesterday the decision by the national regulator would cause more stress for the industry.
"This is very concerning to the long-daycare sector," she said. "Educators of small children do need to understand and speak English at a level that would ensure the education and safety of children but with an increase in the IELTS now required we fear that many excellent English second-language childcare educators will be prohibited from entering the sector and children may be denied the richness of the cultural benefits that they bring."
The new English regime comes as the government releases modelling showing that more than 1.3 million children are now receiving better-quality childcare in centres across Australia, a year after the introduction of the new National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care.
Childcare Minister Kate Ellis said that in its first year of operation the NQF provided children with better care, more highly qualified carers, and more one-on-one time with their educator.
Her comments were also based on a report by the Australian Community Children's Services, which found 88 per cent of staff already had a qualification.
Under Labor's reforms, from January 1, 2014, half of all educators in childcare centres must have or be working towards a diploma qualification or higher, while the other half must have or be working towards a Certificate III qualification.
"I'm really proud (that) because of our reforms every single centre across Australia is now providing better care to a higher standard, and we are on track to delivering the NQF -- the single biggest reform to childcare in Australia," Ms Ellis said.
She said the framework was being implemented gradually until 2020 to ensure services had time to adjust to the new requirements and to keep costs low.
An ACECQA spokeswoman yesterday defended the English language changes.
"From 1 January, 2013, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership introduced changes to the assessment criteria for English-language proficiency. These changes align AITSL with teacher-registration requirements in the states and territories. All Australasian Teacher Regulatory Authorities members have now adopted these changes to the IELTS test scores.
"ACECQA's requirements for IELTS test scores have changed to align with these changes, ensuring national consistency with other . . . qualification requirements."
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